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Mobile apps glossary

Learn the meanings of mobile app-related terms.

Definitions of mobile-related terms. Refer to the main glossary for definitions of terms across Retool.

A​

No glossary entries found.

B​

Blob​

Wikipedia: Object storage is a computer data storage approach that manages data as "blobs" or "objects", as opposed to other storage architectures like file systems, which manage data as a file hierarchy, and block storage, which manages data as blocks within sectors and tracks. Each object is typically associated with a variable amount of metadata, and a globally unique identifier. Object storage can be implemented at multiple levels, including the device level, the system level, and the interface level. In each case, object storage seeks to enable capabilities not addressed by other storage architectures, like interfaces that are directly programmable by the application, a namespace that can span multiple instances of physical hardware, and data-management functions like data replication and data distribution at object-level granularity.

Bottom Sheet​

A modal for mobile apps that slides into view from the bottom of the viewport.

C​

Canvas​

The primary workspace in which you build the user interface for your app. The canvas can contain distinct frames, such as the sidebar or header.

Component​

A prebuilt interface element used to display data or interact with.

CRUD​

Wikipedia: Create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) are the four basic operations (actions) of persistent storage. CRUD is also sometimes used to describe user interface conventions that facilitate viewing, searching, and changing information using computer-based forms and reports.

D​

Dependency graph​

Wikipedia: A directed graph representing dependencies of several objects towards each other. It is possible to derive an evaluation order or the absence of an evaluation order that respects the given dependencies from the dependency graph.

Dot notation​

A syntax used to access an object's methods or properties.

E​

Edit mode​

The mode of interacting with an app through the app IDE as an editor.

Error reporting​

The ability to send logs and error reports on workflows, web apps, and mobile apps with Datadog or Sentry.

Event handler​

A mechanism to respond to user interactions and system events without requiring custom JavaScript. You can use event handlers to trigger queries, control components, and perform other actions in response to user interactions.

F​

Frame​

A layout container that enables you to divide the app canvas into distinct sections in which you add components. Frames provide you with flexible layout options for arranging your app's user interface. You can add frames to pages or use them globally.

G​

Global Scope​

Components, frames, and code that can be referenced across multiple pages. These objects are continually evaluated regardless of the page currently in view.

H​

Header frame​

A type of frame that allows you to build a header. This frame is globally scoped and persists across all pages.

I​

Inspector​

The interface in the app IDE, located in a collapsible right panel, that enables you to configure app and component settings. Component settings are often organized into Content, Interactions, and Appearance sections. When a particular component is not selected, it contains settings related to the app as a whole, such as URL, shortcut, and max width.

J​

No glossary entries found.

K​

No glossary entries found.

L​

Left panel​

The portion of the IDE on the left side of the screen. It contains several tabs for working with components or workflow blocks, writing code, managing releases, and changing app settings.

M​

Media type​

The media type that indicates the purpose and format of data (e.g., application/pdf for PDF files).

N​

Navbar​

A portion of the IDE where you customize the IDE environment and configure high-level app settings.

O​

Observability​

The ability to monitor Retool capabilities by observing and reporting on app and workflow behavior. Includes capabilities such as error reporting, performance monitoring, user sessions, and webdriver tests.

Offline mode​

A setting that enables mobile apps to function without an active internet connection.

P​

Page scope​

Components, frames, and code that can only be referenced within a single page. Retool only evaluates page-scoped objects when the page is currently being viewed.

Performance monitoring​

The ability to send page load and query traces to Datadog and Sentry

Public links​

A link that makes an app available, without authentication, to anyone with the URL.

Q​

No glossary entries found.

R​

No glossary entries found.

S​

Scope​

The level of access granted. If you crete a custom OAuth application with which to authenticate, you typically define scopes to give Retool access, such as calendars.read or users.add.

Screen​

The primary content areas of a mobile app that contain components. Users navigate between screens using the tab bar or by interactions that trigger event handlers, such as pressing a button or selecting an item from a list.

Sidebar frame​

A type of frame that is used primarily for building navigation into your apps. This frame is globally-scoped and persist across all pages.

Status bar​

An interface that runs along the bottom of the app IDE and contains options to switch environments, view releases, toggle the runtime that powers the app, and access debug tools

T​

Ternary operator​

Wikipedia: In computer programming, the ternary conditional operator is a ternary operator that is part of the syntax for basic conditional expressions in several programming languages. It is commonly referred to as the conditional operator, conditional expression, ternary if, or inline if. An expression if a then b else c or a ? b : c evaluates to b if the value of a is true, and otherwise to c. One can read it aloud as "if a then b otherwise c". The form a ? b : c is the most common, but alternative syntaxes do exist; for example, Raku uses the syntax a ?? b !! c to avoid confusion with the infix operators ? and !, whereas in Visual Basic .NET, it instead takes the form If(a, b, c).

ToolScript​

A JSX-style markup language built to serialize Retool apps which are protected using Source Control.

Topic​

The scope for recipients for push notifications. Topics are similar in function to mailing lists where users subscribe to them based on what information they want to be notified about.

Transformer​

Reusable blocks of JavaScript code to transform data that can be referenced anywhere in an app.

U​

No glossary entries found.

V​

View mode​

The mode of interacting with an app as an end user.

W​

WebView​

A mobile component that allows you to embed a webpage.

White-label apps​

A custom-branded version of the Retool Mobile app

X​

No glossary entries found.

Y​

No glossary entries found.

Z​

Zero-based numbering​

Wikipedia: Zero-based numbering is a way of numbering in which the initial element of a sequence is assigned the index 0, rather than the index 1 as is typical in everyday non-mathematical or non-programming circumstances. Under zero-based numbering, the initial element is sometimes termed the zeroth element, rather than the first element; zeroth is a coined word for the ordinal number zero. In some cases, an object or value that does not (originally) belong to a given sequence, but which could be naturally placed before its initial element, may be termed the zeroth element. There is no wide agreement regarding the correctness of using zero as an ordinal, as it creates ambiguity for all subsequent elements of the sequence when lacking context.