A portion of the Smalltalk garbage collector that can distinguish between live object references and references among groups of dead objects.

A mutable and private copy of an application for a user who is not necessarily the application's manager. The scratch edition exists only in that user's image. Using a scratch edition, you can modify an application version, and the existing classes contained in it, without actually creating a new edition. Each scratch edition has << >> displayed around the edition time stamp or version name. Contrast with edition, version.

A series of Smalltalk statements that implement an action for a part. Scripts are equivalent to Smalltalk methods.

A VA Smalltalk view that enables you to implement part behavior by writing Smalltalk scripts (methods). The Script Editor shows all the objects that can be referenced by a method and all previously defined methods of a part's class.

In the Composition Editor, small squares that appear on the corners of a selected visual part. Selection handles are used to resize parts. See also primary selection.

The component of a message that specifies the requested operation. There are three kinds of selectors: binary, keyword, and unary.

An object that sends a message to another object. On the level of code implementation, the sender is considered to be the sending method within the class or instance that issues the message. Contrast with receiver.

In Java, a lightweight persistence scheme by which selected portions of an object's state can be converted into a byte stream and written onto the file system. The object's state is later reconstituted through conversion of the saved byte stream back into the appropriate state data. Classes that support serialization implement the java.io.Serializable interface.

A computer that provides services to multiple users or workstations in a network; for example, a file server, print server, or mail server.

An object that performs one or more tasks on behalf of a client. The server can be a computer (a file server), a specific process on a server, or a distributed object.

A specific behavior that an object is responsible for exhibiting.

A series of CGI queries that come from the same client and belong to the same logical sequence. A session is identified by a unique session key, which is generated by VA Smalltalk. A session begins when a client initially connects (without a session key) and ends when a specified time-out period has elapsed since the last connection.

A unique string, generated automatically by VA Smalltalk, that identifies a session. All requests and replies carry the session key in hidden HTML data fields.

A view of a part that provides a way to display and set the attributes and options associated with the part.

On UNIX, a file containing data and code that can be used by programs during loading or at run-time, but are not part of the program's executable file. Compare to dynamic link library.

In the Common Widgets subsystem, the widget that provides the interface between an application and the operating system's window manager. Shells are displayed as windows. The root of an application's widget tree must be a top-level shell, and a top-level shell must have a child widget before it is realized.

A complete programming environment for developing object-oriented applications. Smalltalk is a pure implementation of object-oriented concepts; every entity in the environment is an object.

The name of the programming language that the Smalltalk programming environment supports.

In VA Smalltalk, the name of the System Dictionary containing the global variables.

Systems Network Architecture.

A two-argument block of code that indicates the order in which the two arguments, relative to each other, should be sorted in a collection.

Structured query language.

An interactive tool for creating structured query language (SQL) statements. It consists of a set of dialogs that prompt the user for information about database tables, and use that information to generate SQL statements.

Smalltalk.

Informational text on a view that the end user cannot change.

A part of a window where information appears that shows the state of an object or the state of a particular view of an object.

In the Composition Editor, the mode that enables users to add multiple parts of the same class (for example, three push buttons) without going back and forth between the parts palette and the free-form surface.

A bitmap used to tile a region of a visual image.

A procedure stored in a database system that contains SQL and other control statements. The VA Smalltalk stored procedure parts enable you to invoke a stored procedure from a VA Smalltalk application.

The application (defined in a .DLL or .CMD file) that executes a stored procedure. This term is used to distinguish the stored procedure application itself from the stored procedure specification that defines the application to VA Smalltalk.

A definition of a stored procedure application and the input and output fields it expects. To use a stored procedure application with VA Smalltalk, you need to define it in a stored procedure specification. Stored procedure specifications also define the database, the application, the access set, and a name and description for a stored procedure application to be used with VA Smalltalk.

A literal that is any sequence of characters enclosed in a pair of apostrophes ('').

A language used to access relational databases.

An application contained by another application. Using subapplications, you can organize the classes of an application into a tree of subapplications or isolate the parts of an application that are platform-specific.

A class that inherits behaviors and specifications (in other words, methods and variables) from another class. Contrast with superclass.

In VA Smalltalk, an indication of how a subclass inherits instance variables from its superclass.

A type of push button that can appear on an HTML form. A submit button initiates a connection to the HTTP server and sends a CGI query, using the data from the input fields as parameters.

A part that is embedded within a composite part.

A class which exists closer to the root of the class hierarchy and from which another class inherits behaviors and specifications (in other words, methods and variables). Contrast with subclass.

In Smalltalk, an object that represents a string used as a name within the system. A symbol literal is a sequence of characters preceded by the number sign (#) with no embedded blanks, such as #George or #messageSelector.

A component that manages storage of code and access to that stored code. A library file is a system component that stores and manages code. A user object is a system component that represents a person who can use a library.

The description of the logical structure, formats, protocols, and operational sequences for transmitting information units through, and controlling the configuration and operation of, networks.