Docs / Reference
Glossary
The terms used in Tellscript, from binding and edition to ring, recipe and the rebuild test, in one sentence each.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tellscript | A folder tell/ of Markdown files that records what software must do, how it looks and why; the source every edition is built from |
| Statement | One checkable sentence with a stable id, for example C2, and a reference line to its check |
| Id | The permanent name of a statement; checks point to the id, never to the wording |
| Binding | The link between a statement and the check that proves it: the arrow line and the test name |
| Check | A test, contract comparison, reference image or lineage note that fails when a statement stops holding |
| Layer | A section of a file answering one question: Intent, Behaviour, Contracts, Face, Why, Recipes |
| Ring | How much a section may change in the next edition: fixed, guided or free |
| Edition | One build of the app from the Tellscript by one model; replaceable |
| Front matter | The block at the top of a file that names it and points to its checks, references and decisions |
| Contract | What other systems rely on, byte-exact: routes, types, tables, events |
| Face | What people recognise: tokens, components, texts with ids, reference images |
| Reference image | A screenshot of a screen in one state that the next edition is compared with |
| Decision | A dated record of why a rule exists and which alternatives were rejected |
| Recipe | A Tellscript for generated content: brief, model, references, parameters |
| Lineage | The note next to a generated file that names the recipe and model it came from |
| Open | A marker for a statement whose reason nobody knows yet |
| Proof level | How far a file can be trusted: described, bound or proven |
| Hidden bench | Checks and screenshots the building model never sees during a rebuild |
| Rebuild test | Rebuilding from the Tellscript alone in an empty folder, to find what was never written down |