Glossary
Key terms used throughout Topicary and this documentation.
Use this glossary as a quick reference while authoring. Terms here match the labels you see in the Topicary UI — if you encounter an unfamiliar term in the app, look it up here.
Callout
A visually distinct block for tips, warnings, notes, or cautions. Unlike a blockquote (which sets text apart without implying severity), a callout carries a type, color, and icon that signal how critical the content is. Insert one with the / slash menu in the editor.
Component
A named, reusable content fragment stored independently from any topic. Topics reference components rather than containing their own copy. Editing a component updates every topic that references it.
Component reference
A pointer inside a topic that pulls in a component's content. References are live — they always reflect the current state of the source component. The reference itself is a placeholder; the content lives in the component.
Condition
A rule that controls whether a content block appears in a specific publication target. Conditions are defined along dimensions (like Audience or Platform) and applied to blocks in the editor. At publish time, blocks that don't match the target's condition profile are excluded.
Condition dimension
A named axis for content variation — for example, "Audience" or "Platform." Each dimension contains two or more values.
Condition profile
The set of condition values selected for a publication target. When publishing, only content matching the profile is included. Content with no conditions is always included.
Condition value
A specific option within a dimension — for example, "Admin" and "End User" within the "Audience" dimension. Each value gets a distinct color in the editor.
Content status
The workflow state of a topic: Draft (in progress), In Review (under review), or Published (approved and ready for output).
Map
An ordered, nestable list of topics that defines the structure of a documentation site or PDF. Maps control which topics appear, in what order, and with what hierarchy. The same topic can appear in multiple maps.
Map item
A single entry in a map — a reference to a topic, positioned at a specific level of nesting. Map items can be reordered and indented to create hierarchy.
Map version
A duplicate of a map's structure (items and hierarchy) that shares the same underlying topics. Versions let you maintain separate documentation structures — for example, v1 and v2 of your product docs — while keeping topic content in sync.
Publication target
A configuration that combines a map, an output format (web or PDF), a condition profile, and a variable set to produce a specific output. One map can have multiple targets — for example, an admin web site and an end-user PDF from the same source.
Review session
A time-boxed collaboration period where reviewers provide feedback on selected topics. Reviewers access content via a unique token link — no account required.
Slug
The URL-friendly version of a topic title, used in published site URLs. Generated automatically from the title. For example, a topic titled "Setting Up SSO" gets the slug setting-up-sso.
Tag
A label applied to a topic for cross-cutting classification. Tags are organizational metadata for your authoring team — they don't affect published output.
Tag group
A named collection of related tags — for example, "Feature Area" containing tags like "Authentication," "Billing," and "Analytics."
Taxonomy
The overall system of tag groups and tags used to classify content in a project. Equivalent to the Tags feature in the sidebar.
Topic
The atomic unit of content in Topicary. Each topic covers one concept, procedure, or reference entry and exists independently of any particular output. Topics can appear in any number of maps.
Variable
A named placeholder that resolves to a specific value at publish time. Variables let you swap values like product names, URLs, or version numbers across publication targets without duplicating content.
Variable set
A named collection of key-value pairs assigned to a publication target. When publishing, each variable token in the content resolves to the value from the target's variable set.
Variable token
An inline placeholder in a topic that displays as a styled pill showing the variable key. At publish time, the token is replaced with the value from the target's variable set.
See also
What is a CCMS? — foundational concepts behind the terms defined in this glossary
The topic-map-publication model — how topics, maps, and publication targets relate to each other
The publishing pipeline — how components, conditions, and variables are processed at publish time