The Order Desk Glossary: Terms & Phrases Explained

When navigating your store, you may come across some terms or phrases that aren't necessarily clear to you. To help alleviate some of that frustration, we've gone ahead and outlined some of the common words and concepts you'll see when working with Order Desk.

Order Desk

• Import Template - A structured input form you can create to import your spreadsheets into Order Desk. When you create a new template, you will be required to format all spreadsheets with the same column numbers, column heading, and column heading order.
• Export Template - A structured output you can create to make an external record of data that exists in Order Desk, either to a CSV file, email, or FTP server.
• Email Template - A formatted email that you can customize with dynamic information.
• Receipt Template - An order document formatted to be used as a receipt that includes dynamic content and can be saved or attached as a PDF.
• Integration - The process of connecting one software application with another.
• Demo/Trial/Locked - A demo (sometimes called "trials") allow you to set up and test a store before purchasing a subscription. A locked store is a no longer editable store that still contains data, remaining in that state until the store is on a paid subscription or linked to a paid store.
• Rule Builder/Rules - The logic processing tool in Order Desk. The Rule Builder allows merchants to create and edit automated workflows.
• Workflow/Order Process - The procedure orders will follow as decided by rules, store settings, and integration settings.
• Item Code/SKU - A unique identifier for a single inventory item.
• Print Details - The information sent to a print on demand service to accurately render the print.
  • print_sku - The item that the order will be printed on, using the SKU assigned to the item at the printer.
  • print_url - The URL to the artwork to be printed, stored in a cloud storage service like Dropbox.
  • print_location - The location where you would like your artwork printed on an item.
• Custom CSS - An advanced modification made using Cascading Style Sheet language, commonly used in Order Desk to adjust the appearance of your Order Desk store in your web browser (changing colors, hiding menus, etc.).
• Custom Settings - The section of the Store Settings where special settings code provided by Order Desk support can be added.
• Inventory Sync - The importing and updating of inventory records in Order Desk's inventory page and/or the process of overwriting stock counts in one system with the stock counts in Order Desk.
• Sync Order Details - The process of syncing updated inventory item information (print details, variations, etc.) into existing orders.
• Order History - The record of all the events that have occurred on an order.
• Order Metadata (Metadata) - Information associated with an order. Some integrations will import orders with specific metadata, but metadata can also be added to orders through rules.
• Item Metadata - Information associated with an item. Some integrations will import order items with specific metadata, but metadata can also be added to items through rules.
• Checkout Data - A space for storing any details about an order. This versatile field can be used for storing information to send to a fulfillment service, notes about an order, or data for a rule to target.
• Shipping Class - In shipping, the selected shipping option from a carrier, usually pertaining to the speed and cost of a shipment.
• Folders - The sorting an organization system within Order Desk for grouping orders.
• Loop - An error in the rule builder where the logic of the rule is circular, and therefore can't ever finish executing. For instance with the event "When a PDF is created" that's action is "Create a PDF" will run endlessly.
• Custom Script - The ability to post order data through the rule builder using JSON.
• Product Code MatchA setting within individual integrations that changes an item's code/SKU when it is submitted for fulfillment.
• Code Replace - A process within the inventory settings for changing the item code/SKU for an item prior to submission for fulfillment.
• Bundles -A single inventory item made up of multiple individual SKUs.
• Location - The place an order is being filled and/or where a given SKU is being warehoused.
• Appointments - Actions set to run on scheduled intervals.
• Custom Events - A rule builder event that can be set to affect a specific folder at a set time interval.
• Custom Buttons -An element that, when clicked, can run a designated series of actions within your store.
• API Browser - A tool for reviewing the information sent to Order Desk by an integration service's API.
• Local vs UTC timestamps - A local timestamp is the timestamp converted into the store's timezone. A UTC timestamp is a timestamp in standard UTC time format, a universal time measuring system used in computing.
• Report - A term often used for the document generated when performing an export out of Order Desk.
• Sample File - A file used to set up an import template. This will include all the column headers for future spreadsheet data that will be imported into Order Desk.
• Field and Value - The field identifies the type of information that is being added, while the value is the unique data (e.g. a field called Color could have a value of Blue).
• Custom Parameters - In an export template, these are a set of predefined options that can inform the structure of the data and the logic for how the export functions.

Ecommerce

• Dropshipping - A fulfillment system where purchased merchandise is shipped to a customer by a third party who stores the products on the merchant’s behalf.
• App - Software that provides a digital service (for example, Order Desk is an app).
• Courier/Carrier - A service that transports an order between a fulfillment service and a customer.
• Vendor/Supplier - An entity that provides a good or service to a merchant which enables the merchant to conduct their business.
• On Demand/Print on Demand/Printer - A service that prints a design onto specified mediums (e.g. shirts, canvases, etc.) as orders are received. Each order is printed as it comes in so no excess inventory is kept on hand. Many of these services will also handle order fulfillment on behalf of a merchant.
• Inventory/Merchandise/Stock - The items sold by a merchant.
• SKU/code/part number/product ID - A unique identifier for an inventory item.
• Price - The amount charged to a customer for a good or service.
• Cost - The amount of capital expended by the merchant for a good or service.
• Taxes/VAT Taxes - The percentage of an order total allocated to a local or regional government, where legally applicable.
• Split - The process of separating an order into multiple sub orders using the Rule Builder; often used to submit separate order components to different fulfillment services.
• Merge - The process of combining multiple orders into a single order.
• Incoterm - A set of internationally settled commercial agreements established by the International Chamber of Commerce to maintain compliance with international commerce laws.
• Return Address - The mailing destination for returns.
• Labels - A document with shipping information for the carrier, typically affixed to the parcel.
• Thermal Labels - An ink-less label printed using a heating mechanism on a special paper.
• PDF - (Portable Digital Format), a widely used file type that can be universally viewed on any device.
• EPL - A programming language used by printers with the purpose of printing labels.
• ZPL - A programming language used by printers for describing the layout and structure of a page, most commonly used for labeling.
• CMS - (Content Management System) a tool for sharing, organizing, and planning content.
• Stock Counts/Numbers - The total amount of a given SKU available to be sold.
• Payment Status - The condition of a payment while it's being processed.
• Fulfillment Status - The condition of an order between being placed and being delivered.
• Packing Slip - A document included with a shipment, often including order details, totals, and shipping information.
• PO - (Purchase Order) A document placing an order from a supplier with stock, quantity, and pricing agreements.
• Invoice - A document requesting payment for goods received or services rendered, or goods/services to be rendered.
• Variations/Variants - A modification, difference, or deviation from a base product, typically with its own SKU.
• Gateway/Payment Processor - The services that processes financial transaction details, facilitating the transfer of funds between banks.
• Pick List - A document used by a fulfillment service to determine which items from the inventory to include in an order.
• ERP - (Enterprise Resource Planning) A piece of software used to integrate services and utilities to automate a process or workflow.
• Marketplace/shopping cart - An online storefront where products are displayed and orders can be placed.
• 3PL - (Third Party Logistics) The process of outsourcing elements of a logistics or supply chain process to outside parties, typically for warehousing, distribution, and/or fulfillment.
• Kits/bundles - A single item made up of multiple individual SKUs.
• Listings - A description of an item within a marketplace. From the listing, an item can be added to a cart/basket as the customer builds their order.
• Shopping Cart/Basket - (The storage place for items selected by a customer on an ecommerce website prior to the placement of an order. This is separate from the storefront itself, which is the storage place for pre-purchased items.
• Customers - The party who purchases an order.
• Merchants - The party who sells an order.
• Refunds - A partial or total return of funds for an order from a merchant back to a customer.
• Product - An item being sold by a merchant and purchased by a customer.

Technical

• API (Application Programming Interface) - a software intermediary that enables applications to exchange information with each other. Order Desk’s API allows integrations to use approved methods to issue commands or get information (e.g. get a list of orders or update orders).
• Webhook -An HTTP(s) URL that serves as an endpoint and receives information (e.g. shipping notifications).
• JSON (Javascript Object Notation) - (Javascript Object Notation) A data format. Similar to a CSV. It's a set of defined rules specifying the format in which information (text) must be given or is expected. So a CSV can be converted to JSON format. 
• Twig - A simple programming language that allows you to create templates with changing values (e.g. customer names, order numbers, etc.).
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A method in which files can be transferred from server to server.
• PHP - Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language which Order Desk predominantly runs on. This used to be called Personal Homepage
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) - A method of securing logins by requiring two forms of authentication. An example would be a password and a code that is emailed to you.
• Attributes - Attributes in Twig.
• String/Querystring - The line of text that comes after the domain name. Example https://domain.tld/index.php?this=is&the=querystring
• Loop - A sequence that continually repeats until a specific condition is reached.
• Rate Limit - The act of restricting a user to given limits for actions they do.
• S3 (bucket/logs) - Amazon's service for storing files. We use this to store things such as logs, PDFs or images.
• SMTP Server (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The set of rules which define how an email must be structured as well as an SMTP Server is a server which listens to this protocol for emails.
• Endpoint - A URL, such as a webhook URL.
• HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - The standard language for creating web pages and emails.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - A sheet defining the style sets for a given document and the elements within that document.