Concepts
The framework has a small, precise vocabulary. This page defines each term once, in one place, so the concept pages can link here from first use instead of re-explaining. Each entry gives a one-line definition, a quick analogy, and a link to where the idea is developed in full.
The content model
These are the types that flow through the pipeline and make up the content model.
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Part: the fundamental streaming unit. Every document is read as a stream of Parts (layers starting and ending, blocks, data, media). Analogy: an event in an event stream. See Content Model.
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Layer: a structural grouping: a document, a section, or a piece of embedded content. Layers nest: HTML inside a JSON string becomes a child Layer with its own format. Analogy: a node in the document tree.
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Block: a unit of translatable content: a flat sequence of Runs (the source), its Targets, and any stand-off Overlays. Analogy: a paragraph or a message. Segmentation is an Overlay (defined below) rather than a separate segment type or a structural split.
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Run: the inline unit inside a Block: a discriminated union of Text and inline codes (placeholders, paired open/close codes, sub-flows, plural and select structures). Inline markup lives in Runs, never in the text itself. Analogy: a text node or a tag in an HTML fragment. See Inline Formatting.
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Target: the translated (or otherwise produced) counterpart of a Block's source, keyed by VariantKey (defined below). A Block can carry many Targets at once.
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Overlay: stand-off annotation anchored to a range of Run indices: segmentation, terms, entities, check findings, alignment. Overlays describe the content without altering the source. Analogy: a margin note pinned to a span of text. See Content Model.
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Anchor: where an Overlay or a Finding attaches: a path into the Block's Runs with a start and end offset, or a key, so the annotation survives edits to the text around it and can be re-resolved after the Runs change. See Content Model.
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VariantKey: the key that identifies a Target: a locale plus optional tone or channel. Analogy: the address of one rendition of a Block (e.g.
fr, orfr+ "formal"). -
Resource: the payload a Part carries (a Block, Data, or Media). The Part is the envelope; the Resource is the content.
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Data: non-translatable structure that must survive the round trip (keys, attributes, layout) but is never translated.
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Media: binary content (an image, an audio or video clip) carried through the pipeline.
Vocabularies & inline codes
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Vocabulary: the typed catalogue of inline-code meanings (formatting, links, code spans, placeholders) that a Run's type draws from, with rules for what may be deleted, cloned, or reordered. See Vocabularies.
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Semantic type: the meaning attached to an inline code (for example "bold", "hyperlink", "variable"), independent of how any one format spells it.
Processing
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Format (reader / writer): the paired components that parse a byte stream into Parts and write Parts back out byte-for-byte. Analogy: a codec: decode in, encode back out. See Formats.
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Tool: a single processing step that reads Parts and writes Parts. Tools compose. Analogy: a stage in a shell pipeline. See Tools.
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Flow: a named composition of tools. Analogy: a saved, shareable pipeline definition. See Flows.
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Pipeline / Executor: the concurrent engine that runs a flow's tools as goroutines connected by channels. See Pipeline.
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Round trip: reading a document into the content model and writing it back out so that untouched content is byte-for-byte identical. The fidelity guarantee the whole engine is built around. See Formats.
Knowledge stores
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Content memory: a store of previously settled content: source segments paired with the targets produced for them, matched exactly or fuzzily to reuse past work. See Content memory.
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Terms store: a store of approved terminology, used to keep term renderings consistent. See Terminology.
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Voice profile: the tone, wording and vocabulary rules content is checked and produced against (
core/profile). See Voice.
Context
- Point (coordinates): where a piece of content sits in a project's context space, on axes such as brand, product and channel. A voice profile, a terms store and gates are bound at a point, so content at the same point is governed the same way. See Projects.
Checks
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Check: a test that runs over content and emits findings (the content analogue of a unit test). See Checks.
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Finding: a single issue a check reports, anchored to where it occurs and carrying a severity. Findings travel with the content as overlays.
The recipe (kapi.yaml) and its model are framework code (core/project), as
are the context, gate and unit-state packages beside it; the verbs that drive a
project (up, status, apply) are Kapi's. Ad-hoc vs. project modes,
bindings, and the .kpz/.kbf.json formats are defined under
Projects.