Updates & Glossary
Glossary
This page provides a glossary of key AskUI terms and definitions to help you understand the core concepts and components of the platform.
Here is the formatted table with the terminology and meanings:
Term | Meaning |
---|---|
access token | Gives you access to the AskUI inference in combination with your workspace ID. Every access token has an expiry date and is assigned to exactly one workspace. |
action | A method in the AskUI Control Client API that describes an action to be taken against the operating system, e.g., click() , type() . |
annotation | Marked area around an element with metadata including name, text, and bounding box coordinates. |
automation | A system of multiple connected workflows. |
bounding box | A rectangle described by coordinates that define an element’s location, visually displayed as a red rectangle. |
credentials | A combination of workspace ID and access token, both tied to the same workspace. |
element | A user interface component that websites and blocks are built from. |
element-description | A coded description for a UI element in the AskUI Control Client API, e.g., button() or textfield().contains().text('Email') . |
inference | The process of annotating a user interface. |
inference server | The backend system that performs inference (UI analysis and annotation). |
instruction | A single AskUI directive, usually consisting of action + (optional) element-description. |
interactive annotation | Exploring the annotations of a user interface through an annotated screenshot. |
UI Controller (legacy) | A service that controls inputs and observes visuals on the operating system. |
AskUI Controller | The updated service that controls inputs and observes visuals on the operating system. |
UI Control Client | Retrieves annotations from the inference server and executes input instructions on the operating system via the AskUI Controller. |
AskUI Studio (former User Portal) | A platform where you can create access tokens for your workspace. |
AskUI-Installer | The installer that sets up AskUI components on a machine. |
AskUI Development Environment (ADE) | A terminal environment for setting up and managing AskUI components and projects. |
AskUI Runner | A self-hosted component that downloads and runs workflows from AskUI Studio. |
workflow | A set of instructions designed to complete a single task. |
workspace | Every registered user has exactly one workspace, which can contain multiple access tokens. |
workspace ID | The unique identifier for your workspace, used in combination with an access token to access AskUI inference. |