#Glossary

Lynx and mobile-development terms used in these docs, in plain words. Terms are grouped by topic.

#The Lynx platform

#Lynx

An open-source engine from ByteDance for building mobile apps with JavaScript and CSS. It draws the phone's own UI controls, and it runs on iOS, Android and the web. See lynxjs.org.

#Element

A building block of a Lynx UI, written as a tag in your template, such as <view>, <text> or <image>. Each element becomes a native UI control. Lynx elements replace HTML. See Elements and layout.

#page

The root element of every Lynx app. In CSS, the page selector plays the role of :root or body: put global CSS variables there.

#Bundle

The single file your build produces, main.lynx.bundle. It holds your compiled code, templates and styles. A host app loads it and runs it. See Build your app.

#Host app

A native iOS or Android app with the Lynx engine inside, which loads and shows your bundle. In development it's Lynx Explorer. In production it's the app that ng build --platform generates, or your own native app.

#LynxView

The native view a host app places on screen to show a bundle, like an <iframe> for Lynx content. You only deal with it when you embed AngularLynx in your own native app.

#Card

An older Lynx name for one bundle shown in one LynxView. Lynx Explorer's "Enter Card URL" field means "enter your bundle's URL".

#Main thread

The thread that creates and updates the native UI, and receives touches. AngularLynx runs your templates and event handlers here. See Threads.

#Background thread

Lynx's second JavaScript thread. It has APIs the main thread doesn't, such as fetch. AngularLynx starts a copy of your app here too, but that copy doesn't draw anything. See Threads.

#Main-thread script

A function marked to run on the main thread with direct access to native elements, for work that must happen on every frame, such as dragging. Also called a worklet. See Main-thread scripts.

#Worklet

Lynx's name for a function that runs on the main thread. Same as a main-thread script.

#UI method

A function that a native element exposes, such as scrolling a <scroll-view> to a position or playing a <video>. You call it with the element's invoke() method. See Call element methods.

#Element pool

A limit on how many native elements an app can create, found in an on-device crash: about 256 slots, and removing an element doesn't free its slot. AngularLynx keeps the views of routes you leave alive to create fewer elements. See Renderer internals.

#Exposure

Lynx's term for an element becoming visible on screen, and "disexposure" for it leaving. It's like IntersectionObserver or impression tracking on the web. See Detect when elements are visible.

#InitData

Data the host app passes to your bundle when it opens it, such as a user ID. See Pass data from your native app.

#GlobalData

Data the host app shares with every bundle it shows, and can change while the app runs, such as the theme. Lynx also calls it global props. See Pass data from your native app.

#XElement

A Lynx library that provides some elements, including <input>, <textarea>, <overlay>, <svg> and <video>. Lynx Explorer and the generated apps include it. Your own native app must add it, or those elements render nothing. See Embedding.

#RSpeedy

Lynx's build tool, based on Rspack. The AngularLynx builders run it for you when you run ng build or ng serve. You only configure it directly to customize the build.

#Development tools

#Lynx Explorer

Lynx's official app for development. It downloads a bundle from a URL or QR code and runs it, so you can try your app on a phone without building one. See Quick Start.

#Lynx Go

A community-published build of Lynx Explorer on the App Store and Google Play. The Lynx team doesn't maintain it, but it works the same way.

#LogBox

Lynx's in-app error overlay. In development, Lynx Explorer shows uncaught errors in it on top of your app. Builds for the stores don't include it. See Handling errors.

#Lynx DevTool

Lynx's desktop debugging app, with an element inspector and a console. Turning on the Lynx DevTool switch in Lynx Explorer also enables reload on save. See Debugging.

#Web preview

Your app running in a desktop browser through Lynx's web renderer. ng serve prints its link as Preview. It's close to a phone but not identical.

#Simulator

The iOS Simulator: a virtual iPhone that runs on a Mac. It comes with Xcode. You can install and run apps on it without a real iPhone.

#Emulator

The Android emulator: a virtual Android phone that runs on your computer. It comes with Android Studio.

#Publishing apps

#App ID

Your app's permanent, unique name in reverse-domain form, such as com.example.myapp. Apple calls it the bundle ID, and Google calls it the application ID. You can't change it after the first upload.

#Signing

Adding a cryptographic signature to your app that proves it came from you. Both stores reject unsigned apps. See Publish to the app stores.

#.app

An iOS app as a folder. ng build --platform ios makes one for the simulator.

#.ipa

A signed iOS app file, which you upload to the App Store.

#.apk

An Android app file that installs directly on a phone or emulator.

#.aab

An Android App Bundle, the file you upload to Google Play. Google Play turns it into an .apk for each user's phone.