Glossary

A

• Ability

  The abstraction of a functionality provided by an application. Ability is the minimum unit for the system to schedule an application. It is a component that can implement an independent functionality. An application can contain one or more Ability instances. Different types of abilities are defined in the Feature Ability (FA) model and stage model.

• AMS

  Ability Manager Service, a service that manages abilities.

• App pack

  An application package released to the application market. The package contains one or more HAP files with the file name extension .app.

• App component

  Same as ability. Each ability is an app component.

• ArkCompiler

  A component-based, configurable multi-language compilation and running platform built in OpenHarmony. Bolstered by key components such as the compiler, toolchain, and runtime, ArkCompiler is able to compile and run code written in various advanced programming languages on multiple chip platforms. It also enables the OpenHarmony standard system and its applications and services to run on a variety of device types, from phones and PCs, tablets, TVs, automobiles, to smart wearables.

• ArkTS

  Application development language used in OpenHarmony. Based on TypeScript, ArkTS extends capabilities such as declarative UI and status management, helping you develop applications in a simpler and more natural way.

• ArkUI

  Native UI framework of OpenHarmony. ArkUI is a simplified, high-performance UI development framework for cross-device application design and development, increasing your productivity when creating application UIs for use across devices. For details, see ArkUI Overview.

• Atomic service

  A brand-new application form provided by OpenHarmony. Each atomic service has an independent entry for users to easily access, such as by tapping it, using OneHop, or scanning a particular QR code. They support silent installation (installed automatically by the system in the background).

B

• BMS

  Bundle Manager Service, a service that manages application bundles.

C

• C API

  Native development interface provided by the OpenHarmony SDK.

• Continuation

  Distributed operations provided by OpenHarmony, including cross-device migration and multi-device collaboration.

D

• Derivative framework

  A third-party framework bridged to the native framework.

• DevEco Device Tool

  A one-stop development environment and all-in-one resource platform for smart device developers. It provides comprehensive capabilities spanning the entire process of device development, from chip template project creation and custom development resource selection to code writing, build, debugging, and burning.

• DMS

  Distributed Management Service, a service used for distributed management.

F

• FA

  Feature Ability, an ability that provides a UI for user interaction in the ability framework of the FA model. The FA supports only the Page ability template.

• FA model

  A development model provided by the ability framework. It is the only application development model supported by API version 8 and earlier. The FA model provides FAs and Particle abilities (PAs). The FA supports the Page ability template, and the PA supports the Service, Data, and Form ability templates. For details, see FA Model Overview.

H

• HAP

  OpenHarmony Ability Package, released with the file name extension .hap. One HAP provides all content of an application, including code, resources, third-party libraries, and an application configuration file.

• HAR

  OpenHarmony Archive file, which contains the middle format of code, resources, and configuration files.

• HCS

  HDF Configuration Source, providing the Hardware Driver Foundation (HDF) configuration in key-value pairs. HCS removes the dependency between configuration code and driver code, simplifying configuration management.

• HC-GEN

  HDF Configuration Generator, a tool for converting a configuration file into a file that can be read by the target software.

• HDF

  Hardware Driver Foundation, which provides a unified access interface for peripherals and the framework for driver development and management in OpenHarmony.

• Hypium

  OpenHarmony automatic test framework, which strives to implement hyper-automatic tests. Hypium is a blend of Hyper Automation and ium, where ium indicates a stable, reliable capability base of the test framework.

I

• IDN

  Intelligent Distributed Networking, a distributed networking unit of OpenHarmony. You can use IDN to obtain the device list and device states and subscribe to the connection state changes of devices on a distributed network.

N

• Native framework

  A development framework provided by the system. A non-native framework is a third-party framework.

P

• PA

  Particle Ability, an ability that does not have a UI in the ability framework of the FA model. It provides services and support for FAs. For example, a PA can function as a background service to provide computing power or as a data store to provide data access capabilities. The PA supports Service, Data, and Form ability templates.

S

• SA

  System Ability, which is a system-level component written by system developers.

• Secondary framework

  A third-party framework that does not depend on the native framework.

• Stage model

  A development model provided by the ability framework since API version 9. The stage model provides UIAbility and ExtensionAbility classes. The ExtensionAbility classes include ServiceExtensionAbility, FormExtensionAbility, DataShareExtensionAbility, and more.

• Super Virtual Device

  Also called Super Device. It integrates the capabilities of multiple devices through the distributed technology into a virtual hardware resource pool and then centrally manages and schedules these capabilities based on application requirements.

• SysCap

  System Capability, each relatively independent feature in OpenHarmony, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, and camera. Each system capability corresponds to multiple APIs, and each API definition contains the corresponding SysCap tag.

• System type

  • Mini system: an operating system for the devices that come with MCU processors, such as Arm Cortex-M and 32-bit RISC-V, and memory greater than or equal to 128 KiB. This system provides rich short-range connection capabilities and peripheral access bus. The mini system applies to smart home products such as LinkIoT module devices and sensors.
  • Small system: an operating system for the devices that come with application processors such as Arm Cortex-A and memory greater than or equal to 1 MiB. This system provides higher security capabilities, a standard graphics framework, and video encoding and decoding capabilities. The small system applies to smart home products such as IP cameras, peephole cameras, and routers as well as easy travel products such as event data recorders (EDRs).
  • Standard system: an operating system for the devices that come with application processors such as Arm Cortex-A and memory greater than or equal to 128 MiB. This system provides a complete application framework supporting enhanced interaction, 3D GPU, hardware composer, diverse components, and rich animations. The standard system applies to high-end refrigerator displays.

U

• UI component

  Part of the UI that supports user interaction.

X

• XComponent

  Component interfaces provided by ArkUI to meet self-rendering requirements of developers.