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Software Engineering vocabulary · Web, Mobile and Interface Development

Foreground

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈfɔːrˌɡraʊnd/nounCore term

In software engineering, foreground means: The state of an app that is open and visible on the screen, so the user can interact with it directly.

In Turkish: ön plan

How it is used

Common phrases: in the foreground, come to the foreground, return to the foreground. Apps often refresh data when they return to the foreground. On Android, a 'foreground service' keeps running with a visible notification, for example for music playback or navigation.

Example sentences

  1. We show the in-app message only when the app is in the foreground.

  2. When the app comes back to the foreground, refresh the user's balance.

Common collocations

  • in the foreground
  • come to the foreground
  • return to the foreground
  • foreground service
  • backgroundThe state of an app that is still running or kept in memory but is not visible on the screen, for example after the user switches to another app.
  • app lifecycleThe series of states an app moves through from launch to being closed, such as active, in the background or suspended, and the events the system sends at each change.
  • push notificationA short message sent from a server to a user's device that appears on the screen even when the app is not open, for example about a new message or a delivery.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Web, Mobile and Interface Development

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