CowSync Guide › Help
Glossary of app words
Plain meanings for the computer and app words you'll see in CowSync.
This list explains the computer and app words used in CowSync and in this Guide. Cattle terms aren't here, since you know those better than we do. Use your browser's find (Ctrl F, or ⌘ F on a Mac) to jump to a word.
| Word | What it means in CowSync |
|---|---|
| Workspace | The ranch-office side of CowSync: health records, breeding records, calendar, money, documents, staff and more, each in its own tool. Open it from Workspace → Overview. More |
| Tool | One screen in the Workspace that does one job, such as Weights, Herd Health or Drive. Each has a tile on the Workspace overview. More |
| Simple / Advanced | The switch at the top right of the Workspace overview. Simple shows only the everyday tools and hides the AI bars. Advanced shows everything. More |
| Briefing | The card at the top of the Workspace overview with the weather, Today's jobs and Needs attention. More |
| Record | One saved entry in a tool, such as one weigh-in, one treatment or one expense. It shows as one row in the table. More |
| Row | One line in a table. Click a row to open or edit that record. More |
| Summary cards (KPI cards) | The boxes of headline numbers across the top of a tool, such as Average BCS or Owed to you. They update by themselves. More |
| Tabs | The rounded buttons that switch between parts of a screen, such as Transactions and Tax summary. More |
| Filter | A way to show only some records, such as Last 30 days. The records you hide aren't deleted. Clear filters shows everything again. More |
| Chip | A small rounded button, often with a count, that you click to filter a list, such as Sires or Overdue. More |
| Customize | The button in a tool that lets you change its dropdown choices, add your own fields and pick which columns show. More |
| Custom field | A box you add yourself in Customize to track something CowSync doesn't, such as a pen number. More |
| Column | One kind of information in a table, such as Date or Animal. Hide or show columns in Customize or Settings. More |
| CSV | A plain spreadsheet file that Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets can open. The CSV button downloads a list as one. You can also import a CSV into My Herd. More |
| Import / Export | Import brings records in from a file (for example your herd from a spreadsheet). Export saves them out to a file. More |
| Label | Your own colored tag for animals, such as "Donor cows" or "Sale 2026". Use them to sort and filter My Herd. Not the same as an ear tag. More |
| Tag (#tag) | In the Notepad and on listings, a short word with # in front that groups notes or listings. In records, "tag" usually means the animal's ear tag. More |
| Predicted | A badge CowSync puts on calves you saved from the breeding tools. They're projections, not real animals yet. More |
| AI assistant | The bar at the top of Workspace tools where you type (or say) what to log, change or find in plain English. It proposes changes, and nothing is saved until you click Apply. More |
| Proposed changes / Apply / Undo | The AI assistant's list of what it would do. Apply saves them, Discard throws them away, and Undo takes back what you just applied. More |
| CowGPT | CowSync's chat assistant in the main menu. Ask it about your herd, Wagyu genetics or how to use CowSync. Mini is faster and Super gives fuller answers. In Messages, type @cowgpt. More |
| Automation (workflow) | A follow-up the Workspace sets up for you when you save certain records, such as a preg-check reminder after an AI. More |
| Notification (the bell) | An alert about something that needs you. A red number on the bell shows how many are new. More |
| Favorite (star) | A page, tool or animal you have starred so it's pinned to the strip at the top for one-click access. More |
| Search everything (Ctrl K) | The search box under the top bar. It finds pages, tools, animals and records. Press Ctrl K (⌘ K on a Mac) to jump to it. More |
| Sidebar / Top bar | The two ways the menu can be shown: down the side of the screen, or as a row across the top. Choose under your name → Navigation. More |
| Breadcrumb | The small path at the top of the screen, such as Herd › My Herd, that shows where you are. More |
| Right-click menu | The short menu you get by clicking the right mouse button on something. It lists what you can do with it. Hold Shift for the browser's own menu. More |
| Light / Dark mode | Whether the screen is light with dark writing or dark with light writing. Switch with the sun/moon button at the top right. More |
| Cloud mode | CowSync's way of working without signal. Your work is saved on the device and sent up when you're back online. The cloud button turns amber while it's on. More |
| Device copy | A copy of your records saved on your phone, tablet or computer for Cloud mode. Make one with Save copy to device. More |
| Sync | Sending changes made on your device up to CowSync so every device and teammate sees them. More |
| Home screen icon | A CowSync icon on your phone's home screen that opens it like an app, full screen. More |
| Team | Your ranch in CowSync. Everyone on the team shares its herd and Workspace. Your own is called your Home team. More |
| Owner / Admin / Member | Team roles. The owner controls everything. Admins can manage members and have full Workspace access. Members get only the permissions the owner chooses. More |
| Permissions | The on/off switches (and No access / View / Edit settings) that decide what each team member can see and change. More |
| Messages / Room / Direct message | CowSync's chat. A room is a group chat, such as #calving-crew. A direct message is between two people. More |
| Drive | The Workspace's filing cabinet for papers, photos and PDFs, with folders, categories and expiry dates. More |
| Trash | Where Drive files go when you delete them. Restore them from there, or Delete forever. More |
| A common file type for papers and forms that looks the same on every device. You can sign PDFs in CowSync. More | |
| Share link | A web address you send someone so they can open one note, file, invoice or agreement without a CowSync account. More |
| Signing link | A share link that also lets the other person sign on screen. Their signature comes back to you. More |
| Revoke | To switch off a share link so it stops working straight away. More |
| Expires | The date after which a share link stops working by itself. More |
| Copy / Clipboard | When CowSync says "Link copied", the link is held on your device ready to paste (Ctrl+V, or press and hold and choose Paste on a phone). More |
| CowPay | The Workspace's money hub: pay links, paying people, ranch cards and payroll. Online payments are coming soon. More |
| Pay link | A link you send a buyer so they can pay an invoice online by bank transfer or card. Use Copy pay link on an invoice. More |
| Ranch card | A spending card you give a hand in CowPay, with your own limits. For now it tracks spending. Real cards are coming later. More |
| Ledger | The Expenses & Income list: every dollar in and out of the ranch. More |
| Schedule F (Tax summary tab) | The IRS farm income form. The ledger's Tax summary tab adds up your entries by Schedule F line to give your accountant a head start. It isn't tax advice. More |
| Snap receipt | A ledger button that takes a photo of a receipt so the AI can read it into an entry for you to check. More |
| Invoice / Bill of sale | A bill you send a buyer. A bill of sale is the paper that records a sale of animals. More |
| Plan | Your CowSync subscription. It decides how many animals you can keep and which tools you can use. See the Account page. More |
Still stuck on a word? Ask CowGPT "What does … mean in CowSync?" or see Getting help.