commandes

Commandes is a French term whose meanings vary with context. It can denote orders or directives issued by an authority, the act of commanding, or requests for goods or services, as well as computer commands in a software environment. The precise sense depends on whether the discussion concerns business, computing, or military and public administration.

In commerce and procurement, une commande is an order placed by a buyer with a seller for goods or services. A typical cycle may include a request for information, a quotation (devis), the placement of a purchase order, order acknowledgment, fulfillment, delivery, and invoicing. Online commerce frequently uses the term 'commande' for customer orders, while public procurement calls them 'commandes publiques' under formal procedures and contracts.

In computing, a commande is an instruction issued to a computer or application. A ligne de commande refers to a command-line interface that accepts text commands, while graphical interfaces present commands through menus, icons, or buttons. In programming, commands are the basic units of instruction executed by the interpreter or compiler.

Historically and in official use, commandement is the authority to direct forces or institutions. The term 'commande' can describe orders given within a chain of command or the act of assuming control, as in 'prendre le commandement'. It also appears in administrative language to denote orders issued by authorities.

See also: commande, ligne de commande, chaîne de commandement, commande publique, purchase order.