dotcentered

Dotcentered is a term that appears in discussions across typography, user interface design, and data visualization, but it does not have a single, formal definition. Rather, it is used descriptively to indicate a centering approach related to dots or circular markers within a visual layout. Because it lacks a canonical specification, its meaning is highly context dependent and varies by project and author.

In typography, dotcentered can refer to practices that emphasize the visual centering of punctuation marks, particularly the period, within a block of text to create a consistent vertical rhythm. In user interface design, the term may describe layout or iconography where small circular indicators (dots) are deliberately centered within containers such as badges, avatars, or progress indicators to achieve balanced composition. In data visualization, dotcentered can describe plots in which circular markers are centered on categorical positions to highlight alignment with categories rather than continuous scales.

The term is often encountered as a descriptive label in style guides or code snippets rather than as a formal standard. Variants include dot-centered, dotcentered, or dot centered, with usage differing by author and project. It should not be confused with the mathematical centered dot (·) or with the dot product, which have separate meanings in mathematics.

See also: centered dot symbol, dot product, typographic alignment. There are no widely recognized references or canonical specifications for dotcentered.