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Dialogs in Opera

Throughout the usage of Opera, you'll probably come across a lot of dialogs and menus that you may have to configure in one way or another in order for Opera to perform at its best. This document contains a reference to these menus that do not logically fit within other documents of this Help. Please view the listings below if you find yourself wondering exactly what these menus will offer you in terms of usability.

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Listing of documented menus

These are the menus that are covered in this document. Please view the documents entitled Menus in Opera and The Preference Menus for explanations of other menus.

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Print scale and margins...

This menu is Opera's own and will let you decide the scale and margins of printouts.

Options

You can select what you wish Opera to print here, and what scale the printout is to be at.

Print background
Off by default, if checked, the printout will contain the background of the current Web page.

Print headers and footers
This is enabled by default, but if you wish Opera not to print the headers and footers of a document, please disable this feature.

Print scale to xx
The default scale of the printout is set to 100%, but you may select what scale to print it out in yourself, by using the dropdown box.

Margins (in cm)

Opera can also decide what the printout margins of the document should be. By default, these are all set to 1.0 cm, but you may change that if you wish. The lowest is 0.1 cm, by the way.

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Print preview mode

A neat feature is the print preview mode, which is accessed through this entry on the "File" menu. The options at hand are:

As screen
This will show the print preview as the window on-screen is displayed. This may be the only available option you have on a number of Web pages.

Print all frames
If selected, you will get a display of all the available frames in the document, one on each page that is to be printed.

Print active frame
Selected, you will only see the active frame when in "Print preview mode", as only that's been selected for the printout.

When you wish to return from the print preview mode state, please go to "File" and select "Normal view mode", which will take the place of the "Print preview mode".

Tip! You may also find the keyboard shortcut P very handy for going straight into "Print preview mode". Press it again to go back to normal view mode.

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Set home page...

Setting a home page for your browser couldn't be easier than Opera's way of doing it! Just go to "Navigation" on the Opera menu bar, and select the "Set home page" entry to be taken to this dialog. There are two fields here:

Window home page
This will set a home page to the current active window. You may do so either by typing in the URI or by clicking the "Use active" button, which will set the window home page to the URI of the active window.

When you close the active window in the Opera workspace, this setting is discarded, but it's a great way of maintaining a user-defined starting point as long as the window is open.

Global home page
This field is used to set a global home page that will be accessed when you press the button on the Opera button bar labeled "Go to the home page". Either type in the URI to the page you wish to be the global home page, or use the "Use active" button to set the global home page to the URI of the active window in the Opera workspace.

This setting is kept until you change it again. If you do not wish Opera to have a global home page, simply remove the URI in the field and press the "OK" button to save your choice.

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Open remote

If you select this entry on the Opera "Navigation" menu, you'll be presented with the "Direct URL addressing" box, basically a floating dialog into which you can enter a URI for the active window in the Opera workspace to go to.

Simply type the URI into the box and press the "OK" button to open the page in Opera.

Tip! This dialog uses CAC , which is the feature that lets the browser automatically complete an Internet address for your use. If you wish this not to apply, press the spacebar on your keyboard once before typing in the URI.

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Transfer window

The transfer window is one of most useful special dialogs in Opera. It is accessed either automatically when the user starts downloading a file and chooses to save it, but it can also be accessed through the menu structure in Opera, "Window/Special Window/Transfer". This window contains the following options:

Main field

The main field in this window has the entries of the files you are currently transferring. You will notice the following columns:

Status
The status column details the status of the transfer, either as being in process, as being finished completely, as being finished incompletely, as being cancelled or being broken.

Name
The name of the file is detailed here, naturally enough.

Progress
The progress field tells you how much progress has been made on transferring the file in percent. A finished file will be displayed as "Done", while files that are of another status may be displayed otherwise.

Time remaining
Here, you'll see a calculated remaining time, based on the size of the file, your connection speed and how much Internet traffic lies between you and the source of the file.

Transfer speed
The average speed of the transfer is shown here. This is vital to calculating the remaining time of the transfer.

File details

Below the main field are the file details listed. These are:

Source
The source of the file, i.e. where it came from.

Destination
The destination of the file, aka. where it's going.

Size
The size of the file, as stated by the source of the file.

Transferred
This field shows how much of the file that has been transferred from the source to the destination of the file.

Action button

The action button displays the icon of the file currently in transfer as detailed by your operating system, but also does a lot more. When clicked, it displays the context sensitive menu for the Transfer window, and these are the options you'll be presented with:

Cancel transfer
If the transfer is in progress, you may cancel it by selecting this entry.

Send to
You may send the file to your operating system's selection of places to send files to, if you so desire, by selecting this entry.

Copy file information
This will copy the file information and places it on the clipboard of your operating system.

Resume transfer
If the transfer has been cancelled, or has otherwise been discontinued, you can select to resume it by using this function in Opera, provided the source of the file, and the file type, allows this functionality.

Reload item
Similar to "Resume transfer", Opera will totally reload the item in full, if this entry is selected.

Remove transfer from item list
Any highlighted item will be removed from the item list if this entry is selected.

Open
Select this entry to open and/or execute the file, if you wish to do so.

Cut
Cuts the file out from its current location and places it on the clipboard of your operating system, for you to paste it in another place on your local or remote drives.

Copy
Copies the file and places the copy on the clipboard of you operating system, if selected. You may then paste the file into whichever directory you choose, either on local drives or on remote drives you have write-access to.

Make shortcut
This will make a shortcut to the file you have highlighted, with a link to the file in the directory you have decided to download it into.

Delete
This deletes the highlighted file, transferring it either to your operating system's recycle bin, or totally wipes the file from the local drive.

Properties
If selected, this will give you the operating system's standard properties box for the file you have highlighted in the main field.

To the far bottom of this window, you'll find to other options available:

MDI View
Opera is based on Multiple Document Interface, which means that the application is able to have as many windows as it will open within the Opera workspace. As great as this feature is, it may some times be a good idea to be able to handle the Transfer window outside of the Opera workspace for convenience. If you wish to do so, uncheck this box.

Activate window on new transfer
If selected, the Transfer window will automatically be splashed to the front of the operating system's focus when you begin a new transfer.

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Tip of the day

The "Tip of the day" box is displayed when Opera starts up for the first time, and consecutively at every startup, unless you disable it.

Show tips at startup
Uncheck this box to disable the "Tip of the day" box. Check it again to re-enable it.

Aside from this, you can use the  < <  and  > >  buttons to move to the previous and next tip in the line, respectively.

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Register Opera...

The "Help" menu also contains the box that lets you register your copy of Opera with the license you have purchased for it from Opera Software. You'll see these fields:

Name
This is where you enter your name. The copy will be registered to the name you enter, although you may change this later.

Organization
In this field, you'll simply be able to enter the name of the organization you work for, if this is a valid entry. This field may be omitted.

Registration code
Here, you add the Registration Code.

Tip! Instead of manually typing in your Registration Code, you should copy it from the e-mail in which you receive it by using CTRL + C and then paste it into this field by using CTRL + V, as this removes the risk of mistyping it.

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Script execution error

The script execution error message is a dialog you won't see unless you access a page that has a bad scripting markup which will not execute. Then, you'll be presented with the following:

Error message

This part of the menu contains the error message, in this part, you'll find:

URL
This field contains the URL of the document whose script will not be executed.

Error
This field contains details about what exactly it is in the document that will not be executed, and is something you'll probably refer to only if you are in the process of developing a script to have on your Web site or on subsequent documents.

Do not show this dialog again
If you do not wish to be presented with this dialog again, please check this box. As stated, you may go to "File/Preferences", "Plug-ins" to turn it back on again.

There are also two buttons on this page: the generic "OK" button, and a button which is labelled "Stop executing scripts on this page". Clicking the latter will disable scripting languages on the page you are currently on.

Tip! In order to disable scripting languages in their entirety, please go to "File/Preferences", "Plug-ins" and remove the checkbox in front of "Enable scripting languages".

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The server wishes to send you a cookie

If you set Opera to "Display received cookies" under "Cookie handling" in "File/Preferences", "Privacy", you'll be presented with this dialog box whenever a server sends you a cookie.

Document

This field contains the URI to the document that wishes to send you the cookie, for your reference.

Information field

Below the "Document" URI a field of information about the cookie is located. This field contains information about the cookie, such as who it is that sets it, which domain it is to be set to, when the cookie is set to expire and so on and so forth.

The drop-down box to the right of this field contains the conditions you may set for the cookie to be accepted.

  • Accept, including updates before closing Opera
    A liberal option, this will accept the cookie and all alterations that may be imposed upon it until the end of your Opera session.
  • Accept without changes
    This will accept the cookie, but without accepting any changes being made to the cookie.
  • Accept, but delete when closing Opera
    As stated, the cookie is accepted, but it is deleted automatically when your Opera session is over and you exit the browser.
  • Accept all from this server
    This indiscriminate option will let Opera accept all cookies from the server in question.
  • Disable cookies from this server
    Here, you do the opposite of the above and Opera will not accept any cookies at all from the server in question.
  • Accept all cookies from this domain
    All cookies from the domain will be accepted, no matter which server they are sent from.
  • Disable cookies for this domain
    All cookies from the domain will be rejected automatically if this is the choice.

To the right in this menu are two buttons worthy of note:

Accept
Pressing this button will accept the cookie in the manner in which you have allowed it to be set. Loading of the page will continue as the cookie may or may not define.

Don't accept
Pressing this button will discard the server's request to set the cookie at all, and let the loading of the page continue as if the cookie has not been set.

The two options "Don't ask again" and "Disable cookies" are both off by default if you select to display all received cookies, but may be enabled if you select to do so on this menu.

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Cookie security problem

The "Cookie security problem" dialog box will be displayed if a server wishes to set, delete or otherwise manipulate a cookie using a path that does not match that of the URL address of the document within the domain its set to. This is not a "legal" way for a server to access a cookie on your system, but is not considered to be a major security hazard, which is why Opera will bring you this dialog, from which you can personally decide what to do with the cookie.

This part of the dialog contains two elements; the field that contains the URL for the document that sets the cookie, and the cookie itself is displayed in the field below this.

Below this field, however, you have the following options:

Accept cookie
You may allow the cookie with the illegal path to be manipulated in the manner in which the server wishes to manipulate it with this button.

Accept all from this domain
If selected, this will allow all cookies from the domain in question, even those whose paths are not the same as the URL address document, to be manipulated in the manner in which the server wishes to manipulate them.

Refuse cookie
This button will refuse the cookie with the illegal path to be manipulated in the manner in which the server wishes to manipulate it.

Refuse all from this domain
This button will refuse all cookies from the domain in question, even those whose paths are legal in the sense that their path is the same as the URL address document, access to your system.

What is a cookie?
This will open the Opera Help and explain what a cookie is.

Help
Displays the Opera Help and opens with this topic.

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Cookie security breach

Cookies are sometimes set to monitor your activities on the Internet, in order to provide valuable demograpic data that may be used for things that may not be concurrent with the user's wishes, such as selecting ad banners for a Web site to portray to you. Opera solves some of these problems by letting the users explicitly define their own cookie filters, which may be set to have the cookies be prompted for the user to selectively accept or decline, which will be enough in most cases where users are concerned about protecting their privacy on the Internet.

However, there is one particularly intrusive way of setting a cookie that Opera will not under any circumstances allow: If the cookie is set to be recording your movement and action on other servers and domains than the server or domain to which it was set, such as setting cookies to monitor your activities on all ".com" domains.

If a cookie is attempted set like this, Opera will not accept it at all; there's no way you may be able to let Opera accept it either, but the browser will notify you about this by sending a warning message to the screen detailling this.

You will see the URL of the page that attempts to set the cookie, as well as the cookie itself, displayed in this dialog. Below this field, you may check a box to disable further warning messages of this kind at your discression, but do note that checking this box will not disable this security setting in Opera.

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Unknown file type

When Opera comes across a file whose MIME type has not been associated with an action or another application in the "File/Preferences", "File types" menu, this dialog box will show up. You can then decide what you would like to do with this file. In most cases, you are likely to save it on your hard disk, and open it with another application. These are the options presented to you:

Type
Here is displayed what type of file this is, if the type is known.

Show
Here you can choose an external program to display the file. You can click on the "..." button to bring up your operating system's standard dialog for browsing, and browse your way to a program. When you have found the program, you simply click on "Show" to see the file.

Save...
Click on this button to bring up your operating system's standard "Save as..." dialog box in order to save the file to your local drive(s).

Use Opera
If the file type is of a type that you are positive Opera will be able to handle, you can click on "Use Opera", to have Opera show the file. If the file type is unknown to Opera, however, the file will display on-screen as text.

Associate...
The "Associate..." button will bring up the Associate menu, in which you can associate the file type to whatever action and/or application or plug-in that fits the file type the best.

The "Cancel" button will cancel the transfer of the file, along with its eventual execution on your machine, while the "OK" button will confirm your choise to be carried out.

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Locked document

This dialog box opens when you try to retrieve a protected document. You must type in a user name and password to gain access. Take care that this is not your normal user name and password. You should not use the same name and password for different services.

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Save window settings

At any time, you can save all your open document windows, its positions and history in a window settings file, which has the extension ".win". Opera's default window settings file is called "Opera.win" by default, though you may call it what you wish if you choose to do so. This file can later be opened in "File/Open..." and all your saved settings retrieved, for your convenience.

If you don't want Opera to start with the windows settings file you are saving, disable this by removing the checkmark in the checkbox before "Use at startup".

Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee that the instructions in these documents will work on every computer and every platform. Please inform us if you have problems with Opera, but please, first check our online support section, as this section is updated on a regular basis with information about the Opera Browser.

Copyright © 2000 Opera Software AS. All rights reserved.