Finding Information on the Web

Viewing a Page

When you first start Netscape Communicator, you normally see Navigator, which is your browser. The first page you see is your Home page--the page that appears automatically each time you start Navigator. Unless you choose a Home page for yourself, you see one that was chosen for you by your network (if you're on one) or your Internet Service Provider, or you see Netscape's Home page, Netcenter.

By the way: Some pages are divided into rectangular areas called frames. Each frame on a page can display other pages, like the picture-in-picture feature of television sets. Sometimes clicking inside one frame affects activity inside another frame.

To refresh the current page, or get the most up-to-date version, click Reload.

To view more than one page at a time:

The new window displays another copy of your home page on the screen in a second Navigator window. The new window is independent of the other Navigator window--you can view two different pages in the two windows.

Moving to Another Page

There are two ways to move to another page: you can type a URL, or click a link.

A URL is a page's location (address) on the Web. If you know a page's URL, you can type it in:

  1. Type the URL into the "Location:" field. (Sometimes you'll see "Netsite:" instead of "Location:", if the current page is from Netscape.) You can type all or part of the URL; for instance, you can leave off the prefix "http" and the suffix "index.html". On Windows, if you type part of a URL you've previously visited Navigator tries to fill in the rest of the letters.

  2. Press Enter (Return on the Mac OS).

    Links are places on a page that point to other pages. Links are usually highlighted or underlined; they can be text or pictures. To move by clicking a link:

    1. Move the mouse so the cursor moves around on your screen. You'll see the cursor change to a pointing finger in some places: these are links.
    2. Click the link. While the network locates the page the link points to, you can check the status messages at the bottom of the window.

    If you change your mind and don't want to view a page, click Stop.

    By the way: You can learn information about links by looking at them and at their URLs. (When you point to a link, its URL is displayed in the status field at the bottom of the window.)

    The Open Page Dialog Box

    If you know the URL of a page you want to visit, you can use the Open Page dialog box (Open Location in Navigator on the Mac OS).

    On Windows and Unix:

    1. Open the File menu and choose Open Page.

    2. Click the Navigator button.

    3. Type the URL of the page you want to visit. (You can also open local files on your computer's hard disk by clicking Choose File.)

    4. Click Open.

    On the Mac OS:

    1. Open the File menu, drag to the Open option, and choose Location in Navigator.

    2. Type the URL of the page you want to visit. (You can also open local files on your computer's hard disk by clicking Choose File.)

    3. Click Open.

    Retracing Your Steps

    The simplest way to retrace your steps is by using the Back and Forward buttons.

    If repeatedly clicking the Back button is tedious, do this:

    On Windows only, another simple method is to use the Location field's popup menu.

    Retracing Your Steps in Detail: the History List

    Navigator maintains a history list of pages you have viewed recently, as determined by your preferences. Navigator uses the history list for the Back and Forward buttons and the Go menu.

    The History list contains the most comprehensive history information. To view the entire list:

    To view a page, double-click its line in the list.

    To sort the pages in the history list (Windows and Unix only)

    1. From the Communicator menu, choose History.

    2. From the History window's View menu, choose whether you wish to sort by title, location, dates, or number of visits.

    3. From the History window's View menu, choose whether you wish to sort in ascending (A to Z, new to old, 1 to 9) or descending (Z to A, old to new, 9 to 1) order.

    To search for pages in the history list (Windows only)

    1. From the Communicator menu, choose History.

    2. From the History window's Edit menu, choose Search History List.

    3. From the Search History List dialog, click the first pop-up menu and choose a search by page title, location, or various date information.

    4. Click the second pop-up menu and choose an option. Choose "is" if you know exactly what you're searching for; choose "contains" if you know only part of what you're searching for. Choose "isn't" or "doesn't contain" to exclude pages from your search.

    5. Click the third field and type all or part of the title, location, or other information you want to search for (or exclude).

    6. (Optional) To further constrain the search, click More one or more times. This lets you enter additional search criteria. To reverse this action, click Fewer.

    7. Click Search. Pages matching your search criteria are listed.

    When you're done searching, you can:

    Checking a Page's Security

    You can view information that helps you establish a page's authenticity and other security characteristics:

    In the upper portion of the Info window, you can see a list of the URLs (Web addresses) of files (usually graphics) that make up the page. Some of the URLs are links. To view a file, click its link; the file's contents are displayed at the bottom of the Info window.

    The lower portion of the Info window lists the following itmes:

    Netsite The page's Web address (URL)
    File MIME type A code that identifies to the Web the file's type
    Source "Currently in disk cache" means that your computer's hard disk has a copy of this page; "Not cached" means it doesn't.
    Local cache file The name of the file where the page is stored ("none") if the page is not in a cache)
    Last Modified The local and GMT dates when the page was last changed
    Content length Number of characters on the page
    Expires The date (if any) when the page should be removed from your computer's hard disk cache; this date is set by the page's author
    Charset Code for the type of characters the page uses
    Security Whether or not the page is encrypted (can be read by other people)

    If a page is encrypted, other security information appears.

    Viewing a Page's Source Code

    You can view the source code (HTML and other code) that generates a web page:

    Searching Within a Page

    To find text within the page you are currently viewing:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Find in Page. If the page you are viewing contains frames, you may need to click within a frame first.

    2. In the Find dialog box, type the text you want to find.

    3. Select the Match case checkbox (Case Sensitive on the Mac OS and Unix) if capital letters should be matched.

    4. On Windows, select Up or Down to direct the search toward the beginning or end of the page. If there is a current selection, the search begins at the selection and does not wrap around to the beginning of the page. On the Mac OS and Unix, select the Find Backwards checkbox to start the search from the beginning or end of the page.

    5. Click Find Next (Find on the Mac OS) to begin the search.

    To find the same word or phrase again:

    Bookmarking Your Favorite Web Sites

    Creating a Bookmark

    To bookmark a Web page:

    1. Go to the Web page you want to bookmark.

    2. Click Bookmarks in the Location toolbar. On the Mac OS, open the Bookmarks menu--identified by a green bookmark icon to the right of the Go menu.

    3. Choose Add Bookmark.

    The name of the currently displayed page is added as the last item in the bookmark list. The Bookmarks menu grows as you add bookmarks. You can add as many bookmarks as you want.

    By the way: You may see some pre-selected bookmarks and folders in your bookmark list, even if you haven't created any. These came with your Netscape software.

    To revisited a bookmarked Web page:

    1. Click Bookmarks in the Location toolbar. On the Mac OS, open the Bookmarks menu--identified by a green bookmark icon to the right of the Go menu.

    2. Click the name of a bookmarked page.

    Creating an Internet Shortcut

    An Internet shortcut lets you jump to a Web page from your desktop or from folders on your computer. There are three ways to create Internet shortcuts.

    To create a shortcut from a link:

    To create a shortcut using the bookmark icon:

    Can't find the bookmark icon? On color screens, the bookmark icon is green. It's small, and located in the Location toolbar near the word "Location:" (sometimes replaced by the word "Netsite:").

    To create a shortcut using the bookmark list:

    1. From the Communicator menu, choose Bookmarks. The Bookmarks window opens.

    2. From the Bookmarks window, press and hold the mouse button while the pointer is over the bookmark you want, and drag the bookmark to the desktop.

    In all three methods, an Internet shortcut appears on your desktop. If you like, put the shortcut into any folder on your computer.

    Organizing Your Bookmarks

    You use the Bookmarks window (different from the Bookmarks menu) to organize bookmarks. You can change the order of your bookmarks, delete unneeded ones, and create folders for organizing bookmarks.

    To change the order of your bookmarks:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. Put the pointer on any item (bookmark, folder, or separator if there are any), press and hold the mouse button, and drag the item to re-position it. Besides changing their order, you can drag and drop bookmarks into folders.

    To delete a bookmark:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. Click to select the bookmark you want to delete, and press the Delete key.

    To add a new folder to the bookmarks list:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. Click the icon that's right above the place in the bookmarks list where you want to put a new folder.

    3. In the Bookmarks window, open the File menu and choose New Folder. This displays the Bookmark Properties dialog box.

    4. Type a name for the folder and click OK.

    5. Drag and drop any bookmark into the newly created folder. You can also select the folder, choose New Bookmark from the File menu, and enter a name and URL.

    The new bookmark now appears in the Bookmark menu under a pull-right menu item.

    Tip: You can quickly file bookmarks at the time you create them. There are several ways to do this:

    Can't find the bookmark icon? On color screens, the bookmark icon is green. It's small, and located in the Location toolbar near the word "Location:" (sometimes replaced by the word "Netsite:").

    Searching the Bookmark List

    You can search for specific bookmarks in the bookmark list:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. From the Edit menu in the Bookmarks window, choose Find in Bookmarks.

    3. Type the text you want to locate among your bookmarks.

    4. Click Name, Location (URL), and/or Description (stored with bookmark properties) to narrow your search. You can check one, two, or all three choices.

    5. Click Match Case if you want capital letters in the search to match exactly. For example, with Match Case selected, the search text "internet" will not find "Internet."

    6. Check Whole Word if you want to search only for whole words that match your search text. For example, with Whole Word selected, the search text "Net" will not find "Netscape."

    7. Click OK.

    If a bookmark matching your search criteria is found, its name is selected in the list. To search again for the same text, open the Edit menu and choose Find Again.

    Keeping Multiple Bookmark Lists

    Bookmark lists are kept in files on your computer's hard disk. You can have more than one bookmark list, each with its own set of titles linked to favorite pages. Only one bookmark list can be active at a time.

    To save a bookmark list:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. From the File menu in the Bookmarks window, choose Save As.

    3. Type a file name, and choose a location for the file from the "Save in:" popup menu.

    4. Click Save (OK on Unix). The list is saved as an HTML-formatted file.

    To open and use a bookmark list:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. From the File menu in the Bookmarks window, choose Open Bookmarks File.

    3. Select the file you want to use as your current bookmarks list. This file determines what you'll see in the Bookmarks menu.

    4. Click Open (OK on Unix).

    Checking the Freshness of Your Bookmarks

    To find out if a bookmark's page has been modified since your last viewing:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. Select the bookmark(s) you want to check. If you want to check all bookmarks, don't select any.

    3. From the Bookmarks window's View menu, choose Update Bookmarks. The What's New dialog box appears.

    4. Click All Bookmarks or Selected Bookmarks.

    5. Click Start Checking.

    If a page has changed, Navigator puts a special mark on the page's bookmark icon. Pages that are unchanged retain their standard, unmarked bookmark icon. (If Navigator is unable to verify a page, it puts a question mark on the page's icon.)

    You can set or modify information for any current bookmark or bookmark folder:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. On the Mac OS, open the Communicator menu and choose Bookmarks.

    2. Select a bookmark or bookmark folder.

    3. From the Edit menu, choose Bookmark Properties.

    4. Type in the Name field to add or change the bookmark's name.

    5. Type a URL in the Location (URL) field to add or change the bookmark's location. (This field is dimmed if a folder is selected.)

    6. (Optional) type descriptive information in the Description field.

    7. Click OK.

    Copying, Saving, and Printing pages

    Copying Part of a Page

    To copy some text from a page:

    1. Select the text.

    2. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.

    The text is now on your computer's clipboard, and you can paste it into other files.

    To copy a link (URL) from a page:

    1. Put the pointer over a link or image. (The pointer turns into a pointing finger when it's over a link.)

    2. Click the right-mouse button (on the Mac OS, hold down the mouse button) to display a pop-up menu.

    3. Choose Copy Link Location or Copy Image Location. If an image is also a link, you're offered both options.

    The URL is now on your computer's clipboard, and you can paste it into other files or into Navigator's Location field.

    Saving a Page

    To save an entire page:

    1. From the File menu, choose Save As.

    2. Type a filename, and choose a location for the file from the "Save in:" popup menu.

    3. Choose GIF file or All Files (no filetype) from the "Save as type:" popup menu. On Unix, you can also save as PostScript.

    4. Click Save (OK on Unix).

    Tip: When you view a page containing frames and a frame is currently selected, the File menu's Save Frame As option is offered in addition to Save As. This lets you save only the page within the selected frame.

    Saving a file to your hard disk lets you to view the page (or its HTML code) when you're not connected to the Internet.

    To save an image from a page:

    1. Put the pointer over the image on the page.

    2. Click the right-mouse button (on the Mac OS, hold down the mouse button) to display a pop-up menu.

    3. Choose Save Image As.

    4. Type a filename, and choose a location for the file from the "Save in:" pop up menu.

    5. Choose HTML, Plain Text, or All Files (no filetype) from the "Save as type:" pop up menu. On Unix, you can also save as PostScript.

    6. Click Save (OK on Unix).

    To save a page without displaying it (useful for retrieving a nonformatted page, like a data file, that's not intended for viewing):

    1. Put the pointer over a link.

    2. Click the right-mouse button (on the Mac OS, hold down the mouse button) to display a pop-up menu.

    3. Choose Save Link As.

    4. Type a filename, and choose a location for the file from the "Save in:" pop up menu.

    5. Choose HTML, Plain Text, or All Files from the "Save as type:" pop up menu. On Unix, you can also save as PostScript.

    6. Click Save (OK on Unix).

    IMPORTANT: Some links automatically download and save files to disk after you click them. The URLs for these links often begin with "ftp" or end with a file-type suffix such as "au" or "mpeg". These links might transmit software, sound, or movie files, and can launch helper applications that support the files.

    Printing a Page

    To print the current page:

    1. Click Print.

    2. Choose the print options you want from the Print dialog box, and click OK.

    On Windows, you can choose Print Preview from the File menu to see how the printed page will look.

    By the way: When you view a page containing frames, the File menu contains Print Frame in place of Print.

    To set up the page layout for printing (optional):

    1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

    2. Choose page layout options including header and footer information.

    Important: Navigator formats content according to the size of the printed page, not the size of the onscreen window. Text is word-wrapped and graphics are repositioned to accommodate paper size.

    Customizing Your Browser

    Customizing the Toolbars

    You can collapse (hide), expand, and move toolbars; you can also add buttons that take you to your favorite web pages, addresses, or discussion groups.

    Changing and Repositioning Toolbars

    To collapse and expand a toolbar:

    To completely hide a toolbar including its tab:

    Note: The Personal Toolbar is not available on the Mac OS.

    To move a toolbar:

    To reposition a button in the personal toolbar:

    Note: The Personal Toolbar is not available on the Mac OS.

    The Component Bar

    The component bar is a small toolbar normally at the bottom right of the Communicator window. It contains icons labeled Navigator (a ship's steering wheel), Mailbox, Discussions, and Composer.

    To move the component bar:

    To dock the component bar:

    To change the component bar display (on Windows and Unix):

    1. Put the pointer on the component bar's title bar and click the right mouse button.

    2. Choose one of the following from the pop-up menu:

      • Horizontal or Vertical to set the orientation of the component bar.

      • Always on Top to always display the component bar in front of other windows.

      • Show Text or Hide Text to determine whether the component bar icons are displayed with or without text.

    To change the component bar display (on the Mac OS):

    1. Click the zoom box to set the horizontal or vertical orientation.

    2. Click the collapse/expand box to display the title bar or full component bar, Respectively.

    Changing the Toolbar Buttons

    You can change what's displayed on the toolbar buttons:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Appearance category.

    3. Choose Pictures and Text, Pictures Only, or Text Only and click OK.

    4. (Mac OS only) Click Show Tooltips if you want to see explanatory text when your mouse pointer "hovers" over a toolbar button.

    Adding a Button to the Personal Toolbar (Windows and Unix only)

    To add a toolbar button for the page you are viewing:

    Note: Though each item contained in the personal toolbar folder appears as a toolbar button, the toolbar's limited size allows for access to only a small number of buttons.

    To add a toolbar button for a bookmark or bookmark folder:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks.

    2. Select a bookmark or bookmark folder.

    3. Choose Add Bookmark to Toolbar from the File menu.

    Folders in the personal toolbar are displayed as pop-up menus and their contents are displayed as menu items. Folders within folders are displayed as pull-right menus.

    To designate a bookmark folder as your personal toolbar folder

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks to open the Bookmarks window.

    2. Select the bookmark folder whose items you want to appear on the toolbar.

    3. From the View menu, choose Set as Toolbar Folder.

    The items contained in the folder you have designated appear as personal toolbar buttons.

    To add a toolbar button for a mail, discussion group, or Address Book item:

    1. Open the window for mail, discussion groups, or address books.

    2. Drag the icon of the mail, discussion group, or address book item onto the personal toolbar.

    Deleting a Toolbar Button

    To delete a toolbar button:

    1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks.

    2. Drag the toolbar item out from the personal toolbar folder to another folder. To remove the item entirely, select it and press Delete.

    Changing Fonts

    You can specify which fonts and font sizes are used to display Web pages in your browser. You can also select character-set encodings.

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Appearance group and click the Fonts category.

    3. Choose an encoding. An encoding tells the computer which types of letters and symbols to use (for instance, Western, Chinese, or Cyrillic).

    4. To choose fonts, use the Variable Width Font and Fixed Width Font pop-up menus. Most pages use a variable width font such as Times Roman; but certain types of text (for instance, in online forms) may be in a fixed width font such as Courier.

    5. Choose one of the following:

      • To specify that your default fonts are always used instead of the fonts a page's author specified, click "Use my default fonts, overriding document-specified fonts."

      • To specify that page fonts are used only when they are available without downloading (saves time), click "Use document-specified fonts, but disable Dynamic Fonts."

      • To specify that page fonts are always used, click "Use document-specified fonts, including Dynamic Fonts."

    6. Click OK.

    If you view Web pages in more than one encoding scheme (for instance, Western and Chinese), you can choose fonts and font sizes for each encoding.

    Changing Colors or Backgrounds

    To set the color of page text and background:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Appearance group and click the Colors category.

    3. Click a color box next to Text, Background, Unvisited Links, or Visited Links. Choose a color.

    4. To make your color and background settings always override the ones specified by a page's author, check "Always use my colors, overriding document."

    5. Click OK.

    To return to the orginal (default) colors, check Use Windows Colors (Use Default Colors on the Mac OS and Unix).

    You can also create custom colors in the color palette, and use them for text and background:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Appearance group and click the Colors category.

    3. Click a color box to display the color palette.

    4. Click Define Custom Colors.

    5. Click inside the large color square and thin solid bar to select a color's hue, saturation, luminosity, and RGB composition, or type numerical values in the fields provided.

    6. Click Add to Custom Colors.

    7. Click OK.

    After you add a custom color to the palette, you can select the custom color the same as you would select a basic color. Click OK to close the Color palette.

    Specifying the Component that Appears at Startup

    Normally, your browser (Navigator) starts automatically when you open Communicator. To specify a different starting component:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Appearance category.

    3. Choose Navigator for web browsing, Messenger for mail or discussion groups (newsgroups) or Page Composer for creating and editing content.

    Note: For information on other items in the Appearance preferences, see Changing the toolbar buttons.

    Specifying the Starting Page

    The home page is displayed when you click the Home button. The home page is normally your starting page, the first page displayed when Navigator starts.

    Nescape's home page is at http://home.netscape.com/index.html.

    To choose a new home page:

    1. Open the page that you want to use as your home page.

    2. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    3. Select the Navigator category.

    4. Click the Use Current Page button to select the current page as your home page.

    5. Click OK.

    If you like, you can choose a starting page other than your home page:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Select the Navigator category.

    3. Select one the following:

      • "Home page"

      • "Blank page" (empty of content)

      • "Last page visited"

    Specifying How Long to Track History

    You can specify when the color of a visited link reverts to the color of an unvisited link, and how long page visit information is tracked in the History window.

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Navigator category.

    3. Type a number of days in the field labeled "Pages in history expire after" ("Visited links expire" on the Mac OS). When the specified number of days elapses, the color of a visited link changes back to the color of an unvisited link.

    4. Click OK.

    On Windows and Unix, page visits are recorded in the History window for the specified number of days.

    On the Mac OS, page visits are recorded in the History window only for the current session (until you exit from the application).

    To specify that all current visited links (and History window items) expire immediately (clearing the History window):

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Navigator category.

    3. Click Clear History (Expire Now on the Mac OS).

    4. Click OK.

    Setting language priorities

    Web pages are sometimes available in several languages. Navigator present pages in the language you most prefer, if it is available. You can specify the languages you wish to see, in order of preference. Some servers can send you pages in more than one language.

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Navigator category; then click Languages.

    3. Click the Add button.

    4. Select a language and its code. If you wish to add a code not in the list, type the language and its code in the Others text field (see Note, below).

    5. Click OK.

      Note: Two-letter codes enclosed in brackets appear next to each language in the list. These are standard abbreviations for languages. For a complete list, go to this Web site:

      http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/ietf/http/related/iso639.txt

    Note: If you want to reorder the languages in the list, use the up and down arrows.

    To delete a language from your priority list:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Navigator category; then click Languages.

    3. Select the language you want to delete.

    4. Click Delete.

    5. Click OK.

    Handling Different File Types

    Navigator can handle many types of files, but there are some--such as movies--that require an application program other than Navigator. In this case, Navigator launches a "helper" application that can handle the file, or it saves the file on your disk for you to view later. The settings in the Applications preferences panel tell Navigator which helper applications to use on your computer.

    You probably don't need to change the settings in the Applications preferences panel, because they come pre-configured with the best values. Also, if Navigator encounters a file and doesn't know which helper application to use, it presents a series of dialog boxes to guide you. If you don't have an appropriate helper application on your computer, Navigator helps you find and download one from the Internet.

    Experience users may wish to fine-tune the Applications preferences. You can adjust these preferences to have Navigator launch a particular helper application that it doesn't currently know about, or always automatically download files of a certain type.

    To fine-tune the Applications preferences (for experienced users):

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Navigator category; then click Applications.

    3. To add a new helper application to the list, click New Type (or New on the Mac OS and Unix).

      1. Type a "description of type." This can be any word or phrase that describes a type of file; for instance, "movies" or "sound files."

      2. Type the file extension (suffix) used by this file type. If this type of file uses more than one suffix, type them all, separated by spaces. Examples: text documents often have the suffix "TXT"; some image files have the suffix "GIF"; and HTML documents have the suffix "HTM" or "HTML."

      3. Type the MIME type. Each kind of file on the Web has a MIME type. MIME types consist of two words separated by a slash (/). For instance, a TIFF image file's MIME type is "image/tiff." If you don't know the MIME type for a particular kind of file, leave the field blank.

      4. On Windows, click Browse and select an application that can handle files of this type. On the Mac OS and Unix, click Application, then click Choose to select an application.

      5. A dialog opens listing the folders, files, and applications on your computer. Find the application you want and double-click to select it.

      6. Click OK.

    4. For each file type in the list, you can specify how Navigator should handle downloaded files. To do so, select a file type from the list and click Edit.

      1. Choose a "Handled By" option to have downloaded files of this type open in a Navigator window, be saved on your hard disk, or open in a application that you specify. Click Browse (Choose on the Mac OS) to specify the application.

      2. Check "Ask me before opening downloaded files of this type" if you want to be notified before downloading files that are handled by applications other than Navigator.

      3. Click OK.

    5. To remove an item from the list, select the item and click Remove. Then click Yes.

    6. (Mac OS and Unix only) Communicator temporarily stores downloaded files on your disk. You can select a new default folder if, for example, your disk is short on space and you want to store temporary files elsewhere. To specify a folder, click Choose. A dialog opens listing the folders, files, and applications on your computer. Find the folder you want and double-click to select it.

    7. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

    Improving speed, efficiency, and privacy

    Speeding things up

    Two types of settings affect speed: the automatic loading settings, and the cache settings. (You can also speed things up by limiting downloads of long email messages. See Saving disk space).

    Automatic loading

    When you bring a Web page to your screen, Communicator automatically loads (starts up) several features that help interpret Web pages. These features can make Web pages more lively, but they take time to load. If you like, you can turn off automatic loading.

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category.

    3. To speed things up, click to remove the checks next to one or more of the following:

      • Automatically load images. If selected, images in a Web page are displayed when you view the page. If unselected, images are replaced by small icons, and you click the Images button in the toolbar to view the images.

      • Enable Java. If selected, allows Java applets (small programs that add functionality to pages) to run automatically.

      • Enable JavaScript. If selected, allows JavaScript (commands that add functionality to pages) to run automatically.

      • Enable style sheets. If selected, pages formatted by style sheets are displayed as the author intended. If unselected, author's formats aren't included.

      • Enable Autoinstall. If selected, allows Communicator software to be automatically updated over your office or organization's network. (In some organizations, this is predetermined by a system administrator.)

      • Send email address as anonymous FTP password. If selected, your email address is transmitted automatically when you log on to a public FTP (file transfer protocol) site. FTP sites are used for transferring files.

    4. Click OK.

    Cache settings

    The cache is a part of your computer's hard disk and memory where copies of frequently accessed pages can be stored. Then the computer already has the page and doesn't have to retrieve it from the network each time you want to view it.

    To set the size of the memory cache or to clear it (Windows and Unix only):

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category; then click Cache.

    3. Enter a number in the Memory Cache field to specify the size of the memory cache. 1024K-2000K is a good size.

    4. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

    To set the size of the memory cache (Mac OS):

    1. Quit Communicator. You may want to print these instructions first.

    2. Click the Communicator icon to select it (but don't start Communicator).

    3. Open the File menu and choose Get Info.

    4. In the fields next to Minimum Size and Preferred Size, specify the size of the memory cache. 1024K-2000K is a good size.

    Important: With a larger memory cache more data can be quickly retrieved. But unless you have a lot of extra memory on your computer, 1024K is large enough.

    To set the size of the disk cache:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category; then click Cache.

    3. Enter a number in the Disk Cache field to specify the size of the disk cache. 7680K (5000K on Unix) is a good number.

    4. (Optional) To specify where the disk cache should be stored, click Choose Folder. You see a dialog box listing the items on your computer. Find the folder you want and double-click to select it.

    5. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

    Important: With a larger disk cache more pages can be quickly retrieved, but more of your hard disk space is used.

    When you quit Communicator, it performs cache maintenance. If you find that takes longer than you wish, try reducing the size of the disk cache.

    Cache seeting also lets you can specify how often Navigator checks the network for page revisions, so that you don't keep "stale" page in the cache too long.

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category; then click Cache.

    3. Select Once Per Session, Every Time, or Never. "Every Time" assures that the page you see is always the latest, at the cost of slower performance. "Never" is fastest, but the page you see might be stale.

    4. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

    To refresh a page at any time, click Reload. The computer checks the network to make sure you have the latest version of the page. To retrieve a fresh copy of a page regardless of what's in the cache, hold down the Shift key (Option key on the Mac OS) and click Reload.

    If you find that pages that should be in the cache are taking longer to appear than they should, make sure the preference is not set to Every Time, because the verification requires a network connection that takes time.

    Getting the Latest Software Automatically

    SmartUpdate allows software to be automatically and securely installed on your machine in one step. Need an explanation here of what SmartUpdate is and why user would want it.

    To turn SmartUpdate on or off:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Advanced group and click SmartUpdate.

      • Select SmartUpdate (or deselect it to turn it off).

      • Select "Require manual confirmation of each install" if you want to be notified each time SmartUpdate tries to install a program or file on your computer. You are asked to accept each install.

      • To uninstall a SmartUpdate item [Explain], select one of the SmartUpdates on the left side and click the Uninstall button.

    Improving Privacy

    Cookies

    A "cookie" is a small amount of information that a Web site copies to your hard disk. A cookie can help a Web site identify you the next time you visit. For instance, if you shop for books online, the bookstore's Web site might store information about your favorite subjects in your cookie, and later use that information to recommend particular books.

    You can control your computer's behavior with respect to cookies:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category.

    3. Click one of the radio buttons.

      Important: In most cases, "accept all cookies" is the bast choice. (The second button means that your computer will not send a cookie to a server that did not originate it.)

    4. If you want to be notified when Communicator accepts a cookie, click "Warn me before accepting a cookie."

    Setting Proxy Values

    Many organizations block access from the Internet to their networks. This prevents outside parties from gaining access to sensitive information. The protection is called a firewall.

    If your organization has a firewall, Communicator may need to go through a proxy before connecting you to the Internet. You can set Communicator to work with the proxy.

    Before you start:

    To set Communicator to work with the proxy:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category and choose Proxies.

    3. Select one of the following:

      • "Direct Connection to the Internet" if you don't have to go through a proxy.

      • "Automatic proxy configuration" if you have a proxy configuration file. Type the file's URL in the field and click Reload.

      • "Manual proxy configuration" if you don't have a proxy configuration file. Click View (Configure on the Mac OS); type your settings and any exceptions in the Manual Proxy Configuration dialog (see Details). Then click OK.

    4. Click OK to close Preferences.

    Details: Your computer may connect to several different servers (computers that handle networking matters). Each server handles a specific type of network service, such as communicating with HTTP sites or dealing with security. For each server, your manual configuration must specify which server runs the proxy software.

    Under "Address of proxy server to use," type the name or numberic IP address of the proxy server for each type of server (HTTP, Security, FTP, Socks, Gopher, and WAIS). Often a single proxy server handles the three major types of server: HTTP, FTP, and Gopher. Under "Port" type each proxy server's port number.

    Under Exceptions, type the names of any domains that you can connect to directly, bypassing the proxy. For instance, if you type "adomain, bdomain, netscape.com," then the proxy will be bypassed each time you view a Web page or use another service from one of those domains. (Domain names are the part of a URL that contains the name of an organization, business, school, and so forth--such as netscape.com or www.washington.org. If you use local hostnames without the domain name, list them the same way. Multiple hostnames are separated by commas, and the wildcard character [*] cannot be used.)

    Saving Disk Space

    Downloading email can consume disk space. You can limit the disk space taken up by email:

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click Advanced; then click Disk Space.

    3. Type the maximum size of messages that can be downloaded. 50KB is a good size; a smaller size saves more disk space.

    4. Specify when to compact folders. Compacting when it will save 100KB is a good choice; smaller values save more disk space.

    5. Click OK to close Preferences.

    You can also save space by discarding newgroup messages. The longer you keep them the more disk space is occupied.

    1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

    2. Click the Advanced category; then click Disk Space.

    3. Click one of three buttons under "When it's time to clean up messages" to specify when newsgroup messages should be deleted.

    4. Unless you chose "Keep all messages," type the number of days to keep messages or the number of newest messages to keep.

    5. To delete read messages immediately, click "Keep only unread messages."

    6. (Windows only) To save disk space by retaining only message subject lines, click More Options, click "Remove message bodies only older than," and type the number of days to keep message bodies. A smaller number saves more disk space.

    You can also save disk space by making the disk cache smaller.

    Connecting From Anywhere

    Roaming Access lets you connect to Communicator, with the same preferences, bookmarks, cookies, and other items that you normally use, when you are away from your desk, using a shared computer, or working from home

    Setting Up Roaming Access

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Roaming Access group and click General.

      • Select "Enable Roaming Access for this profile"

      • Type your user name

      • Select "Remember my roaming password" to avoid typing your password each time you "roam"

    Important: If your network administrator has not set up Roaming Access, this panel does not appear.

    Specifying Where Your Roaming Profile is Located

    Communicator needs to know which server your roaming profile is on. Your network administrator usually provides this information. Need an explanation here of what a roaming access profile is.

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Roaming Access group and click Server Information.

      • If your roaming access profile is on an LDAP Directory Server, specify the server's location under Address. Under Search Base, specify the user name for authentication on the LDAP server.

      • If your roaming access profile is on an HTTP server, specify where your profile is located under Base URL.

    Specifying Files to be Transferred at Startup and Shutdown

    Need an explanation here of why user would do this.

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

    2. Open the Roaming Access group and click File Selection.

    3. Choose the files you want transferred at startup and shutdown.
    July 1, 1998
    Copyright © 1994-1998 Netscape Communications Corporation.