Netscape Basics THE WORLD WIDE WEB Craig W. Beard The University of Alabama at Birmingham Simply, the World Wide Web is part of the Internet. More specifically, it is a collection of 'documents' that reside on many computers that are connected to the Internet. These 'documents' or 'pages' are made up not just of words. They also can contain still images, motion pictures, sound clips, and more. And they can be connected to each other by links (called 'hyperlinks') that allow you to move from one page to another and back again. In order to utilize the capabilities - especially the multimedia capabilities - of the Web, you need a computer program called a browser. One of the most popular browsers (if not the most popular) is Netscape. THE NETSCAPE ENVIRONMENT Since Netscape is a Windows application (at least, the version we use is; there are also versions for UNIX and Macintosh), a few of the features are identical to those found on other Windows programs: the Control Menu Button, the Minimize Button, the Maximize/Restore Button, the Title Bar, the Menu Bar, the Scroll Bar, the Scroll Box, and the Scroll Arrows. In addition, there are features that are unique to Netscape. On the Menu Bar, there are eight drop-down menus: File, Edit, View, Go, Bookmarks, Options, Directory, and Help. Note particularly the following features under File, Bookmarks, Options, and Help . File Save As -- allows you to save the current page as an HTML file or a text file. Mail Document -- allows you to send a copy of the current page to an e-mail address. Print -- allows you to send the current page to a printer. Bookmarks Add Bookmark -- allows you to save the address of the current page. View Bookmarks -- allows you to create and edit bookmarks. Options Preferences -- allows you to determine the initial Web page Netscape will display (your home page); the colors of the text, the links, and the background; what supporting programs you want to use for telnet and tn3270; etc. Help Handbook -- this is where you can go to find out more about Netscape, the World Wide Web, and the Internet. It includes an alphabetical index. The Toolbar is the horizontal bar near the top of the Netscape window that consists of buttons which activate certain functions. Back -- allows you to move backward through previously-opened pages. Forward -- allows you to move forward through previously-opened pages. Home -- displays your home page (the Netscape home page is the default). Reload -- redisplays the current page. Images -- causes images to display on a page (if you have set Netscape not to automatically load images). Open -- allows you to display a new Web page by directly entering its address. Print -- prints the current page. Find -- allows you to search for a word or phrase on the current page. Stop -- stops a page from loading. The Location/Netsite Indicator, located just below the Toolbar, shows you the address of the current page. The label will read "Netsite" if the site is running Netscape server software. Otherwise, it will read "Location." The Status Indicator (which is the company logo) is animated when a transfer is in progress. If you click on the logo, the Netscape home page will be loaded and displayed. The Content Area occupies the majority of the Netscape window and is where the current page is displayed. It contains the Scroll Bar, Scroll Box, and Scroll Arrows. The Status Message area, which runs horizontally across most of the bottom of the Netscape window, has two functions. If you place the mouse pointer over a link, the address of that link is displayed there. When you click on a link, press any of the buttons on the Toolbar, etc., it will show you what Netscape is doing. The Progress Bar is animated to show the progress of the current operation (loading pages, images, etc.). USING NETSCAPE You can start Netscape as you would any other Windows application: double-click on its icon. Beyond that, there are a few basic functions you need to know in order to explore the Web. Following a Link When you are viewing a page, you will see highlighted (colored) text on the page. This is a link to another Web page, ftp site, etc. There are also graphical links. One way to tell if text or an image is a link is to look at the Status Message area and see if an address is displayed. How It's Done: 1) Place the mouse pointer over the text or image. 2) Click once. Visiting a New Web Page Sometimes you'll want to look at a Web page you've read about or someone has told you about. You can do this 'manually' (i.e., without having a link from an existing page). How It's Done: 1) Click the "Open" button on the Toolbar. This will open a Windows dialog box. 2) Type the Web site address in the space provided. 3) Click the "Open" button or press . Marking Pages for Future Reference You have found a great Web page by following link after link, and you want to revisit it regularly. So that you don't have to go through the same steps to find it the next time, you can place a bookmark at that page. Just like a physical bookmark, those in Netscape allow you to go directly to the place you have marked. How It's Done: 1) While you are viewing the page you wish to mark, click on Bookmarks on the Menu Bar. 2) Click on Add Bookmark. Returning to a Marked Page When you mark your first Web page, Netscape creates a file containing a list of your bookmarks. Each subsequent page you mark is added to the list. From this list you can revisit your favorite pages. How It's Done: 1) Click on Bookmarks. This displays a list of your bookmarks. 2) Click on the name of the page you want to view. There is another way to make your bookmark list readily available. You can set Netscape to open your bookmark list automatically when you start the program. How It's Done: 1) Click on Options on the Menu Bar. 2) Click on Preferences. 3) Click on the "Styles" tab (unless it's already the tab at the front of the stack). 4) Change the address of your home page from http://home.netscape.com/ to file:///c|/netscape/bookmark.htm. 5) Click on the "OK" button. Craig W. Beard Reference Librarian for Engineering Mervyn H. Sterne Library The University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB Station Birmingham, AL 35294-0014 e-mail: cbeard@beowulf.mhsl.uab.edu 6/96