By Randy D. Ralph, MLIS, Ph.D. Last update September 11, 1996 Netscape Browser Top Banner Pull Down Menus Toolbar Location Bar Scroll Bars Progress Bar Hypertext Links Bookmarks

The Pull-Down Menus In a line across the top of the screen just beneath the top banner you see a row of Pull-Down Menu Items. Most of the important functions here are duplicated in the Toolbar. File - allows you to open, save, mail, and print. Edit - allows you to cut and paste text from the page. View - allows you to view the source code and reload. Go - allows you to go directly to previously viewed pages. Bookmarks - sets, shows and allows you to edit bookmarks. Options - changes the Netscape program operating parameters. Directory - gets you directly to Netscape's World Wide Web pages. Help - gets you to Netscape help and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). To access Pull-Down Menu items click/hold and drag down. Release on the item of your choice. Click on one of the links above to view the pulldowns and learn about their functions You can also view a separate tutorial on Netscape Bookmarks if you wish.

The Toolbar Just beneath the Pull-Down Menus at the top of the screen there are several large, raised buttons which contain icons. This is the Toolbar. - takes you back one page - but only if ther is a previously loaded page to go back to. - takes you forward one page - but only if there is a previously loaded page to go forward to. - takes you back to the home page where you started. - reopens the current page and attempts to correct any loading errors. - loads all images on the current page. This option is only available when Image Auto Load has been turned off in Options. - a shortcut to let you open a WWW location or local file. It pulls up a dialog box that prompts you for the new address. You can also use the Location Bar to enter new addresses. - prints the current page - all of it - check the length first, especially if you're in pay-as-you-go mode. - prompts you for text to locate on the current page. This is very useful for finding specific words on the current page. - interrupts the loading of the current page. Useful when there is a problem during load or when a page is loading too slowly. Only works when red.

The Location Bar Just beneath the Toolbar, the Location Bar shows the location of the current page in the form of its URL (Uniform Resource Locator). You can go to any location you choose if you know its URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Enter the URL of the site you want to visit in the location bar. When you move the mouse arrow into the Location Bar it becomes an I-beam . Click/hold and drag the I-beam tool to highlight the URL in the bar and just type over the highlighted text to replace it with the URL you want. Try this one: http://www. yahoo. com/ Location Bar History PullDown Note that at the right of the Location Bar there is a small down arrow in a box - sometimes called a blink. If you left click on this arrow a list of the most recently visited URLs appears. Highlight the URL you want to go back to and Netscape will load that page again. This serves the same function as the View History option under the Go PullDown Menu item. It's a handy way to go back to a site you've visited recently.

Scroll Bars At the right side of the screen and at the bottom there are two scroll bars. You can use these scroll bars to move up and down and from side to side in the current page. Using the tiny arrows at the top and bottom or left and right sides of the scroll bars you can move up and down or left and right a line at a time. Use the left mouse to click, hold and drag on the small box in the scroll bar to move up and down or right and left smoothly and rapidly within the page. You can also use the PgUp and PgDn keys to scroll up and down. Try it!

Progress Bar The Progress Bar presents information on what is happening during the loading of a document. It shows the the names and locations of files being accessed. A thermometer-style progress tracker at the right shows you how far things have gone. The Progress Bar also shows you the WWW address associated with a link. Place the pointer arrow over this link and notice that the address associated with the link appears in the Progress Bar at the very bottom of the screen. Also notice that the pointer arrow changes to a pointing hand .

Links Specially highlighted text which is generally blue or red and underlined. A hypertext link takes you: To a completely different site on the WWW. To another WWW page at the current site. To a different location within the current page. Notice that when you place the mouse arrow over a link, it changes to a little pointing hand , and that the address (URL) associated with the link is displayed in the Progress Bar at the very bottom of the screen. Try it! Click here When you see the hand appear you know you've selected a link. Additionally, the address associated with the link will appear in the Progress Bar at the very bottom of the screen. If your browser is using the standard default colors a link is bright red if it's already been visited. It's bright blue if it hasn't been visited yet. Links are also generally underlined. Essentially, all you need to do to "surf the Net" is to: Locate a link that interests you. Click once on the link using the left mouse button. You're off!

Bookmarks A collection of links people have liked enough to save for posterity in a bookmark file. You can place a new Netscape "bookmark" to the WWW page you're currently viewing simply by holding down the "control" key and tapping the "A" key. Or, you can go to the Bookmarks Pull Down and click on Add Bookmark. You can also view a complete tutorial on Netscape 1.2 Bookmarks if you wish.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please contact: Randy D. Ralph 333 Washington Drive Clemmons, NC 27012 Email: rdralph@netstrider.com