#

## About Netcaster

Netscape Netcaster delivers information to you automatically, and gives you the following advantages:

- Channels are Web sites that are automatically delivered to your desktop. Using Netcaster, you can subscribe to just the channels you want and get just the information you need. This way, you don't have to search the Web on your own and look through irrelevant information. Netcaster can also update your channels automatically so you can always see current information.
- You can make any channel into a full-screen webtop. In Windows, a webtop always remains on your screen underneath other windows that you're working in. With a webtop, you can easily see late-breaking information on the channel while you complete other tasks.
- With offline browsing, you can download any Web site and view it when you're offline (disconnected from the Internet).
- Netcaster's Channel Finder provides a ready-made list of interesting channels on the Web.

## Starting Netcaster

Start Netscape Netcaster in one of the following ways:

- In any Communicator window, open the Communicator menu, then choose Netcaster.
- From the Communicator personal toolbar, choose Netcaster.

By default, the Netcaster window appears on the right side of your screen. The default channel also opens.

#### See Also

  Customizing Netcaster

## Finding Channels and Sites

With Netcaster, you can collect both channels and Web sites. Channels are like Web sites; they are built with the same tools, such as HTML and JavaScript. However, instead of navigating to the site where you want information, you subscribe to a channel by adding it to Netcaster. Then the desired information is delivered automatically to Netcaster at predefined intervals. In essence, a channel is a Web site delivered automatically to your computer.

In the Netscape Netcaster window, you find channels and Web sites in two places:

- Channel Finder contains a ready-made list of interesting channels. You can preview channels in the list; when you find a channel that you like, you can add it to your personal list of channels in My Channels. Channel Finder is regularly updated; check it often for new channels.

To open Channel Finder, click the Channel Finder bar.

- In My Channels, you can collect links to your favorite channels and sites. When you find a channel that you like, just add it to My Channels.

To open My Channels, click the My Channels bar.

Channel Finder and My Channels also provide each site's name listed on a bar. If you've specified a channel as a webtop, look for a small, square webtop indicator to the right of the channel's name. If a channel is currently running as a webtop, its webtop indicator glows.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  About Webtops
  About Channel Finder
  About Offline Browsing
  Customizing Netcaster

## Showing and Hiding Netcaster

When Netscape Netcaster starts, the Netcaster window is closed by default. If the window has been hidden, show it by clicking the window's tab on the right or left side of your screen.

To hide the Netcaster window, click the tab on the side of the window.

#### See Also

  Customizing Netcaster
  Moving the Netcaster Window

## Buttons and Controls in Netcaster

There are two rows of buttons and controls at the bottom of the Netscape Netcaster window.

- Click New to add a channel or site to My Channels.
- Click Options to change the Netcaster window. For example, you can move Netcaster to the other side of the screen, and change the properties for channels.
- Click Help to open this Help window.
- Click Exit to exit the Netcaster component of Communicator. If you have a webtop open, clicking Exit will also close the webtop.

#### Webtop controls

When a webtop is open, the following buttons are available in the Netcaster window and at the bottom of the webtop window:

- Click Security Information (padlock) to see security information about the webtop.
- Click Back (left arrow) to go back to the previous webtop page.
- Click Forward (right arrow) to go forward to the next webtop page.
- Click Print (printer) to print the webtop.
- Click Desktop/Webtop (small square with outline) to change between the webtop and desktop. When the webtop is displayed, clicking this button displays the desktop. When the desktop is displayed, clicking this button displays the webtop.
- Click Front/Back (up and down arrows) to bring the webtop to the front of other windows or move it behind. When the webtop is in back (its default position), clicking this button displays the webtop in front of other windows. When the webtop is in front, clicking this button sends the webtop behind other windows.
- Click Close Webtop (X) to close the webtop.
- Click Navigator (ship's wheel) to open a new Navigator window on top of the webtop.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  About Webtops

## Exiting Netcaster

Near the bottom of the Netcaster window, click Exit to exit the Netcaster application. If you have a webtop open, clicking Exit will also close the webtop.

#### See Also

  About Webtops

#

## About Channels

A channel is a Web site delivered to your computer automatically, rather than as a result of clicking a link. Channels have focused content to which you subscribe, and the content is media-rich, persistent, and automatically updated.

Channels are like Web sites; they are built with the same tools, such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and JavaScript. However, instead of navigating to the site whenever you want information, you subscribe to a channel by adding it to Netcaster. Then the desired information is delivered automatically to Netcaster at predefined intervals. You receive up-to-date information when it becomes available without having to search for it.

## About Channel Finder

In the Netscape Netcaster window, Channel Finder contains a ready-made list of interesting channels. Using Channel Finder, you can preview channels in the list. When you find channels that you like, you can add them to your personal list of channels in My Channels.

To use Channel Finder, follow these steps:

1. If Channel Finder isn't already open in the Netcaster window, click the Channel Finder bar.
2. A list of channels appears.
3. To see a preview of a channel, click its bar.
4. A preview opens in a separate window. To add the channel to My Channels, click the Add Channel button in the preview window.
5. After you finish adding the channel, its link appears on a bar in My Channels. To view the channel, click its bar.

Channel Finder is regularly updated with new channels; check it often.

## Castanet Channels

The Castanet Tuner, part of Marimba Inc.'s Castanet System for push content delivery and enterprise-wide software deployment, is integrated into Netscape Netcaster. The integration of Castanet offers you seamless access to Castanet channels; you can add, view, and manipulate a Castanet channel as you would any other channel.

## Opening and Closing Channels

To open a channel:

1. Click the My Channels bar in Netcaster. The bar moves up or down to reveal the contents of My Channels, closing any other open containers.
2. Click the channel you want to open. The site opens in a Navigator window.

To close a channel and its Navigator window, select Close from the File menu.

## Updating Channels

To update channels, you must be online (connected to the Internet). When you're online, you can update a channel in one of the following ways:

- In the Options dialog box, select the channel you want to update. Then click the Update Now button.
- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster, then choose Start Update in the menu that appears.
- In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or site every. The site will be updated at the time you specify.

## Adding Channels to Netcaster

There are three ways to add a channel to Netcaster: clicking a button on the channel, using the Netcaster Add button, or using Channel Finder.

### Adding a channel from the site

Some channels provide a button that lets you quickly add their channels to Netcaster. If you're viewing such a channel and want to add it to Netcaster, click the button and follow instructions.

### Using Netcaster to add a channel

You can add a site or channel to Netcaster whether or not you're currently viewing the site. When you find a channel or site that you want to add to Netcaster, follow these steps:

1. Click New at the bottom of the Netcaster window. The Channel Properties dialog box opens. If the site you're adding is a Netcaster channel, much of the following information may be filled in for you.
2. In the Name field, enter a name for the site if you need to.
3. In the Location field, enter the location (URL) if you need to.
4. To schedule the site's updates, leave Update this channel or site every selected, then choose the time interval for updates.
5. Click the Display tab to display the Display panel.
6. Select the attributes of the channel window.

- If you select Default Window, the channel appears in a Navigator window.
- If you select Webtop Window, the window appears full screen and is locked underneath other open windows.

7. Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
8. Enter a number in Download ___ level(s) deep in site. The number you type represents a number of "levels," where

- the first level is the site's main page
- the second level consists of the pages that the main page links to
- the third level consists of the pages that the second-level pages link to

9. In the Don't store more than ___ KB of information field, specify the maximum amount of disk space any one channel can use. Channel providers may provide an estimated size for how much disk space a site requires given the number of levels you have chosen to store.
10. If you need to, specify the maximum cache size.
11. When you finish setting properties, click OK.

The channel is added to My Channels. To view the channel, open My Channels and click the channel's bar.

#### See Also

  About Webtops
  About Offline Sites
  About Channel Finder

## Deleting Channels from Netcaster

To delete a channel:

1. Click Options in Netcaster. The Options dialog box opens.
2. Select the channel you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.

## Setting the Default Channel

Netcaster is set to automatically open a channel each time you start Netcaster. By default, Netcaster opens the Netscape Channel. You can specify another channel as the default, or specify that no channel opens when you start Netcaster.

To change your default channel:

1. Click Options in the Netcaster window.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the Layout tab.
3. Under Default Channel, select Set default to, then select the channel you want to open when Netcaster starts. You can click the down arrow to see a list of all the channels and sites in Netcaster. If you don't want a channel to open automatically, select None.
4. Click OK.

#

## About Webtops

A webtop is a type of channel that "locks" its content to the desktop of your display. It can cover all or part of your screen, and it remains behind other windows until you want to view it.

## Making a Channel into a Webtop

Although some channels are more suitable than others for webtops, you can make any channel or site into a webtop.

If you've haven't already added the channel that you want to use as a webtop, follow these steps:

1. Add the channel to Netcaster.
2. As part of adding the channel, make it a webtop by selecting the Webtop Window preference on the Display panel.

If you've already added the channel that you want to use as a webtop, follow these steps:

1. In the Channel Properties dialog box, click the Display tab to display the Display panel.
2. Select Webtop Window.
3. Click OK.

#### See Also

  Adding Channels to Netcaster

## Opening and Closing Webtops

To open a webtop:

1. Click the My Channels bar in Netcaster. The bar moves up or down to reveal the contents of My Channels, closing any other open containers.
2. Click the webtop you want to open. A small rectangle located to the right of the webtop's name tells you which channels are specified as webtops.

When a webtop is open, a Netscape N logo appears in the lower-right screen, and webtop controls appear below it.

### Closing a webtop

To close a webtop, click the Close Webtop button either in Netcaster or at the bottom of the webtop itself.

#### See Also

  Buttons and Controls in Netcaster

## Changing Webtops

To change to another webtop, open My Channels in the Netcaster window, then select the webtop you want to open. The new webtop appears, replacing the previous one.

## Hiding and Showing a Webtop

To hide a webtop, click the Desktop/Webtop button (small square with outline) in the Netcaster window or at the bottom of the webtop window. The desktop appears, and the N logo and webtop controls stay visible. To display the webtop again, click Desktop/Webtop again.

## Updating a Webtop

To update webtops, you must be online (connected to the Internet). When you're online, you can update a webtop in one of the following ways:

- In the Options dialog box, select the webtop you want to update. Then click the Update Now button.
- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster, then choose Update in the menu that appears.
- In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or site every. The webtop will be updated at the time you specify.

## Returning to the Desktop

To return to your desktop, click the Desktop/Webtop button (small square with outline) in the Netcaster window or at the bottom of the webtop window. The desktop appears, and the N logo and webtop controls stay visible. To display the webtop again, click Desktop/Webtop again.

## Deleting a Webtop from Netcaster

To delete a webtop:

1. Click Options in the channel selector. The Options dialog box opens.
2. Select the webtop you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.

#

## Customizing the Netcaster Window

You can customize Netcaster using the Options dialog box. To display the dialog box, click Options in Netcaster.

## Moving the Netcaster Window

Follow these steps to move the Netcaster window:

1. In the Options dialog box, click the Layout tab. The Layout panel appears.
2. To move Netcaster to the left or right side of the screen, choose either Right side of screen or Left side of the screen in the Attach Netcaster drawer to field.
3. To hide Netcaster automatically when you select a channel or webtop, click Automatically hide Netcaster window.
4. Click OK in the Layout panel.

## Moving a Webtop

Follow these steps to change a webtop's position:

1. In the Options dialog box, click the Layout tab. The Layout panel appears.
2. To move the webtop to the left or right side of the screen, choose either Right side of screen or Left side of the screen in the Attach Webtop to field.
3. Click OK in the Layout panel.

## Organizing Channels in Netcaster

Follow these steps to change channels in Netcaster:

1. In the Options dialog box, click the Channels tab.
2. Use the following settings to customize your channels:

- Click Properties to display the Channel Properties dialog box. In Channel Properties, you can control various aspects of Netcaster, such as whether sites are updated automatically and how often they are updated.
- Click Update Now to update the currently selected channel.
- Click Add to add a channel or webtop to Netcaster.
- Click Delete to delete the selected channel or webtop from Netcaster.
- To determine which channel automatically opens when Netcaster starts, click the Layout tab. Under Default Channel, select Set default to, then select the channel you want to open when Netcaster starts. You can click the down arrow to see a list of all the channels and sites in Netcaster. If you don't want a channel to open automatically, select None.

3. Click OK.

## Controlling Automatic Updates

By default, Netcaster is set to update channels on a regular basis. However, you might want to turn off this feature temporarily. To change whether a site is automatically updated, follow these steps:

1. Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:

- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
- Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list, then click the Properties button.

2. In the General panel, select or deselect the checkbox next to Update this channel or site every.

- Selecting this box means that the site will be automatically updated according to the specified schedule.
- Deselecting this box means that the site won't be automatically updated.

3. Click OK.

In Netcaster, sites aren't automatically updated under the following circumstances:

- You've deselected the Update checkbox.
- You're in offline mode when Netcaster is running.
- Netcaster isn't running when the scheduled update is due to occur.

If a site hasn't been automatically updated, you can still update the site in the following ways while you're online:

- In the Options dialog box, select the site you want to update. Then click the Update Now button.
- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster, then choose Update in the menu that appears.
- In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or site every. The site will be updated at the time you specify.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  Adding Channels to Netcaster

## Controlling Update Frequency

By default, Netcaster is set to automatically update sites once a day. However, you can change this update schedule to almost anything you want--for example, every hour between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m, or every week at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Follow these steps to change a site's update schedule:

1. Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:

- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
- Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list, then click the Properties button.

2. In the General panel, make sure that the checkbox is selected next to Update this channel or site every.
3. Beneath the Update checkbox, enter the update frequency. Click the down arrow to see a list of options.
4. Next, enter a time for the update.
5. Click OK.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  Adding Channels to Netcaster

## Controlling How Much of a Site is Updated

When Netcaster updates a channel or site, it downloads the site's content and stores it on your computer. By default, Netcaster downloads two levels of a site--that is, it goes two links deep into a site. Levels represent the page structure of a Web site. The main page of a site is the first level; links on that page go to other pages, or the second level; each second-level page has links to yet more pages, or the third level, and so on.

To change how many levels are downloaded, follow these steps:

1. Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:

- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
- Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list, then click the Properties button.

2. In the General panel, make sure that the box next to Update this channel or site every is selected.
3. Click the Cache tab. In the Cache panel, enter a number in Download ___ level(s) deep in site. The number you type represents a number of "levels," where:

- the first level is the site's main page
- the second level consists of the pages that the main page links to
- the third level consists of the pages that the second-level pages link to

4. Click OK.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  Adding Channels to Netcaster

## Controlling Cache Size

When Netcaster updates a channel or site, it downloads the site's contents and stores it on your computer in its own cache. Each site's cache takes up room on your hard disk, measured in kilobytes (KB). Although most channels will specify a default cache size, you might want to adjust the cache size on these occasions:

- A site might be too large to fit in its cache. You can increase the site's maximum cache size to accommodate the site. (Another option is to decrease the number of site levels that are downloaded.)
- You might run low on hard-drive space. In this case, you can reduce a site's maximum cache size. You can also clear the entire cache, erasing all the currently downloaded content. (Another option is to decrease the number of site levels that are downloaded.)

To adjust the maximum cache size:

1. Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:

- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
- Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list, then click the Properties button.

2. Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
3. Enter an amount in kilobytes.
4. Click OK.

To clear the cache and erase all currently downloaded content:

1. Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:

- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
- Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list, then click the Properties button.

2. Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
3. Click Clear Cache.
4. Click OK.

#### See Also

  About Channels
  Adding Channels to Netcaster

#

## About Offline Browsing

With offline browsing, you can browse or view a Netcaster channel while you're offline (disconnected from the Internet). Offline browsing gives you the following advantages:

- View a site when it's inconvenient to connect to the Internet, such as while traveling.
- If you're charged for connection time, viewing a site offline can reduce the cost of your Internet connection.
- Because Netcaster stores a site locally (on your hard disk), you can quickly navigate the site without the delays caused by a slow connection.

### How offline browsing works

Offline browsing works because Netcaster downloads the contents of a site and stores it on your computer in a cache. Because the site is stored on your computer, you can view it even when you're offline.

Before you can view a site offline, Netcaster has to download or update the site at least once. A site is downloaded when you do one of the following while you're online:

- Start Netcaster for the first time.
- Add a site to Netcaster.
- In the Options dialog box, select the site you want to update. Then click the Update Now button.
- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a site's link in Netcaster, then choose Update in the menu that appears.

Most importantly, Netcaster can automatically update a site according to a schedule that you specify. By regularly downloading a site, Netcaster updates the site for you (gets the site's most current information).

#### See Also

  Controlling Automatic Updates
  Controlling Update Frequency
  Controlling How Much of a Site Is Updated
  Controlling Cache Size
  About Channels

## Viewing a Site While You're Offline

There are a few circumstances when you might be offline:

- You're physically disconnected from the Internet (unplugged).
- When you start Communicator, you've chosen not to connect to the Internet.
- You're in offline mode while running Communicator.
- If you have a dial-up or phone-line connection, you've disconnected using your dialer software.

Follow these steps to view a site offline:

1. Make sure that Netcaster has updated the site at least once.
2. Start Netcaster if you haven't already.
3. Click the site's link in My Channels.

Netcaster displays the site according to default properties or those you've specified. You can control how sites appear offline by customizing Netcaster. The site won't be updated until the next time you're connected, running Netcaster, and a download is scheduled to occur.

### Offline and online modes

In Communicator, you can take advantage of offline and online modes. To disconnect and work in offline mode, open the Navigator or Messenger File menu, then click Go Offline. If you're working in offline mode when Netcaster is scheduled to update a site, Netcaster doesn't download the site. If you're in online mode but not connected to the Internet (you haven't chosen Go Offline but you've disconnected in another way), Netcaster tries to connect and complete a scheduled update.

#### See Also

  Starting Netcaster
  Customizing Netcaster
  Controlling Automatic Updates
  Controlling Update Frequency
  Controlling How Much of a Site Is Updated
  Controlling Cache Size