# Interface dialogs

This chapter gives help about some of Opera's dialogs.

## Setting your home page

This dialog lets you set your home page. The home page is...

- The page you go to when you click the "Home" button on the main bar
- The page which is shown when you start Opera

A home page is typically set to a portal or a search engine.

If you want to use the page you are currently viewing as your homepage, click . To use a different page, enter its address, then click .

This dialog is accessible from the Navigation menu.

## Go to page

This dialog lets you enter a Web page address in situations when you don't have access to the address field, like when you are in full screen mode, or have disabled the address field.

It works just like the address field; you can type in Web page addresses with auto-completion, and you can access previously typed in addresses by clicking the drop-down.

This dialog is accessible from the Navigation menu.

## Saving your windows to a file

In Opera, you can have multiple windows open. Sometimes it is useful to save all your open windows to a file, so that you can get them back later.

You can also choose to show the windows you save here every time you start Opera. For example, you can start three windows: one with your favorite portal, and one with your favorite newspaper and one with your favorite band.

This dialog is accessible from the Window menu.

## Periodically reloading a page

You can make Opera reload a Web page every 5 minutes, or whatever other time span you prefer. This is useful for getting the latest news from a news site, monitoring stock rates or checking other information that is updated often.

Some Web pages set an expiration time for themselves. You can choose to reload the page only if it has expired.

This dialog is accessible from the Navigation menu.

## Print options

Before printing a Web page on paper, you can decide how the page should be printed.

You can decide whether to print the background image on the page (if it has any).

You can print a header and footer on every page, that is...

- Web page title in upper-left corner
- Page number in upper-right corner
- Web page address in lower-left corner
- Date and time in lower-right corner

You can scale the printed page. To print it twice the normal size, select "200%". To print half size, select "50%". And so forth.

You can set the margins on the printed sheet. To use the whole sheet, set these values to zero.

This dialog is accessible from the File menu.

## Print preview

Normally, you will want to print a page like it appears on your screen. However, if the Web page contains frames, and you are familiar with frames, you can decide whether to...

1. Print all the frames, one frame per printed sheet
2. Print only the active frame

This dialog is accessible from the File menu.

## The startup dialog

When you start Opera, a welcome dialog appears with two essential choices on how you want to use Opera...

1. To have all Opera windows inside a single Opera application (Multiple Document Interface)
2. To have a separate application window for each Opera window (Single Document Interface)

Click on the image that corresponds to your preference. This setting can not be changed while running Opera.

In addition, you can choose what windows to show when starting Opera...

1. Continue browsing where you exited Opera last time
2. Show a particular set of windows you have saved earlier
3. Show your favorite start page
4. Start without any windows

If you want Opera to start in the same way every time, you can choose not to show this dialog on normal startup.

If Opera exits involuntarily because of a problem, the startup dialog will always appear the next time you start Opera, to help you deal with the problem. If the problem persists, try starting with no windows.

Sometimes, the problem can be caused by communication with the network. If you are technically familiar with network communication, you may change some of the network preferences to help you get back to normal browsing again.

# Security dialogs

This chapter describes dialogs that appear in situations where computer security is involved.

## Downloading files from the Internet

If you choose to open the file, it will be opened in Opera.

If you choose to save the file, you get to specify where to download it. You have to manually execute it when transfer is complete.

It is recommended to always scan an insecure file with an updated virus protection program before running the file.

You can choose to be asked every time you download a file of this type, or you can let your current choice apply for all time.

To fine-tune default actions for the file type in question, click .

Learn more about default file type actions

## Visiting password protected Web pages

Some Web pages require that you enter a username and password. Contact the service provider if you are unable access the page.

## Certificates

Server certificates are used to verify the identity of the site you are visiting. On secure sites, for example bank sites, Opera accepts certificates from a server to establish a secure connection.

Normally, you will simply see the icon to the left of Opera's progress bar change from an open to a locked padlock. This means that the certificate was correctly set up and verified (signed) by someone on your list of authorities (trusted third parties). In all other cases Opera will display a warning.

Accepting a certificate after a warning will establish a connection, but the connection may not be secure if the certificate is not valid. Make your choice of whether or not to accept certificates based on whether or not you trust the site in question. Never accept (or install) certificates on sites you don't trust.

### Server certificate expired

Opera will warn you if one of the certificates presented by a server has expired. Certificates are not valid indefinitely, and they must be renewed when they expire. Accepting expired certificates is a potential security risk because this indicates that the site you are visiting is not being maintained properly anymore.

Click to establish the connection only if you believe that the site you are visiting can still be trusted. Click if you suspect that the site is no longer being actively maintained, or cannot be trusted anymore.

### Wrong certificate name

Opera will warn you if a server name in a certificate does not match the hostname. This means that you have encountered a certificate that may be valid, but only for use on a different site than the one you are currently visiting. This is a potential security risk because a certificate issued by an authority is approved for use by one organization or company only, and only on one site.

Click if you do not wish to establish a connection. Click to establish the connection only if you believe that the site you are visiting and the site for which the certificate is actually issued belong to the same trustworthy organization.

### Certificate signer not found

Opera will warn you if a certificate signer (root certificate) is not found on your list of authorities. This is a potential security risk if you do not trust this unregistered certificate signer.

Click to establish a connection only if you trust the site you are visiting. Click if you do not wish to establish a connection.

If available, click to include the certificate signer (root certificate) on your list of trusted authorities and then establish a connection. Do this only if you trust the certificate signer. Connections to other sites certified by the same signer, now an authority, will thus be allowed automatically in the future (unless you uncheck this option).

Note: Root certificates are not signed by another authority; they are self-signed. In other words, anybody can make them.

## Cookies

A cookie is a piece of information stored on your hard drive. Web sites you have visited use them to remember you at a later time. Cookies are normally used to make browsing easier, but they can also be used for profiling.

### Handling incoming cookies

Dealing with cookies that have been set up incorrectly or insecurely requires some level of technical understanding. If you are not familiar with cookies, click if you trust the Web site you are visiting. Click if you are in doubt.

### Illegal cookies

Sometimes, a site will attempt to set illegal cookies. A cookie is illegal if it is not set according to acknowledged Internet standards. Because this is a potential violation of your privacy, Opera will discard certain such cookies. Click to continue.

Note: If a site in a national domain tries to set a cookie, Opera will, for security reasons, perform a DNS lookup to find the IP address of the target domain. This is done to verify the validity of the cookie, and if no IP address exists, Opera will refuse the cookie. Should you encounter this, you might want to ask the site's Web master to create an IP address for the domain specified in the cookie.

A national domain is one that does not end in .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov, .mil, or .int.

## Uploading files through forms

Some Web sites offer uploading of files as part of a Web service. Normally, you click and select which file you want to upload from your computer to the Web site.

However, a form can be pre-set to upload a particular file from your computer, worst case your password file. To prevent forms from stealing files from your computer, a warning is always given if a filename is pre-set in a file submission form.

## Deleting private data

This dialog helps you to delete information on your computer about your browsing activities.

Note: Deleted data on a hard drive may be restored using an "undelete" program.

Warning: Be sure you know what you are doing when using this dialog. Deleting private data may have unwanted side effects.

- If you delete your cookies, you will have to type in all your Web passwords again, and Web sites may not remember settings you have set earlier.
- If you delete your cache data, you will have to go on-line and retrieve all Web sites over again.
- If you delete your history data, your list of previously accessed Web sites will be gone, and you will have to type in full Web addresses again, as history is used for auto-completion.

This dialog is accessible from the File menu.

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