# 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.

- If you're viewing your Home page for the first time, take a few moments to explore it. Don't worry if clicking something takes you to a different page--just click the Back button (left arrow) to retrace your steps.

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, reflecting any changes made while it has been on your screen, click Reload.

To view more than one page at a time:

- From the File menu, choose the pull-right item New, then choose Navigator Window.

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 the 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.)

   - Blue, underlined text is usually a link that you haven't followed (clicked).

   - Purple text is usually a link that you've already followed.

   - Links whose URLs begin with "mail to:" bring up a window that lets you compose and mail a message to a pre-selected recipient.

   - Links whose URLs contain a pound sign (#) lead to a new spot in the page you're currently viewing; most others lead to new pages.

   ### The Open Page dialog

   If you know the URL of a page you want to visit, you can use the Open Page dialog (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 using the Back and Forward buttons.

   - Click Back (left arrow) to go back one page. Continue clicking Back to retrace your steps.

   - Click Forward to go forward one page. This button is available only after you've backed up.

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

   - Click the Go menu and choose the page you want to return to. The Go menu only offers page titles you've viewed in the current session.

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

   - Click the down-pointing arrow at the right end of the Location field. You'll see a menu listing up to 14 pages whose URLs you've recently typed into the Location field.

   ### Retracing your steps in detail: the History list

   Navigator maintains a history list of pages you have recently viewed in the past several days. (The exact number of days tracked depends on how your Navigator preferences are set up.) 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:

   - From the Communicator menu, choose History.

   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 to open the History window.

   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:

   - Double-click a page in the list to go to it.

   - Click the Save As button to save the list as an HTML page.

   - Click the Clear button to return the Search History List dialog to its default state.

   ## Checking a page's security

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

   - From the View menu, choose Page Info.

   In the upper portion of the Info window, you can see a list of the component URLs that make up the page: for example, the URLs of any image files contained in the page.

   The lower portion of the window lists information about the page's location, type, source, cache, length, modification date, and character-set encoding, as well as details about the page's security status. You can find out if the page is encrypted or not encrypted, and the encryption type for transmission and server certification.

   If a page is encrypted, the security information tells you the encryption grade, export control, key size, and algorithm type. In addition, the server certificate identifies:

   > Who the certificate belongs to (the organization) Who the certificate was issued by Serial number Valid certificate dates Certificate fingerprint (composed of hexadecimal digits)

   Like pages, certificate information is protected by encryption to ensure authenticity and integrity. The information can include the following:

   > The server's fully qualified common or host name (such as hostname.netscape.com) Department name (optional) Legal, registered organization name Locality or city the organization resides in or is registered in State or province name Country name

   To view general security information and work with Communicator's encryption and certificate features:

   - Click the Security button.

   In the Security Info window, click Help for more instructions.

   ## Checking a page's technical details

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

   - From the View menu, choose Page Source.

   ## 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:

   - From the Edit menu, choose Find 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.

   You can create bookmarks from any HTML file containing links. The links are placed in a folder in the bookmark list. To import HTML files (or hotlists) as bookmarks:

   1. If you are importing a hot list, first convert it to HTML. Several downloadable utilities perform this conversion. You can also use another browser's mail command to transmit a hotlist in HTML format.

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

   3. In the Bookmarks window, open the File menu and choose Import.

   4. In the Import Bookmarks File dialog, select the file you want to import.

   5. Click Open.

   ## 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:

   - Point to a link in a Web page. Press and hold the mouse button while the pointer is over the link and drag the link to the desktop.

   To create a shortcut using the bookmark icon:

   - Press and hold the mouse button while the pointer is over the bookmark icon, and drag the icon to the desktop. (The bookmark icon is also known as the page proxy 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 to create a shortcut from, 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 uneeded 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 above where you want to position 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:

   - (Windows and Unix) Click the Bookmarks menu and choose the File Bookmark pull-right menu item. The items in this menu are bookmark folders. Select a folder; a bookmark for the current Web page is placed in the folder.

   - (Windows and Unix) Drag a highlighted link from a Web page to the Bookmarks menu in the Location toolbar. The Bookmarks menu opens, allowing you to drag the link where you want it. Release the mouse button to file the bookmark.

   - (Windows and Unix) Put the pointer over the bookmark icon, and drag it to the Bookmarks menu in the Location toolbar. The Bookmarks menu opens, allowing you to drag the bookmark where you want it. Release the mouse button to file the bookmark.

   - (All platforms) Choose Bookmarks from the Navigator menu to open the Bookmarks window. Put the pointer over the bookmark icon, and drag it to the Bookmarks window. Continue dragging to place the bookmark where you want it in the list. Release the mouse button to file the bookmark.

   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.

   Navigator checks for changes, displaying progress and results in a dialog. If a page has changed, Navigator puts a special icon next to its name. If the page's modifications have not been verified, Navigator puts a question mark in the 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.

   # Printing and saving pages

   ## Saving a page

   To save an entire page:

   1. From the File menu, choose Save As.

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

   3. Choose HTML, Plain Text, 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).

   By the way: 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 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.

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

   5. Choose HTML, Plain Text, or All Files (no filetype) from the "Save as type:" popup 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 file name, and choose a location for the file from the "Save in:" popup menu.

   5. Choose HTML, Plain Text, or All Files (no filetype) from the "Save as type:" popup 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 you favorite web pages, or address or discussion groups.

   ### Changing and repositioning toolbars

   To collapse and expand a toolbar:

   - Click the vertical tab at the left of the toolbar to collapse the toolbar. When the toolbar is hidden, the tab appears horizontally below any visible toolbars.

   - Click the horizontal tab to expand the toolbar.

   To completely hide a toolbar including its tab:

   - Open the View menu and choose Hide Navigation Toolbar, Hide Location Toolbar, or Hide Personal Toolbar to hide a toolbar and its tab.

   - Open the View menu and choose Show Navigation Toolbar, Show Location Toolbar, or Show Personal Toolbar to show a toolbar and its tab.

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

   To move a toolbar:

   - Drag a toolbar to another toolbar position and drop it. The other toolbars reposition themselves.

   To reposition a button in the personal toolbar:

   - Drag a button to another button position and drop it. The other buttons reposition themselves.

   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:

   - Click the lines on the component bar's left edge. Drag the component bar to the desired location.

   To dock the component bar:

   - On Windows and Macintosh, click the close box to return the component bar to its docked position.

   - On Unix, put the pointer on the component bar's title bar, click the right mouse button, and choose Close from the pop-up menu.

   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:

   - Drag the bookmark icon (located to the left of the location field) over the personal toolbar, then drop the icon at the desired position.

   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 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 what appears when you first start up

   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.

   The home page is displayed when you click the Home button. The home page is normally your starting page, the first page displayed when you start 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 code in the Others text field.

   5. Click OK.

   Note: If you want to reorder the lanaguages 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.

   ## Choosing helper applications

   When Netscape Communicator retrieves a Web page with content that it can't interpret, it uses a helper application that can interpret the file. Helper applications are needed for files containing sound, video, compressed data, and a variety of other data types.

   By the way: Some small helper applications are known as plug-ins.

   You can designate the helper applications to be used on your computer:

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Navigator category; then click Applications.

   3. Under "Description" you see a list of different types of files, such as "JPEG Image" and "Text Document." Click to select a file type. Notice the "Handled By" information; it tells which program handles each type of file.

   4. Click New Type. (On the Mac OS and Unix, click New.)

   5. Type a description in the "Description of type" field.

   6. Type the common suffix or suffixes used by the file type in the "File extension" field ("Suffixes" field on the Mac OS and Unix). For instance, text documents often have the suffix "TXT."

   7. Type the file type or MIME type in the MIME Type field.

   8. Specify the application that can handle files of this type:

      - On Windows, click Browse and select an application.

      - On the Mac OS and Unix, click the Application button, then click Choose to select an application.

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

   10. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

   What is MIME? MIME is Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, a standard that permits non-text files (such as images) to be attached to email messages and sent over the Internet. 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, you can leave the field blank.

   When a Web page contains information that requires a helper application, it is often in a file that must be downloaded. This simply means that the file must be copied onto your hard disk before you can view it using the helper application.

   To edit a file type and specify how to handle downloaded files:

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Navigator category; then click Applications.

   3. Select one file type from the list and click Edit.

   4. Edit the fields as desired.

   5. Select an action in the "Handled By" area of the panel. You can designate:

      - Navigator (Communicator on the Mac OS). This opens a downloaded file in the Navigator window if the file's format is supported.

      - Save to Disk. This saves a file downloaded on your hard disk.

      - Application. This opens the downloaded file in an application. To select the application, click Browse (Choose on the Mac OS).

   6. Check "Ask me before opening downloaded files of this type" if you want a dialog box notification before downloading files that are handled by applications other than Navigator.

   7. Click OK.

   To remove an existing application and associated file type:

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Navigator category; then click Applications.

   3. Select one file type from the list and click Remove (Delete on the Mac OS and Unix).

   4. Click OK.

   (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:

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Navigator category; then click Applications.

   3. Click Choose.

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

   5. Click OK to close the Preferences window.

   # Improving speed, efficiency and security

   ## Speeding things up

   There are two types of settings that 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 turn automatic loading on or off, click to the checkbox 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 pre-determined 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 Web 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 or clear the memory cache (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. The default is 1024K on Windows, 3000K on Unix.

   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.

   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. The default is 7680K (5000K on Unix).

   4. (Optional) To specify where the disk cache should be stored, click Choose Folder. A dialog opens 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.

   By the way: When you exit from Communicator, cache maintenance is done. If you find that exiting takes longer than you wish, try reducing the size of the disk cache.

   You can specify how often Navigator checks the network for page revisions, to make sure you see an updated page from a network server rather than a potentially "stale" page stored in the cache.

   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.

   ## Improving security

   There are many things you can do to improve the security of your connection to the Web. Two things--controlling cookies and setting proxy values--are discussed in this section. For more security information, see [CROSS REFERENCE TO GO HERE].

   ### 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. Select one of the following:

      - Accept all cookies

      - Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server (disables transmission of cookies to servers other than the server that originated the page)

      - Disable cookies

   4. Click "Warn me before accepting a cookie" to be notified when Communicator accepts a cookie.

   Important: Unless you're worried about the security of some of the Web sites you visit, you should choose to accept all cookies for a better Web experience.

   ### Setting proxy values

   Many organizations that have their own networks 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:

   - If there's a proxy configuration file at your workplace, ask the system administrator for its URL.

   - If there's no proxy configuration file, ask your system administrator for the names and port numbers of the server(s) running proxy software for each network service.

   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 about manual proxy configurations:

   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" in this field, 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 the Navigator category; then click Disk Space.

   3. To limit the size of messages you download, click "Do not download any message larger than".

   4. Type the maximum size of messages that can be downloaded.

   5. To keep message folders compact, click "Automatically compact folders when it will save over".

   6. Type a size; when it is possibly to save disk space equal to the number you type, message folders will be automatically compacted.

   7. Click OK to close Preferences.

   To specify how long discussion messages are kept available:

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Navigator 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.

   You can also save disk space by setting a smaller disk cache. See Cache settings.

   ## Working Offline

   ### Offline preferences (not available on Unix)

   If you're using a modem connection, you might want to work offline, and go online only when you need to connect to the network. This can reduce online time and costs.

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Offline category.

   3. Select one of the following:

      - Online Work Mode to begin a network connection each time you start Communicator. If you use a network that connects you to the Internet continuously, this mode is optimal.

      - Offline Work Mode to not start a network connection each time you start Communicator.

      - Ask Me if you want to be asked, when starting Communicator, if a network connection should be made.

   If you choose Online Work Mode or Offline Work Mode, then you can choose to begin or end a network connection by opening the File menu and choosing Go Offline/Go Online. You can also choose to download mail or selected discussion groups, and send messages in your Outbox just before disconnecting or just after connecting to the network. If you choose Ask Me, these choices will be presented automatically when you start Communicator.

   ### Download preferences (not available on Unix)

   You can download messages--that is, read them offline without maintaining a network connection.

   1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

   2. Click the Offline category; then click Download.

   3. Select one of the following:

      - Download Only Unread Messages to see only those messages you haven't yet read.

      - Download By Date to download messages according to their age. Use the radio buttons and pop-up menu to specify a time period.

   4. To specify which messages to download, click the Select Messages button (Download Items pop-up menu on the Mac OS) and click to highlight the mail folders or discussion groups you want.

   5. Click OK, then click OK again to close Preferences.

   May 11, 1998

   Copyright © 1994-1998 Netscape Communications Corporation.