Navigating the Web Using Netscape Communicator



Visual and Functional Overview

Using the Mouse to Navigate the Web

Creating and Saving Bookmarks Files

Saving JPG and GIF Image Files


 
 
 



Visual and Functional Overview

First, let's go over the visual and functional layout of Netscape Communicator, which can be divided into several areas:
 

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Here's a glance at Netscape Communicator's layout as a whole before we examine its individual parts.


Menu Bar
 
    Located at the top of the Netscape Communicator window is the Menu Bar which has six pull-down menus: File, Edit, Go, Bookmarks (indicated by a green bookmark icon), Communicator and Help.  Each pull-down menu offers a variety of commands. For example, the “Go” pull-down menu allows you to navigate back and forward and it provides a history list of pages visited.

Menu Bar

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Personal Toolbar

    Just below the menu bar is the Personal Toolbar.  This toolbar displays a series of clickable buttons. To view the button's function, simply position the mouse over the button and a dialog box will appear beside the button displaying that button's function--this is called a mouse-over.  These buttons make navigating the web easier and more efficient.  For example, if you're surfing through several pages and you want to return to a previously surfed page, instead of re-entering that page's URL (universal resource locator), simply click on the Back arrow button and the browser will retrace the pages you already visited.  If you want to return to your original page, click on the forward arrow button. Other useful buttons include the Reload icon, which allows you to reload an active web page; the Stop button, which stops the browser from loading a page; and the Search button, which provides links to numerous search engines.
    On the far right-hand side of the Personal Toolbar is the Netscape Icon .  When the Netscape icon is active (indicated by stars falling behinds the "N" ), this means that the browser is retrieving or transferring information.
 

Personal Toolbar


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Location Toolbar

     Positioned below the Personal Toolbar, the Location Toolbar provides a small horizontal window that shows the URL of the current web site being displayed in the browser window. You can access a web site/page by typing in the URL (http://www.ohiou.edu) here and pressing enter. (note: You can also open a location by using the “open” command under the File pull-down menu from the main menu bar.)

Location Toolbar


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Status Bar
 
      The Status Bar is a small horizontal window located at the bottom of the Communicator window.  Similar to the Netscape icon in the Location Toolbar window, the Status Bar displays the browser’s status.  In other words, if you click on a link, the status window will read “contacting host....” or “Host contacted...waiting for reply” or “Reading Data...” or “Read 127K (43%/sec) transferred.” The status window also displays information from mouse-overs. That is, if you position you mouse over a link, that link’s URL should appear in the Status Bar window.
 

Status Bar

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Browser Window

     The browser window is the area of Netscape Communicator that displays the actual web page you are browsing.
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Using the Mouse to Navigate the Web

    In addition to the commands from the menu bar and the various toolbars, you can also use the mouse to navigate the web.  To active the mouse commands, position the mouse cursor in the browser window and click and hold down the mouse button.  Depending on where your mouse cursor is located in the window, i.e., over the background, a link, or a graphic, a window will appear providing various options:

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Bookmarks

 What is a Bookmark?
          A Bookmark records the location of specific web pages, usually your favorite sites, to a list in what’s called a bookmark file. For instance, if your at a site--let's say OU's web page--and you want to add this site to your list of favorites, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen, click and hold on the green bookmark icon, scroll down to Add Bookmark and release.  When you click on the green bookmark again, you will see a list of pages you marked.
 
 • Saving Bookmarks File to a disk
          To save a bookmark file to a disk, click and hold on the Communicator symbol on the main menu bar, scroll down and release on Bookmarks. A “Bookmarks for...” window should appear displaying the bookmarks you created in Communicator. Once the "Bookmarks for.." window appears, click and hold on File on the main Menu bar, then scroll down and release on  “Save as....” Once the Save As window appears, select the location where you would like to save your bookmarks (click on desktop, then your disk). When you enter a file name in the box just below “Save Bookmarks file,” make sure you enter .html (e.g., mybookmarks.html)after the name--otherwise communicator will not recognize your file as a bookmark file.
 
 • Importing saved Bookmark files to Navigator
          To import a saved bookmark file to Communicator, open the bookmarks file under the Communicator symbol on the main menu bar. Click and hold on File and scroll down and release on “Import....” Select and open the bookmark (.html) file you previously saved.  Your new bookmarks should now appear under the green bookmark icon on the main menu in Communicator.
 


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Saving JPG and GIF Image Files

To save a JPG or a GIF image file, place the mouse over the file you wish to save, press and hold down the mouse button, and choose "Save this Image As..." Now simply choose the location to which you would like Communicator to save the image.  (more about mouse commands)
 
 

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