TK Tutorial

Basic Netscape Skills Overview

Overview:

This page is intended to help the beginner Netscape user navigate through the world wide web. In order to be able to use this, the user must be able to use a mouse to highlight and click for information. I suggest that beginners first master mouse maneuvering by playing games like Solitare to become familiar with the mouse. To use this webpage correctly, please follow the instructions step by step. In order to complete this tutorial, you must complete every step in order. Good Luck!

Directions:

Please read every line of this document in order, and click your mouse in the right direction when prompted. For all basic functions in this tutorial, please use the left mouse button only. Single clicking is all that will be required. Relax and enjoy yourself.

Using the scroll-bar

The scroll-bar is located on the right-hand border of the navigator window. This is the right boundary of the web page. When a page is bigger than the viewing size your monitor is showing, you must use the scroll-bar to "scroll" down the page in order to view it's contents. At this time, you should see the scroll-bar, and it should be activated.

The upper portion of the scroll-bar consists of an arrow oriented upward. By clicking the mouse pointer on this arrow, one is able to "scroll up" the document.
The lower portion of the scroll-bar consists of an arrow oriented downward. By clicking the mouse pointer on this arrow, one is able to "scroll down" the document
The moveable square located between the two scroll arrows indicate the current position on the document. You can quickly scroll up and down by "clicking and dragging" it up and down. This is accomplished by placing the mouse pointer on the block and holding down the mouse button while moving it up and down.

At this time, experiment with the scroll bar by clicking various regions of it.

See what happens when you hold down the mouse button on the up-arrow

What happens when you do the same with the down-arrow?

Practice "clicking and dragging" the position indicator to various positions on the scroll-bar.

Try clicking on a random spot in the scroll-bar. This is also an effective way to quickly scroll up and down.

These principles can also be applied to the left/right scroll-bar that is sometimes activated at the bottom of the navigation window.

NOTE: In addition to the scroll bar, you can use the keyboard's arrow keys to move within a webpage.

Using links

Links guide us through the world wide web, and are used in web pages to give the consumer control over where to navigate. When we click on a link we tell the world wide web to take us to a new place. Often, these places are other homepages, or URL's. Additionally, links bring us to documents, pictures, or just about anything else. A link informs the computer to do an action. This action is specified by the web page's creator.

Links are often easily identified in a number of ways:

Links are always underlined when embedded in text. For example, this is a link. Click it now!

You can now pat yourself on the back for returning to this point.

Links can also be embedded in an image.

This animated image contains a link. Place the mouse arrow over it, and see what happens...

You should have noticed that the mouse pointer changed into a FINGER. If you didn't notice, keep placing the mouse pointer over it until you do.

Links are always identified by the mouse pointer changing into a FINGER.

Sometimes, links are hidden in an "image map" or just plain aren't recognized easily. In the US Flag above, there is a border around the image telling us it is a link. This isn't always so obvious, and many web-authors try and "hide" image links, because it looks nicer. There may also be more than one link in an image. This is the case in an "image map" where various parameters of an image contain distinctive links.

Using the method described above, find the link in the following images, and click on it (hint: remember that the mouse pointer changes to a finger when there is a link!)

Congratulations if you found the correct flag. If you haven't, then go back and review this section until you understand how to find links.

Using the Navigator's menu buttons

Netscape has it's own navigation buttons to assist you, and are located on the top of Netscape's window. Each one will be discussed individually.

Back

Use the BACK button anytime to move back to the previous page you were at. This button can be used repeatedly to move back through the history of pages you've seen during a particular session. You will use this button often!
Forward

This button does the exact opposite as the Back button. Use the FORWARD button to move forward to previously viewed pages after you use the BACK button.

Exercise: Using the Navigator's menu bar, press the BACK button, and return to this area with the FORWARD button and scroll down.

The following are less frequently used buttons:

Reload

The RELOAD button is used to reload a page that didn't load well, or to see new changes on a page that has been altered previously by the editor. This button isn't used for basic browsing.
Print

The PRINT button will prompt you to print the contents of an entire page to the printer. Be careful using this feature, as it will automatically print all of the page regardless of how long it is. Often, homepages can be many paper pages in length!!
Stop

The STOP button is used often to stop the loading of a webpage. Use this if you want to ever interrupt the loading of a long page. You will then be able to view most of the text, but not the complete images.

The rest of the buttons are infrequently used and are up to the user's discretion. Feel free to practice with them to see what they do. However, they are not a part of this tutorial.

Using Bookmarks

Bookmarks are exactly what they sound like. Much like a bookmark in your favorite novel, a bookmark is a stored page from the Internet that you would like to visit again in the future. You can store as many bookmarks as you want onto your hardrive. This is the place to put your favorite sites and most frequently used web addresses

Simply go to the top, and click on Bookmarks. A menu will pull down and display the bookmarks currently stored in your computer. To go to a bookmarked site, simply find the desired one, highlight it, and click it with your mouse. That page will then automatically be located.

To add new bookmarks, simply go to new page that you would like to make a bookmark. Then pull down the Bookmarks menu again, and click on "Add Bookmark". That's all there is to it. Now you can visit that site without having to memorize or write down the long URL (web adress).

Glossary of Terms

Bookmark: A bookmark is a stored web address that you can visit often by storing the address in your bookmark list.

Clicking and Dragging: To click and drag is to hold your mouse pointer over an object, and move it around by holding down the mouse button at the same time.

Homepage: A homepage is where information is stored for all to see. For example, the text you are reading now is located on the Older Adult Mentor Network homepage.

HTML: This stands for "hypertext markup language". In order to read webpage information on all computers, it must be written in HTML format or code.

HTTP: "hypertext transfer protocol". This designates webpage information, and is contained in the beginning of ALL webpage addresses.

Image map: An image map is an image, or picture, that contains a number of links. The links are contained in the "map", and by clicking various regions of the image, you can explore different links.

Link: Links guide us through the world wide web, and are used in webpages to give the consumer control over where to navigate. When we click on a link we tell the world wide web to take us to a new place. Links in text are always underlined.

Mouse: The computer's mouse enables one to explore and manipulate what you see on the computer's screen. When you move it around, a mouse pointer mimics your movements on screen.

Navigator: This term refers to Netscape's program which enables you to "surf" or "navigate" through all of the World Wide Web.

Netscape: Netscape is the name of the program that this tutorial trains you to use in order to "surf the web"

Single-click: This refers to simply clicking once on the mouse button to tell the computer to perform an action based on where the mouse pointer is currently located.

URL: A URL is another name for a webpage. It stands for Uniform Resource Locator.

Webpage: This term is the same as a homepage and is where web information is stored and viewed.

World Wide Web (WWW): This is where all the webpages in the world are stored. When you request to look at a webpage, it will get it from the WWW. To do this is also referred to as "surfing the web".

Closing Remarks

Well, that should give you enough information to get you started. Keep in mind that only practice can make you a proficient "surfer" of the Internet. These tips are only offered to get you started in the right direction. Only through repeated practice and manipulation can you truly begin to understand how to use this wonderful tool.

Any questions or comments, please notify the webmaster