Copyright: Copyright© 1997-1998 DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC., a subsidiary of Quarterdeck Corporation.  All rights reserved.
Citation: Copyright© 1997-1998 DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC., a subsidiary of Quarterdeck Corporation.  All rights reserved.


Add to Favorites

This dialog allows you to specify the name for the shortcut to be added to the Web Browser Favorites menu and the Favorites folder.  Click on OK to use the default name supplied by the web page itself, or edit the name as desired and then click on OK.


Addresses on the Web

Each page on the Web has a specific addresses which are specified by a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL. Web page addresses, or URLs, are typically made up of two parts:

1.	The method or protocol used to access the server.

2.	The server’s address, and possibly a path to the file or document.

The first part, or the part before the colon, tells the Web Browser window how to communicate with the server. For Web addresses, it is usually http. The second part, everything following the colon, tells it how to get there. The // indicates that what follows is a machine name, and the string following specifies the machine’s name. If you do not include a path and document name in the Address, the server will send a default.html document if it exists, or it may display the file directory in a tree structure.


Connecting to Saved Web Page Addresses

  Related Topics

Soon you will find that you have quite a collection of Web sites that you enjoy visiting. You may connect to any of these Web sites easily by selecting them from the Rapid Connect -Web drop down list box, or by opening up the Connection Directory, selecting the desired entry, and then clicking the Connect button.


Elements of the Web Browser Window

  Related Topics

By now you're probably familiar with the Terminal window and its different elements. Like the Terminal window, the Web Browser window consists of three horizontal components:

•	The top segment, just like the Terminal window, contains the title bar and standard Windows control buttons and title bar, a menu bar, and the Action Bar. It’s Action Bar is, however, different from the Terminal window’s in two ways:

•	The Address field below the standard Action Bar.

This field contains the address of the currently displayed Web page. Additionally, you may drop down this list box for quick access to previously viewed pages.

•	The world logo in the upper right corner.

This animated graphic spins while the Web Browser window is processing data from the Internet.

The common uses of the title bar and menus were discussed in Common Window Elements, but the Web Browser window’s menus are covered in The Web Browser's Menus and Action Bar.

•	The middle section is the Web Browser’s display area. If the page you are currently viewing contains more data than is possible to display in the Web Browser window, a scrollbar appears on the right hand edge of the display area. See The Web Browser Display Area for more information.

•	The lower element of the Web Browser window, by default, consists of two rows of graphical display fields: the Quick Select Line, and the Status Line. See The Web Browser's Status Line Area for more information.


Error Messages from the Web Browser

  Related Topics

Due to the constantly changing nature of the Web, some Web pages may have invalid hyperlinks. Similarly, a Web page may contain invalid pointers to inline images. Whenever the Web Browser is unable to complete an action, it displays the Errors dialog.

The Web Browser displays an error if you click on a hyperlink that points to a non-existent file or Web server. Additionally, if a Web page contains an inline image that does not exist, or is not in the proper directory, Procomm Plus displays the error message sent from the Web server in this dialog.


Following Hyperlinks

Once you are viewing a Web page, you can usually follow hyperlinks to other pages. Most Web pages contain links to other pages about the same subject. You can follow hyperlinks and connect to various Web sites throughout the world.

Most Web page authors embed hyperlinks within their page’s text. For instance, if you’re reading a Web page about science fiction movies, you may see a sentence with the word NASA underlined and in a different color. The different color and the underlining indicates that it is a hyperlink. By clicking on it, the hyperlink's target is revealed.


Organize Favorites

This dialog allows you to organize your favorite web site shortcuts any way you wish. Organizing sites makes it easier for you to locate a favorite page or a specific topical area within your Favorites list.

To create a new folder

Click the new folder icon at the top of the dialog. You will be prompted for a name for your new folder.

To open an existing folder

Double-click on the folder icon or highlight it and click on the Open button.

To move favorites into a folder

Click the shortcut in the list and drag it to the desired folder, or select multiple files and click on the Move button.

To rename a shortcut or a folder

Click on the shortcut or folder in the list and click on the Rename button.

When you've finished arranging your shortcuts, click on the Close button to return to the Browser window.


Printing from the Web Browser

  Related Topics

As we've seen, you can always print the currently displayed Web page from the Web Browser by pressing <Alt><N>, by selecting the File | Print... menu item or by clicking the Print Action Bar button. The Web Browser also allows you to specify a variety of options for the printed page. To do so, select the File | Page Setup... menu item to display the Page Setup dialog:

Page Margins

Click in these edit fields to specify the Left, Right, Top and Bottom margins in inches. By default, the margins are set to 0.75 inches on all sides.

Page Header

You can specify the text printed on the Left and Right sides of the page header by clicking in the appropriate field. You can enter text directly, or use one of the print control sequences listed below. By default, the page's title will be printed on the Left side and a running page count on the Right.

Page Footer

You can specify the text printed on the Left and Right sides of the page footer by clicking in the appropriate field. You can enter text directly, or use one of the print control sequences listed below. By default, the current date in DD MMM YYYY will be printed on the Left side and the current time in 12-hour format will be printed on the Right.

Print Control Sequences

You can use the following print control sequences to specify the headers and footers generated by the Web Browser:

Sequence	Function
&d	The current date in MMM DD YYYY format.
&D	The current date in DD MMM YYYY format.
&p	The current page number.
&P	The total number of pages.
&t	The current time in 12-hour format.
&T	The current time in 24-hour format.
&u	The Universal Resource Locator, or URL, of the current page.
&w	The title of the current page.


Running the Web Browser

  Related Topics

As with Procomm Plus’s Terminal window, you can start the Web Browser in a number of ways. The three most common methods include:

•	By double clicking the Web Browser icon in the Procomm Plus group on from the Start menu.

•	By switching to it from within Procomm Plus.

While you are within Procomm Plus, you can open the Web Browser Window in one of two ways: by changing to the Web Browser window, or by opening the Web Browser window in a new window.

Each of the different modes of Procomm Plus has a Window menu in the menu bar. From the Window menu you can select either New Window or Change Window, and then select Web Browser from the pop-up menu.

•	By selecting a Web-class entry from the Connection Directory.

Procomm Plus automatically switches from its current mode of operation to the Web Browser window and opens the specified Web page.

If your home page is not a local file, or if you specified a Web page on the Internet, Procomm Plus checks to make sure that you are connected to the Internet. If you are not connected to the Internet, and not using an external network, Procomm Plus will attempt to access your Internet service provider.


Saving Information From the Web

  Related Topics

Saving the Contents of Web Pages

Saving Web Page Addresses

Connecting to Saved Web Page Addresses


Saving Web Page Addresses

  Related Topics

In addition to saving content from Web pages, you will most likely find several Web sites that you like to frequent on a regular basis. That’s what the Connection Directory and Rapid Connect list are for.

While viewing a Web page, there are three easy ways to create a Connection Directory entry:

•	From the Web menu, select Add Page to Connection Directory

•	Click on the Add Page To Connection Directory Action Bar button.

Once you have added pages to the Connection Directory, they are only a click or two away. Sometimes you may come across a Web page address while you are offline. Many companies are now including their Web addresses in their TV and magazine advertisements. In a situation like this, simply select File | Connection Directory... menu item and select the Web tab if it isn’t already selected. From this point, adding an entry is just as explained in Adding a Web-class Entry.


Saving the Contents of Web Pages

  Related Topics

If you come across a lengthy Web page, you may not want to read it while you are on-line. There are several ways to save the contents of a Web page. The most obvious is selecting File | Save As... from the Web Browser’s menu. This allows you to save the current page as a text file (.txt) or an HTML formatted file (.htm).

You can also select Edit | Page to to save the current HTML document to the Windows Clipboard, a disk file, the system printer, a fax or a MAPI mail client.

If the current Web page contains any inline graphics, they will only appear if you copy the page to the printer or a fax. Otherwise, only the text is saved.


Searching for Information

Sometimes you may need information about a specific subject or person. The World Wide Web contains libraries of information, but unless you can find it, it doesn’t do you any good. For that reason, we’ve included a Connection Directory with links to many of the popular search engines.


The History Window

  Related Topics

Whenever you select Web | History... from the menu, Procomm Plus displays a list of the Web sites you have visited. Whenever the Web Browser window displays a Web page, it adds the title of the Web page and its address to the History file.

You may configure the number of days that information is stored with the Number of days to keep pages in history field in the Navigation panel within the Options dialog. Select the Options | Browser Properties... menu item to display this dialog.


The Web Browser

  Related Topics

The Procomm Plus Web Browser allows you to view Web documents in their graphical format. The Web Browser provides complete support for all the features incorporated within Microsoft's Internet Explorer, including Java, ActiveX objects and much more. Whether you are using a direct connection, SLIP, or PPP, the Web Browser window’s intuitive graphical interface will have you "surfing the ‘net" in no time!

The World Wide Web

Running the Web Browser

Elements of the Web Browser Window

Using the Web Browser

The Web Browser's Menus and Action Bar


The Web Browser Display and the Mouse

  Related Topics

To make the Web Browser window even easier to use, we’ve incorporated mouse support throughout. Whether you’re hyperlinking to a new Web site or printing the Web site you’re currently viewing, the mouse support in the Web Browser window eases the task.

There are two ways to use the left mouse button in the Web Browser display area:

•	Clicking on hyperlinks.

•	Clicking and dragging over text and images to select them.

Contained within Web pages are hyperlinks. Many hyperlinks are incorporated into the text of the document. To differentiate hyperlinks from standard text, most Web page authors underline the text and give it a different color. Another important feature to note is that when the mouse is over a hyperlink the mouse pointer changes from an arrow to a hand with the index finger extended. Some web pages use graphics as hyperlinks; you will always be able to tell they are hyperlinks if the mouse pointer changes. Additionally, many of these graphic hyperlinks are outlined with a specific color.

The Web Browser also implements many features on the right mouse button pop-up menu. Click the right mouse button on a web page or a graphic contained in the web page to activate the pop-up menu.


The Web Browser display area.
The Web Browser Display Area

  Related Topics

The main portion of the window is the display area. This is where HTML documents are displayed. These documents may be files on your hard drive, or documents provided by a Web server like those described in The World Wide Web.

If you were already using Internet Explorer before installing Procomm Plus, the Web Browser displays the home page specified within Internet Explorer.  If you installed Internet Explorer with Procomm Plus, the Web Browser displays a local Quarterdeck HTML file.

The size of the display area depends on the size of the Web Browser window. You may change the size of the Web Browser window just like any other window. However, many people find that a tall, fairly narrow window works best for viewing HTML documents.

If you are viewing an HTML document and decide to resize your window, the Web Browser window automatically optimizes the text and graphics for display in the new window size.

If you have the Web Browser window maximized, you may be able to view an entire page. More commonly, on large Web pages, you will use the scrollbar to scroll through the page.

The Web Browser Display and the Mouse


The Web Browser's Menus and Action Bar

  Related Topics

Using the Web Browser's Menus and Action Bar

Action Bar Button	Menu | Item	Description
	No associated menu item.	The Rapid Connect drop down list box allows you to quickly call an entry, or a group of entries without opening the Connection Directory. By default, Web-class entries are shown in the list box, but you can toggle the displayed class by selecting the appropriate bracketed item from the list. For example, to view Voice-class entries and groups, you’d select the [Voice numbers] item.
	No associated menu item.	Using the Script File drop down list box, you can quickly select a compiled script to run. If the script you want is already shown in the list box window, you can click on the Start Script icon to execute it.
	File | Open Connection Directory...	Displays a standard File Open dialog, where you can select an existing Connection Directory file to be loaded for use. See The Connection Directory for more information.
	File |  Connection  Directory...	Opens the Connection Directory and displays the currently-loaded .dir file. See The Connection Directory for more information. <Alt><D> is the keyboard shortcut.
	File |  Open Local File...	Displays a standard File Open dialog where you can select an HTML document stored on your hard drive for viewing in the Web Browser window.
	File | Save As...	Displays a standard Save As dialog where you can select to save the current HTML document in either HTML format, .htm, or as a text file, .txt.
	File |  Page Setup	Displays a Page Setup dialog which allows you to modify how your printed pages appear; you can change what information goes in the header and footer as well as the size of your margins.
	File | Print	Prints the current page displayed in the Web Browser window. <Alt><N> is the keyboard shortcut.
	File | Exit	Closes all open data files, closes the Web Browser window and returns you to Windows.
	Edit | Cut	Allows you to cut information out of the Address field into the Windows Clipboard. This option is only available if you have highlighted text in the Address field.
	Edit | Copy	Allows you to copy highlighted text from either the Address field or the current page into the Windows Clipboard.
	Edit | Paste	Inserts text from the Windows Clipboard into the Address field.
	Edit | Find...	Opens the Find dialog, where you can specify text and options to be used to search for text in the Web Browser display.
	Edit | Page to	Allows you to select a destination to which the text of the currently open Web page will be sent. see Saving the Contents of Web Pages.
	View |  Action Bars...	Opens the Load Action Bars dialog, where you can specify the Action Bar files you want to use. See Selecting Action Bars.
	View | Large  Action Bars	Toggles the Action Bar display between small and large icon buttons.
	View | ToolTips	Toggles the display of the Action Bar ToolTip labels. If this menu item is checked or enabled, the Web Browser window will also display brief help information on the Status Line when the mouse cursor is left motionless over an Action Bar button for one second. The ToolTips setting is automatically saved for future sessions.
	View |  Status Line	Toggles the display of the Web Browser Status Line. See The Web Browser's Status Line. The Status Line setting is automatically saved for future sessions.
	View |  Quick Select Line	Toggles the display of the Quick Select Line. See The Web Browser's Quick Select Line. The Quick Select Line setting is automatically saved for future sessions.
	View |  Full Screen	Displays the current Web page in full screen mode. To restore the display to its normal size, press <Ctrl><Shift><F>. While in Full Screen mode, you can use the Alt-cursor keys to navigate forward or backward through viewed web pages.
	View |  Font Size	Allows you to select the default font size for use with the <Body> HTML tag within the Web Browser. The default selection is Medium.
	Options |  System Options...	Opens the System Options panel within Setup. For more information, see System Options.
	Options |  Internet Connection...	Opens the Internet Connection panel within Setup. For more information, see Internet Connection Options.
	Options |  Web Options...	Opens the Web Options panel within Setup. For more information, see Web Options.
	Options |  Browser Properties...	Displays the Browser Properties dialog, allowing you to modify many settings specific to Browser mode.
	Web |  Add Page to Connection Directory	Creates a Connection Directory entry for the Web page being currently displayed.
	Web |  Add/Edit Page to Connection Directory...	Opens an Add Location to Connection Directory dialog with the title and location of the currently displayed web page in the Name and Address fields.
	Web | Back	Opens the last viewed Web page in the Web Browser display area. You can continue using the Back feature until your home page is displayed.
	Web | Forward	If you have used the Back feature, the Forward feature will allow you to display the pages you had viewed.
	Web | Stop	Stops the Web Browser from attempting to gather additional information about the Web page currently being loaded.
	Web | Reload	Connects to the Web server and gets the information for the currently displayed Web page, and loads it again.
	Web | Home	Displays the Web page specified in the Default startup home page field of the Setup, Internet, Web Options dialog. Clicking on the animated graphic in the top right corner also takes you to your home page.
	Web | History...	Open a History dialog which displays the titles of the Web pages you have visited during the timeframe specified in the Delete History contents over [ ] days old field of the Internet, Web Options panel in Setup. See The History Window for more information.
	Web |  Search the Internet	Displays a Web page where you can search the Internet for a particular topic.
	Web |  Display Source	Opens the ASPECT Editor and displays the current .html document in its text format.
	Favorites |  Add to Favorites...	Adds the current URL to your Web Favorites list.
	Favorites |  Organize Favorites...	Opens a dialog where you can rename, delete or open entries in your Web Favorites list.  You can also create folders which can hold groups of entries.
	Favorites | ...	The bottom of the Favorites menu lists your first nine favorites.
	Tools |  Remote Control	Displays the Procomm Remote dialog, where you can place a call, prepare for a call or configure Remote.
	Tools | Send a Fax...	Launches the Send a Fax wizard, allowing you to send a fax document.  If wizards have been disabled, the Send a Fax dialog appears instead.
	Tools |  Fax Tools |  Fax Manager	Opens the Fax Manager, which you can use to organize faxes you've received or sent, as well as your cover sheets. See The Fax Manager for more information.
	Tools |  Fax Tools |  Fax Viewer	Opens the Fax Viewer, which you can use to view, annotate and print faxes you’ve received or sent. See The Fax Viewer.
	Tools | Fax Tools |  Fax Status	Opens the Fax Status utility, where you can monitor the status of your fax connection(s) and watch the progress of on-going fax activity. See The Fax Status Utility.
	Tools |  Fax Tools |  Fax Cover  Sheet Editor	Opens the Cover Sheet Editor, where you can create your own cover sheets, or modify those included with Procomm Plus. For more information, see The Cover Sheet Editor.
	Tools |  Scripts |  Start Script	Executes the ASPECT script displayed in the Action Bar’s Script File list box. If a script is already running, you can click on this icon to stop it. The icon is animated whenever a script is running. <Alt>-<.> is the keyboard equivalent.
	Tools |  Scripts |  Run...	Opens the Run ASPECT File dialog, from which you can execute compiled scripts. <Alt><F5> is the keyboard equivalent.
	Tools |  Scripts |  Compile/Edit...	Opens the Compile/Edit ASPECT File dialog, from which you can create, edit, compile and execute scripts. <Alt><F3> is the keyboard equivalent.
	Tools |  Scripts |  ASPECT Editor	Opens the ASPECT Editor, which you can use to create, view or modify text files as well as ASPECT source files. See The ASPECT Editor for more information.
	Tools |  Scripts |  Dialog Editor	Opens the Dialog Editor, which you can use to create or modify custom dialog boxes for your ASPECT scripts. See The Dialog Editor for more information.
	Tools |  Scripts |  User Window Editor	Opens the User Window Editor, which you can use to create or modify custom screens for your ASPECT scripts. See The User Window Editor for more information.
	Tools | Image Viewer	Opens the Image Viewer, where you can select and view many different types of image files. See The Image Viewer.
	Tools | Scheduler	Opens the Scheduler, where you can set Procomm Plus to perform functions automatically at a predetermined time. For more information, see The Scheduler.
	Tools |  Action Bar Editor	Opens the Action Bar Editor, where you can design your own Action Bars for use in the Web Browser window. See The Action Bar Editor.
	Tools |  QWK Mail Viewer	Opens the QWK Mail Viewer, where you can view and reply to messages you’ve retrieved from a BBS. For a detailed discussion, see The QWK Mail Viewer.
	Tools | Caller ID Directory Editor	Opens the Caller ID Directory Editor, where you can add, modify or delete Caller IDs from the current database. See The Caller ID Directory Editor.
	Window |  Change Window	Allows you to change the current window to one of the other modes of operation including the Data Terminal, the Telnet window, the FTP Client, the Internet Mail Client or the News Reader.
	Window |  New Window	Allows you to open a new window in one of the other modes of operation including the Data Terminal, Fax Status, the Telnet window, the FTP Client, the Web Browser, the Internet Mail Client, or the News Reader.
	Window |  1,2,3...	If you have one or more Procomm Plus communications windows open, they will be listed at the bottom of the Window menu. To make one of them the active window, select it from the menu.
	Help |  Wizards...	Displays the Procomm Plus Wizard Manager dialog.
	Help |  Help Topics	Opens on-line help.
	Help |  Script Reference	Opens ASPECT on-line help.
	Help | About Procomm Plus...	Opens a dialog with information about Procomm Plus.


The Web Browser's Quick Select Line

  Related Topics

The Quick Select Line is a multi-purpose feature of the Web Browser window. It acts as a status line, reporting the current value of several important Procomm Plus settings, and also allows you to change settings with a click of the mouse!

As you move the mouse pointer over a field, Procomm Plus changes the cursor to a pointing hand to indicate that the field is selectable. When you click on the field, a pop-up list is displayed showing the available choices.

The Quick Select Line displays two types of fields:

The current Web Options Setup fields

The first two settings allow you to change the Font Size and Font Family fields defined in the Internet, Web Options panel of Setup. Simply select the desired option, and the Web Browser window loads it automatically.

This is extremely useful when you come across custom Web pages which use an off colored font, or a small font size.

The custom fields of your choice

The remainder of the Quick Select Line consists of configurable fields. Depending on the width of the Web Browser window, you may have one to three of these fields. By default, these three custom fields display the following information:

•	A real-time clock.

•	A real-time simulation of the indicator lights on an external modem.

•	A progress graph that displays the progress of the current task, such as downloading an .html file or decompressing an image.

You may, however, select from the same choices that are available in the Terminal window. If you would like to review those descriptions, see The Quick Select Line.

If the Quick Select Line doesn't appear in your Web Browser window, it’s been turned off. To enable it, select the View | Quick Select Line menu item.


The Web Browser's Status Line

  Related Topics

The last graphical line of the Web Browser window is the Status Line. Procomm Plus uses this area to display messages and program information, including the status of the Web Browser.

If you're currently connected to another computer over the Internet, the Status Line will display the elapsed time for the connection, and the word "Connected" in the right corner.

If the Status Line doesn't appear in your Web Browser window, it’s been turned off. To enable it, select the View | Status Line menu item.


The Web Browser's Status Line Area

The Status Line area consists of two important features:

The Web Browser's Quick Select Line

The Web Browser's Status Line


The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web, more commonly referred to as The Web, is the fastest growing interface of the Internet. The Web consists of documents on servers that are available for viewing. The documents that web browsers display, called Web pages, are hypertext documents formatted in HTML, the HyperText Markup Language. Files created using HTML are generally saved with a .htm or .html extension.

Web Pages

Addresses on the Web


Using the Web Browser

  Related Topics

Following Hyperlinks

Searching for Information

Saving Information From the Web

Error Messages from the Web Browser

The History Window

Printing from the Web Browser


Using the Web Browser's Menus and Action Bar

You can access a pull-down menu within Procomm Plus in one of two ways: by clicking on the menu with your mouse, or by pressing the correct <Alt>-key sequence. A menu remains down until you select a command by clicking on it or pressing the underlined letter in the command. To close the menu without making a selection, click on any area of the screen outside the menu or press <Esc>.

Menu items are automatically disabled or "grayed" if they can’t be used. For example, the Stop button on the Action Bar is grayed once you’ve loaded a Web page; since the page is loaded, there’s nothing to stop.

The number of buttons displayed on the Action Bar is automatically adjusted by the Web Browser window to match both your current Windows screen resolution and the current size of the window. However, you can always use the scroll arrows to display more buttons, and each command is also available from the menu system.


Web Pages

One of the biggest advantages Web pages offer is the use of hyperlinks. A hyperlink allows a direct link to other Web pages or files, or even to specific sections of the currently displayed page. A hyperlink consists of two parts: the anchor and it’s pointer. The anchor is the text or image that is displayed when you view a Web page. The pointer is part of the HTML formatting and it provides the address and path of the destination page or file. Combined, they form a hyperlink.

Hyperlinks are typically highlighted or graphically empahsized to help you distinguish them from standard text within a Web page. Procomm Plus emphasizes hyperlinks with underlining and color.

In addition to hyperlinks, HTML files may contain text in a variety of fonts and sizes or even contain embedded graphics.