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A browser allows you to store names and locations of interesting sites in bookmark collections. Each bookmark marks a location of interest and allows you to return quickly to the location you marked.
To save a bookmark with the Netscape browser, load the page for which you want to add the bookmark. Then select Add Bookmark from the BOOKMARKS menu (See Menu Bar). This adds the title of the page
where you are currently located as a menu item in the BOOKMARKS
menu. (Note: In Netscape 4, if you wish to save the bookmark in an existing
folder, select
File Bookmark instead of Add Bookmark. This will allow you to
specify a location in which to save the bookmark.) To return to a bookmarked
page, simply open the BOOKMARKS menu and click on the
page title.
The Internet Explorer browser calls bookmarks FAVORITES. To save a bookmark with the Internet Explorer browser, load the page for which you want to add the bookmark.
Then select
Add to Favorites from the FAVORITES menu (See
Menu Bar). An ADD TO FAVORITES
dialog box appears. Click the
Create in>> command button
to specify a folder in which to save the bookmark. Click the OK
command button to add the title of
the page where you are currently located as a menu item in the FAVORITES
menu. To return to a bookmarked page, simply open the FAVORITES
menu and click on the page title
In CAIRS, static pages can be bookmarked (e.g., CAIRS HOME,
CAIRS DATABASE MODULES, CAIRS LOGS,
CAIRS BASIC REPORTS, CAIRS STANDARD REPORTS,
and CAIRS SEARCH AND DISTRIBUTION pages). However,
dynamically created search and reports pages cannot be recovered with the
bookmark feature of the browser. A search query can be saved to recover this
type of information.
Browsers (or Web browsers) are software programs (e.g., Netscape or
Internet Explorer) that allow you to retrieve documents on the
World Wide Web and follow
hyperlinks (or links) from document to
document. Access to CAIRS is provided by a browser.
These helps are based on Netscape Navigator 3, Netscape Communicator 4, and
Internet Explorer 3. Other browser types or versions will operate in a similar
manner, but may vary in the way that specific functions are performed
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Browser Help
Check boxes allow you to specify more than one option. Options are selected
(or deselected) by clicking with the left mouse button on the check box.
Selected options appear with a check mark inside the box. In CAIRS, check boxes
are used to specify criteria for search and report options.
The Internet uses something called
client/server technology. A client computer requests information from another
computer and a server provides information to another computer. In some cases,
a computer can be both a client and a server.
A command button initiates the process associated with selections that are
made on each search or report screen. For example, the command button below (COUNT
RECORDS) will initiate the process to count the number of records
specified by user-defined criteria.
A piece of "selected" (See Select)
data can be copied into a temporary location (Clipboard) by selecting Copy
from the EDIT menu on the
browser Menu Bar or doing a [CTRL]+C.
A piece of "selected" (See Select)
data can be removed from local files only and
copied into a temporary location (Clipboard) by selecting Cut from the
EDIT menu on the
browser Menu Bar or doing a [CTRL]+X.
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Browser Help
Download refers to transferring files to your machine from a
remote system. Some modern browsers come
pre-configured to handle files for applications found on your computer
in a particular manner. For example, Netscape is pre-configured to view ASCII
text files. The file can be viewed and then saved
to disk if desired. However, you can change the configuration to directly
download ASCII text files without viewing.
To change Netscape Navigator to directly download ASCII text files:
- Highlight General Preferences and click
- Select text/plain from the HELPERS
selection box
- Click on OK command button.
To change Netscape Communicator to directly download ASCII text files:
- Highlight Preferences and click
- Click on the Applications selection in the CATEGORY
section of the PREFERENCES box
- Click on Edit command button
at the right of the DESCRIPTION selection box
- Click on OK command button on the EDIT TYPE
box
- Click on OK command button on the PREFERENCES
box.
Now when you select a link that points to a file whose extension is txt (or
other specified extension), the browser should ask you where you want to save
the file. Similar steps can be repeated for additional application files
(e.g., graphical images or WordPerfect files).
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An edit (or text box) lets you type in a selection. Click inside the box
with the left mouse button and enter the text. If the text in the box is
selected (see Select), anything typed
replaces the selected text. You may also delete the highlighted text by
pressing the delete or backspace key.
In CAIRS, edit boxes are used to enter narrative searches, name a search
query, name reports, and specify boolean logic. Note that 255 characters is the
string limit for any edit box within CAIRS. 
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Browser Help
The term "Home Page" is used in two different ways:
- The point of entry for a Web site.
- The page you load when you start your
browser
Under the first definition, the first page you see when you enter CAIRS is
the home page for the accident report database.
Under the second definition, your home page may be the Netscape or Internet
Explorer Home Page (the default home page when the browser software was loaded),
the ES&H TIS (Technical Information Services) Home Page (the default home
page when TIS software was loaded), or another page of your choice.
You can change the default home page in Netscape Navigator by following
these steps:
- Highlight General Preferences and click
- Click on the Appearance tab
- Position the cursor in the home page location
edit box
You can change the default home page in Netscape Communicator by following
these steps:
- Highlight Preferences and click
- Position the cursor in the home page location
edit box
- Type the desired URL. Alternately, if your browser is
currently displaying the desired home page, you can click on the Use Current
Page command button to insert the
URL in the edit box.
At startup, Netscape will load the specified home page.
You can change the default home page in Internet Explorer by following these
steps:
- Highlight Internet Options and click
- Click on the General tag on the INTERNET OPTIONS
box
- Position the cursor in the ADDRESS:
edit box
- Type the desired URL. Alternately, if your
browser is currently displaying the desired home page, you can click on the Use
Current command button to insert
the URL in the edit box.
At startup, Internet Explorer will load the specified home page.
HTML is the acronym for HyperText Markup Language and is the formatting
language used by World Wide Web
servers. HTML allows for the creation of hypertext
links between related documents.
Pages in CAIRS are created using HTML.
HTTP is the acronym for HyperText Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the principal
protocol used to transfer data on the World
Wide Web.
A hyperlink (or link) is a pointer to a file that exists in another place.
It is usually a connection between two documents and is usually represented on a
Web page by an underlined word or phrase. A
link may take you to another page, retrieve a text file, retrieve and display a
graphical image, retrieve and play a sound file, or retrieve and play a video
clip.
Hyperlinks are found throughout CAIRS.
Hypermedia is hypertext combined with
graphics, sound, and video.
Hypertext is a method of writing and displaying text that enables the text
to be linked in multiple ways and contains links to related documents.
Hypertext allows you to skip from one point to another and navigate through text
rather than read text in the traditional linear fashion. Hypertext technology
is a powerful tool for database application (e.g., CAIRS) because it replaces
the traditional tree structure that requires drill-down and drill-up within the
database.
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Browser Help
The Internet (often referred to as the Information Superhighway) is
many computer networks all hooked together. Millions of computers around the
world are connected to those networks and, if you have access to one of those
networks, you have access to all others.
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Your local machine is the one on your desk. Your local drive is the one on
your machine. (Local is the opposite of remote.)
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Browser Help
The menu bar provides various browser options. Options common to both
Netscape and Internet Explorer are described below.
 This menu contains options that
allow you to cut or
copy text to the "clipboard" and
paste it into a new browser location or a
different software application, and specify a word or phrase to locate within
the current browser page. Note that browser options (preferences) are set for
Netscape Communicator from this menu.
 This menu contains options that
allow you to reload a fresh copy of the current browser
page
. You can also view the source (HTML) of
the page. Note that browser options (Internet options) are set for Internet
Explorer from this menu.
 This menu contains options that
allow you to bring back the previous page
, go forward to the next page, load the
home page, and view the history of
the recent pages you have visited since entering the browser. Note that
hyperlinks to Internet search engines, and
other Internet resources are found on this menu for Internet Explorer, whereas
Netscape Navigator provides a DIRECTORY selection on the
NETSCAPE MENU BAR and Internet Communicator provides a
SEARCH button on the tool bar for these features. Note
also that this menu allows access to e-mail and newsgroups for Internet
Explorer, whereas Netscape Navigator provides a WINDOW
selection on the NETSCAPE MENU BAR and Internet
Communcator provides a COMMUNICATOR selection on the
NETSCAPE MENU BAR for access to these features.
 or
 This menu provides fast and
easy access to your favorite pages. As you add a page to a
bookmark list, the title of the page (or
any other name you wish to supply as a bookmark title) is appended as a menu
item. Selecting the title brings the page to your screen. Note that, for
Netscape Communicator, the BOOKMARKS menu is located on
the LOCATION BAR rather than the main MENU
BAR.
 From this menu, browser options are set for
Netscape Navigator.
 This menu provides browser
help. You can get information about the browser (e.g., version, copyright, and
license information) and registration information. Also available are a
tutorial and on-line help.
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Browser Help
A new window can be opened within a browser by following these steps:
- Click on a hyperlink with the
secondary (usually the right) mouse button.
- Select Open in New Window from the menu.
- The new browser window opens and displays the information pointed to by the
hyperlink.
- After viewing the information, close the window to maximize the use of
computer resources.
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Browser Help
A page (or Web page) is a document on the
World Wide Web. Every page is
identified by a unique URL. (Do not confuse
page with screen. What you see on the computer screen may be
just one small part of a lengthy page.)
Note that dynamic pages are generated following user selections (i.e., pages
that follow any page where selections are made are generated based on the
selections that were made on the previous page(s)) whereas static pages are
fixed. Many of the pages in CAIRS are dynamically created.
Data can be pasted from a temporary location (Clipboard) to a new location
by selecting Paste from the EDIT menu on the
MENU BAR or by doing
a [CTRL]+V.
The Print option allows you to print the document displayed on the
current page. To print a page:
- You are presented with a PRINT dialog box, shown
below
The entire page should be output to your printer.
In the GUI, if you generate a report and try to print before the report has
finished loading, you will get a "Data Missing" error message. The
problem will be resolved when the document is fully loaded (watch your browser's
status line); it will then print
properly.
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Browser Help
Radio buttons are groups of buttons that allow only one to be selected at a
time. When you select (click) one button, all the others are automatically
deselected. The selected option appears with a dot in the middle of the radio
button.
Resources that are not connected to your workstation are remote. Resources
at your workstation are considered local.
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Browser Help
The save as option allows you to save the document displayed on the current
page to disk. Note that in CAIRS, images are NOT saved as an image but
are marked in the text of the file as [Image]. To use the save as
option in Netscape or Internet Explorer:
- Highlight Save As (or Save as File) and click
- You are presented with the SAVE AS dialog box,
shown below
- Type the file name in the FILE NAME
edit box. Put a .txt extension on the file
name. If it is saved as a .asp file, the programming code will be saved instead
of a text file.
An example of a CAIRS table saved with the Netscape browser and saved in
text format is shown below. NOTE that Internet Explorer does not save
formatted text files (i.e., text will run together).
Selecting is choosing an object, such as text, so that you can manipulate it
in some way (e.g., cut, copy, or paste). To select a block of text, position
the mouse pointer at an end-point of the block, hold down the left mouse button,
and then drag the pointer over the block (the block will be highlighted).
A selection box (or list box) displays a list of items from which you can
choose. The vertical scroll bar (along the right hand side of the selection
box) is used to display additional choices. If the selection list is quite
lengthy and you are using a PC, you can click inside the selection box then type
the first letter/number of the selection. This will take you to the first entry
in the selection list with that letter/number.
Where multiple selections are permitted, a range of choices can be selected
by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse over the range of
selections, or by selecting the choice at one end of the range and then doing a
[SHIFT] click at the choice at the other end of the range. Multiple,
nonsequential selections can be made (or removed) by doing a [CTRL]
click on the desired choices. A selected item can be deselected by doing a
[CTRL] click.
In CAIRS, selection boxes are used to refine searches and select report
options.
The status line displays browser status messages. The line is located at
the bottom of the window. Messages include:
- LOOKING UP HOST: The browser translates the name of the computer in the
URL to the address of the
server.
- CONTACTING HOST: The browser has sent a request to the server (host
computer) but hasn't heard anything back yet.
- HOST CONTACTED. WAITING FOR REPLY: This message means that the server has
accepted the message and is thinking about it.
- TRANSFERRING DATA: You are receiving information from the server.
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The tool bar provides various shortcuts to menu options. Buttons common to
both Netscape and Internet Explorer are described below.
 Goes back to the previous
page in the history list. A history list is a
reference to a hierarchy of pages you have viewed.
 Goes forward to the next
page in the history list. If you have used the BACK BUTTON
or a history menu item to load page B, then the FORWARD BUTTON
loads the page ahead of B in the history list. The FORWARD BUTTON
is only offered after using the BACK BUTTON, or a
history item.
 Goes to the
home page designated in the GENERAL
PREFERENCES under the OPTIONS menu in
Netscape Navigator, in the PREFERENCES under the
EDIT menu in Netscape Communicators, and in
OPTIONS under the VIEW menu in
Internet Explorer.
 Gets a fresh copy of the
current page to replace the one originally loaded (This button is called REFRESH
in Internet Explorer.) Note that the reloaded page reflects any changes made to
the source page from the time of the original loading.
 Prints the content area (all
text) of the current page. A dialog box lets you select printing
characteristics.
 Halts any ongoing transfer of
page information.
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URL is the acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. It gives the exact
location (or address) of an Internet
resource. A URL tells a Web client
the following three things:
- The type of Internet access that your client uses to get the item. Some of
the most common access methods are listed in the table below.
| Access Method |
Description |
| ftp |
File Transfer Protocol |
| news |
Internet News Protocol |
| gopher |
Gopher |
| telnet |
Telnet |
| http |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol | Hypertext transfer protocol is
the access method used for CAIRS.
- The name of the computer.
- The request for the item you want (this part may be blank).
Note that the order of the three parts of each URL is always the same. 
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Browser Help
A viewer is a program that allows you to read a file in its native
format. For example, a WordPerfect viewer allows you to read WordPerfect
files.
Many browsers now come pre-configured to view files for applications
found on your computer. If you make changes to your applications or install new
software, you will need to update your preferences. To configure Netscape
Communicator to view Adobe Acrobat Reader files:
- Highlight Preferences and click
- Click on the Applications selection on the PREFERENCES
selection box
- Click on New Type command
button at the right of the PREFERENCES selection box
- Type Portable Document Format in the DESCRIPTION OF
TYPE edit box
- Type pdf in the FILE EXTENSION edit box
- Type application/pdf in the MIME TYPE
edit box
- Select the Browse command button to choose the executable file for
Adobe Acrobat Reader, or type the path and the executable file name in the
APPLICATION TO USE: edit box
- Click on OK command button on the NEW TYPE
dialog box.
- Click on OK command button on the PREFERENCES
dialog box.
Now when you select a link that points to a file whose suffix is pdf, the
browser should launch the application and allow you to view the file. Similar
steps can be repeated for additional application files (e.g., graphical images).
Note that viewer software (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) must be installed on your
system before you go through the steps to configure the browser to view using
that particular application.
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The World Wide Web (also known as WWW, W3, or
The Web) is one of the fastest-growing Internet server technologies. It
is a distributed multimedia network of documents, connected to each other
through hypertext links embedded in the
documents. It allows "pages" of
information to be presented. Pages of information contain links (or "hyperlinks") to other information.
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 CAIRS Help table of Contents |
 CAIRS Help Index |
This page was last updated on January 05, 2007
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