General Help for Accessing Files on the CFSAN Web Site
PDF Files and Adobe (Acrobat) Reader
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Portable Document Format (pdf) files can be seen on the screen (and printed)
in the exact format created by the document developer. Adobe (Acrobat) Reader,
free software available for Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX systems, is required to
read pdf files. If you have not already installed the Adobe (Acrobat) Reader software,
you will need to
download
the most current version appropriate for your computer system from the Adobe website.
The Adobe (Acrobat) Reader is freely available to the public and may be redistributed.
On most browsers, the Adobe (Acrobat) Reader can be configured as a Plug-in or Helper
Application that will directly open pdf files for viewing and/or printing.
However, often the most convenient way to use large pdf files is to download them
to your hard disk and open them separately with the Adobe (Acrobat) Reader.
To download PDF files:
- Netscape/Windows: hold down the SHIFT key when you click on the link
- Internet Explorer/Windows: RIGHT CLICK on the link and choose "Save target as..."
- Netscape/Macintosh: hold down the OPTION key when you click on the link
- For other Browser/Operating System combinations, see the
browser instructions or help files.
The pdf files should be downloaded if your browser does not support Adobe (Acrobat) Reader as
a plug-in or helper file, or if an error message (see
below)
is encountered when using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or 5 and Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 4.
For additional information on downloading, installing, and configuring
Adobe (Acrobat) Reader, see
Problems Loading PDF Files
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If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or 5 with the Adobe (Acrobat) Reader
4 plug-in, you may not be able to open some pdf files. You will get an empty browser
screen, and the message "An error has occurred while trying to use this document"
in the message area at the bottom of the browser. This incompatibility should be
eliminated in the future; in the meantime, Microsoft suggests that the pdf file be
downloaded and opened separately in the browser (
see above).
The pdf files also may not load properly if a partial download or corrupted copy of the
pdf file has been left in cache area of your hard drive from a prior failed access.
If you have interrupted a page while loading it into your web browser one
time, you may have trouble retrieving the full page on future tries to
load it. In this case, you should
clear your browser cache.
For example:
- In Netscape, from the menu bar at the top of the browser:
- choose Edit;
- choose Preferences;
- under Advanced, choose Cache;
- click Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache.
- Close your browser and then reopen it, before trying to reload the page.
- In Internet Explorer (IE), from the menu bar at the top of the browser:
- choose View (or, in IE 5, choose Tools);
- choose Internet Options;
- under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete;
- under History, click Clear History.
- Close your browser and then reopen it, before trying to reload the page.
Accessing PDF Files as Text/HTML
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Adobe Systems, Inc. provides free on-line conversion services through
access.adobe.com to convert
PDF files to web pages (HTML documents). These can be used in one of
two ways:
- Web-based forms submission tool
If the Adobe PDF file is on the Internet, users type the URL into an electronic form and select the "Get This PDF Document as HTML" button. The document will be converted on the fly to HTML and will be returned immediately to the Web browser.
How to convert PDF files using Web-based forms.
- E-mail submission tool
If the Adobe PDF is on the Internet, users can submit the URL of a PDF file via e-mail to convert it to HTML or ASCII text. PDF files that are on a local hard disk, local CD-ROM, or local area network, can also be converted by attaching the PDF file to an e-mail message. The converted results are returned in the body of a new mail message in a matter of minutes.
How to convert the PDF using e-mail.
Compressed ZIP and EXE Files
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For the Windows operating system, files that are compressed (.zip) or
Self-extracting compressed (.exe) files will need to be downloaded and
expanded before use.
NOTE:
Browsers may be configured so that clicking on .zip or .exe files will
automatically expand the files by opening an existing utility (.zip) or
using a utility included with the file (.exe); however it is generally
safer to download the file and expand it outside of the browser as
described below.
NOTE for Internet Explorer users: Windows XP Service Pack
2 introduced additional security settings to protect you from malicious content. By default,
IE will block downloads of EXE files, and display the following message in a yellow
"information bar" at the top of your window:
To help protect your security, Internet Explorer blocked this site
from downloading files to your computer. Click here for options...
To enable file downloads:
- From the "Tools" menu, choose "Internet Options"
- Select the "Security" tab
- Select the Internet zone
- Select the "Custom level..." button
- Under "Downloads", set "Automatic prompting for file downloads" to "Enable"
- Accept all changes
When your download is complete, you may repeat the above steps to set your browser back to
"Disable," if desired.
For pages on the CFSAN web site, the sizes for both the compressed and
expanded files are provided on the linking page. Once downloaded,
the self-extracting .exe files do not require a separate utility program
and may be extracted by double-clicking on the file name in Windows
Explorer, or entering the file name in the Windows Run application
(on the Windows Start Menu) and clicking OK. The self-extracting files
created with utilities such as the DOS version of PKZip (see below) run
in a separate DOS window (which may be closed when the process is
complete). The expanded file will be in the same folder as the .exe file.
The .exe files from other applications such as WinZip (see below) open a
self-extractor window that prompts the user to select a download
location for the expanded file. The .zip files require a utility
program (see below) to extract the files. Consult the instructions for
the utility you use.
For the Macintosh operating system, utilities such as Stuff-it Expander
(see below) will open both the .zip and .exe files. To use the resulting
files, they must be compatible with Macintosh software applications.
- Download an evaluation copy of WinZip
- Download PKZIP Software
containing pkzip and pkunzip utilities for DOS, Windows, or Unix (shareware from PKWARE, Inc.)
- Download JustZIPit
- A simple, powerful and free ZIP/UNZIP tool
- Download Stuffit Expander
for Windows and Macintosh (free from SmithMicro; the complete
Stuffit product for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or Solaris may be purchased from SmithMicro,Inc.).
- Various zip/unzip utilities
available from CNET & Download.com (most of these have not been evaluated by CFSAN)
Configuing Browser Text Size and Readability
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- The text size for HTML-coded pages on the CFSAN web site may be changed
for each session. This is usually done from VIEW on the toolbar at the
top of the browser window. Some examples follow.
Browser | Version | Change Text Size Instructions | Shortcut |
Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows) | v. 6.x | From the toolbar: VIEW/TEXT SIZE | |
Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows) | v. 5.x | From the toolbar: VIEW/TEXT SIZE | |
Netscape (Windows) | v. 7.x | From the toolbar: VIEW/TEXT ZOOM | Zoom: Ctrl Z Smaller: Ctrl - Larger: Ctrl + |
Netscape (Windows) | v. 4.7x | From the toolbar: VIEW/INCREASE or DECREASE | Decrease: Ctrl [ Increase: Ctrl ] |
|
Microsoft Internet Explorer (Macintosh) | v. 5.x | From the toolbar: VIEW/ZOOM FONT | Decrease: Apple - Increase: Apple + |
Netscape (Macintosh) | v. 4.7x | From the toolbar: VIEW/INCREASE or DECREASE | Decrease: Shift Apple [ Increase: Shift Apple ] |
In addition, some browsers allow the default font size to be specified
in the using the browser options or preferences. Consult the help files or manual for the browser you are using. |
- Users of Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP will be able to set their monitors to use large fonts and a high contrast display.
The shortcut ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN toggles between normal and high contrast.
If the shortcut sequence is not active, or if the user wants to select different high contrast display options,
use the following procedure beginning from the START command on the Desktop:
- START/SETTINGS/CONTROL PANEL/ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS
- Click the DISPLAY tab; if high contrast display is to be on at all times, click Use High Contrast check box
- To change the settings, click SETTINGS
- To use the shortcut toggle, click the Use Shortcut check box
- To change the settings in Windows XP, use the drop-down menu to choose the High Contrast Appearance for optimal readability
- To change the settings in Windows 2000, select the White on Black, Black on White, or Custom radio button; if custom is selected chose the scheme for optimal readability
Many web documents (HTML pages), including those with wide tables,
will look better if printed in Landscape (wide; 11" by 8.5") rather
than Portrait (tall; 8.5" by 11"). In addition, you may use the
Print Preview feature of the browser (if it is available) to determine how many pages
the document will require to print; if the entire document is not
needed, selected pages may be printed from the Print Interface.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- The Print Button on the browser tool bar prints the entire
document in the default mode.
- The Printer Interface may be accessed from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f, ALT-p) or by pressing CONTROL-p
- Landscape or Portrait mode printing may be selected from
the Print Interface under the Layout tab or from the Page Setup
Interface on the File menu (keyboard: ALT-f; ALT-u)
- The Print Preview (a feature of Internet Explorer 5.5 but not
earlier versions) may be accessed from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f; ALT-v) to look at appearance and the number of
pages required. The entire document can be printed from the Preview
with the Print button (keyboard: ALT-p)
- To print selected pages, close the preview (keyboard: ALT-c)
and open the Print interface from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f, ALT-p) or by pressing CONTROL-p
- Background Colors and Images: On some printers, some background colors and/or background images may either appear as white, or use excessive amounts of ink or toner. Printing of background colors and images can be controlled from the Tools menu.
First select "Internet Options", then choose the "Advanced" tab. Scroll down to "Printing," then check or clear the "Print background colors and images" checkbox, depending on whether you want them to print.
- Printing Multiple Files with a Single Click: Some extremely large documents are divided up into a number of smaller files (e.g. separate chapters) for faster loading. To print all pages linked from a given page, open the Print interface from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f, ALT-p) or by pressing CONTROL-p. In Windows 95/98 check the "Print all linked documents" checkbox in the lower left corner.
In Windows XP or Windows 2000, first choose the "Options" tab and then check the "Print all linked documents" checkbox.
- Netscape Navigator:
- The Print Button on the browser tool bar opens the Print Interface
- The Printer Interface may also be accessed from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f, ALT-p)
- Landscape or Portrait mode printing may be selected from the
Print interface under Options/Layout: click OK 2 times to set the
mode. (This will also cause the document to be printed)
- The Print Preview may be accessed from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f; ALT-v) to look at appearance and the number of
pages required. The preview may be closed (keyboard: ALT-c) or the
Print Interface can be accessed from the Preview
with the Print button (or ALT-p)
- Selected pages to be printed may be chosen from the Print Interface
- Background Colors and Images: On some printers, some background colors and/or background images may either appear as white, or use excessive amounts of ink or toner. Printing of background colors and images can be controlled from the File Menu. First select "Page Setup...", then check or clear the "Print backgrounds" checkbox, depending on whether you want them to print.
- Printing Multiple Files with a Single Click:
- Some extremely large documents are divided up into a number of smaller files (e.g. separate chapters) for faster loading. The CFSAN web site provides Single Click printing for selected large multi-page documents.
- The Microsoft Internet Explorer browser will also print linked pages.
To print all pages linked from a given page, open the Print interface from the File menu
(keyboard: ALT-f, ALT-p) or by pressing CONTROL-p. In Windows 95/98 check the "Print all linked documents" checkbox in the lower left corner.
In Windows XP or Windows 2000, first choose the "Options" tab and then check the "Print all linked documents" checkbox.
Downloading Multiple-Part Documents
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Many large documents on the CFSAN web site, such as the Food Code, are posted as multiple
files to facilitate easy viewing and downloading. To obtain a copy of the entire document
to use locally, or on a computer without an Internet connection, one can use a software
package called an "offline browser". There are many available, some at no or low cost.
Use a search engine or directory service such as Google to obtain a list of such software
packages.
Once you have installed the offline browser, start the program and give it the
URL of the document's table of contents. For example, the table of contents for the 2001
Food Code is http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fc01-toc.html. Set the program to copy internal
links and set the link depth to 2 or 3. Most offline browsers also have an option to
convert the downloaded files to be viewable without an Internet connection. Start the
download, and when complete, you will have a copy of the document on your PC.
See also
Printing Multiple Files with a Single Click
Information on Screen Readers for the Blind and Visually Impaired
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- JAWS for Windows:
Job Access With Speech computer screen reader (and other accessibilty
software products from Henter-Joyce)
- IBM Home Page Reader 3.04:
Spoken Internet/Web access screen reader
- Windows XP includes Narrator (text reader) and Magnifier (screen
magnifier) as part of the built-in Accessibility Tools. The Narrator
is not intended as a substitute for a full-featured screen reader.
To access these features go to START/PROGRAMS/ACCESSORIES/ACCESSIBILITY.
Additional settings may found in Accessibility Options in the Control
Panel; START/SETTINGS/CONTROL PANEL/ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS.
For detailed instructions, see the
Guide to Windows XP Accessibility Tools
The following free document viewers may be useful for opening,
viewing, and printing word processor, presentation, or spreadsheet
documents if you do not have the appropriate software.
- Microsoft Viewers:
These are replacement applications for earlier viewer versions and will open files
created with all versions of Microsoft Office (Office 97 and later).
Template files are pre-formatted documents or forms that may be
downloaded and opened with the appropriate word processor program.
They are usually protected so that only the "fill in the blank"
sections may be modified. They may then be printed or saved (as template files).
Download the Latest Versions of Internet Browsers
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Download Plugins or Helper Applications for Internet Browsers
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-
MathPlayer: free plugin from Design Science that enables Internet
Explorer 6 to display MathML encoded mathematical notation in web pages.
To comment or report general page access problems, contact
For information on the
Electronic Registration of Food Facilities or
Prior Notification, please go to the
FDA Industry Systems Help Desk Page.
To submit questions directly to the Help Desk or request
other information, please use the following
Form.