Contents

The following topics are available:

Using the web browser

Where to start?

Some definitions

Favorite Places

Return to the Main Help File


Definitions

Here are definitions for some of the acronyms you will encounter as you use the web browser:

URL - Uniform Resource Locator -- the Internet address for documents located on the Internet.

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language -- a type of document with hypertext and hypergraphic links to other documents on the World Wide Web.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- an information retrieval mechanism for HTML documents.


Using the web browser

Moving around on the World Wide Web is very similar to moving around Windows Help files.  The documents you locate using the web browser will have hypergraphics and hypertext links to other documents located on the Internet.

As you browse the World Wide Web, no doubt you will locate sites you want to return to.  You can save the location as a favorite place, and when you want to return, you won't have to navigate through the web browser again to reach the site.

Setting Preferences for the web browser


Where to start?

One way to access America Online's World Wide Web Browser is by clicking on the WWW icon in the Internet Connection.  You will then see the America Online Home Page.  By clicking on the various hypertext and hypergraphic links, you can begin moving around to other information of interest to you.

Once you have accessed the World Wide Web Browser you can also access any Internet Address by typing it in the address field and pressing Enter.


Favorite Places

When you locate information of interest to you on the World Wide Web, you can mark the location as a Favorite Place, so you will be able to return directly to it any time you use the web browser.

To mark a favorite place, drag and drop this icon from the title bar to the Favorite Places icon on the web browser screen.

To return to a favorite place, click on the Favorite Places icon on the flashbar, and double-click on the name of the site.


Hypergraphics

Documents located on the World Wide Web can include graphic image links to other documents containing more information on the same or a related topic.  These graphic image links are called hypergraphics.  If you point to a graphic image with your mouse, the pointer will change to a pointing finger if the image is hypergraphic.

To retrieve the related document, click on the hypergraphic.


Hypertext

Documents located on the World Wide Web can include text links to other documents containing more information on the same or a related topic.  These text links are called hypertext and are identified by a color and an underline.  If you point to hypertext with your mouse, the pointer will change to a pointing finger.

To retrieve the related document, click on the hypertext.


Going directly to a web site

There are two ways to go directly to a web site.

•	If you want to return to a site you marked as a favorite place, click on the Favorite Places icon on the toolbar, and double-click on the name of that site.

•	If you know the Internet Address for a particular site, you can type it directly into the web browser text entry field, and press Enter.


URL

The URL, or Universal Resource Locator, is a path for locating sites on the World Wide Web.

An example of a URL is:

http://www.aol.com

which is the path for the America Online Home Page.


Setting Preferences

To change the default settings for the web browser, select Set Preferences from the Members menu, then click on the WWW icon.

You can change your default home page, and select how you want graphic images and URL locations presented to you.

Advanced Preferences


Advanced Preferences

Some documents you locate with the web browser contain data that has been encoded in special graphic or sound formats.  Although America Online will decode most of the information found in these documents automatically, you can use an external application if you want.

To use an external application:

1.	Select Set Preferences from the Members menu.

2.	Click on the WWW icon.

3.	Click on Helper Applications.

4.	Associate the type of file with the external application you want to use.


Multimedia Files

Multimedia files are graphic and sound files.


Drag and Drop

To use the drag and drop function, point to the item you want to move.  Hold the primary (usually the left) mouse button down as you move the pointer to the destination for the object.  Let go of the mouse button to drop the object.


World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is an information retrieval system that links documents located on computers connected to the Internet, making the information easily accessible with a web browser.