Components of a Web Browser and how they work

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The Netscape screen contains 7 different sections:

• The menu bar (top row).
• The toolbar buttons (usually second row).
• The navigation bar, a white box which displays the URL of the current document.
• The directory buttons below the location box.
• The document itself which occupies the large window in the center.
• The scroll bars for moving through the document at right and bottom (appear whenever a document is too tall or wide for the screen).
• The status bar, at bottom, where information about the progress of a document you've chosen appears, and where the URL of a link displays.

You will learn about each of these sections in this module.

Every web browser will generally have the following  basic components: 

This is the Title bar.  It is located at the top of each browser window.

 

The Title bar tells you the name of the Web page you are viewing.  If you were told to write the title of this web page, what would you write?
Below the Title bar is the Menu bar:

 

The Menu bar offers options for managing the browser and viewing web pages and web sites. You can select each Menu by clicking on the options with your mouse.

Below the Menu bar is the Navigation bar:

 

The Navigation bar is the most important tool for browsing the Web.
Now let’s take a look at the buttons you’ll use to get around in Netscape.

 

The first button is the Back button.  Clicking on this button will return you to the previous page  visited.

The next button is the Forward button. Use the forward button to return to the page you just came from.

Next to the Forward button is the Refresh button.  The Refresh button does just that.  It loads the web page again.
Sometimes all the parts of a web page haven’t loaded the first time, because the file transfer was interrupted.  If a web page is updated frequently, as may be the case with news, sports or things of that nature, you wouldn't get the most current information.  By reloading the page frequently you can be assured that you'll have the most current data on the page you're viewing. You won’t get the most current information.  By refreshing the page, the data is updated from the web server.

Next to the Refresh button is the Stop button.  Clicking on this button will stop the current page from loading. 
 ** If you can't connect to a site, use the STOP button and try again later, especially if you are trying to access a popular site.

This is the Address or Location box.  You will probably see--"Location," "Go To," or "Address" near the beginning of this box.  This box is where you enter the address URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a web site you want to visit. After you enter it, press the return or the Enter key to access the site or click on the search button.  What happens after you type in a URL and press the enter key?   When you type in a URL and press the enter key or clink a link Navigator sends a request for that page over the Internet.  The computer network uses the URL to find the server that has the page and ask it for a copy.  That server receives the request, finds the page, then sends a copy of the page over the Internet and back to your computer.  When the data arrives at your computer, navigator shows the page and any images associated with it in your browser window.

Next we have the scroll bars for moving through the document.  They are located at both the right and bottom (they appear whenever a document is too tall or wide for the screen).

At the bottom of the screen  above your task bar you'll find the Status Bar.  You can watch the progress of web page transactions, such as the site  you're contacting, whether the host computer has been contacted and the size  and number of the files to be downloaded.
The above status bar is from Netscape 7.0 new themes section (Toy Factory).

Back to Basic Components

TASK: Complete the following tasks and answer the questions.

•       What is the title of this Web page?
•       Click on the back button.  Where did you go?
•       What is the URL (Web address) of the page to which you were taken?
  
•       What is the URL (Web address) of the page to which you were taken?
• Click on the refresh button. What is the URL (Web address) of the Web page to which you were taken?

The last button is the Print button.  Clicking on this button will cause the computer to print all the pages you’re currently viewing.  If you don't want to print all the pages you should select the drop down menu to the right of the print icon, once the drop-down menu appears you may select the specific text you want printed.

Proceed to Navigating

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