Web Searching

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Regardless of your incentive, you might find yourself spending a lot of time searching for the information you need. In this section on searching the Web, you'll learn how to

• Use a search engine.
  
  
• Copy text from a Web page to a local document.
  
  
• Save a Web page to a local drive.
  
  
• Download a file from the Web page to a local drive.
  
  
• Print from a Web page.
  
  

Using a Search Engine

The right search engine can help you find the information you need quickly. To pass the ICDL exam, you should know how to use a search engine and understand some of the basics of searching for information on the Internet.

Selecting a Search Engine

Select a specific search engine.

There are a number of search engines available. Probably the most popular are Google and Yahoo! In fact, Google is so popular that the term google or the phrase run a google means to search.

The search engine you end up using depends on your particular needs and tastes. Although the major search engines return similar results, you will find some differences. Sometimes, it might take a turn at more than one engine to find all the resources you need. The following is a list of the more popular search engine sites and their URLs:

• Google http://www.google.com

• Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com

• AltaVista http://www.altavista.com

• Lycos http://www.lycos.com

• Excite http://www.excite.com

• MetaCrawler http://www.metacrawler.com

• DogPile http://www.dogpile.com

Each search engine home page has its own set of controls for searching. Figure 8.5, for example, shows the Google search engine.

Figure 8.5. Google is a popular search engine for the Internet.

A Keyword or Phrase Search

Carry out a search for specific information using a keyword, phrase.

A search engine should be able to handle a search on a keyword or phrase. A keyword search is a search on a single word that somehow identifies the category or topic for which you're searching.

To use a search engine, simply visit the engine's site and enter the keyword or phrase. It's that simple. The engine returns a list of links for you to explore further.

Enclosing a phrase in quotation marks often returns a different set of links from that of the unenclosed phrase. That's because the engine views the enclosed phrase as a keyword and returns only those sites that contain the exact phrase. Without the quotation marks, the engine returns references that contain parts of the phrase.

Using Criteria to Search

Combine selection criteria in a search.

Most engines let you search on multiple keywords. For instance, the search string emerald jewelry will probably return a slightly different set of links from jewelry +emerald . In the latter string, the links must contain both words. That means the latter string narrows the search more than the former. In contrast, the search string jewelry emerald would omit all links that include the word emerald .

Each search engine has specific rules for combining search strings. Look for a link to advanced searching methods .

You'll be expected to successfully complete a keyword or phrase search.

Copying Web Contents to a Document

Duplicate text, image, URL from a Web page to a document.

Once you find the information you're looking for, you might want to store it locally so you can refer to it as needed without being online. Usually, this process is simple. If you're saving a picture, right-click the picture and choose Save Picture As item. In the resulting dialog box, specify the local folder and click OK. (Chapter 3 gives instructions for saving a file to your local system.)

To copy text or a URL, select the text and press Ctrl+C. Or choose Copy from the File menu. Select or open the document into which you're copying the Web text and press Ctrl+V or choose Paste from the File menu.

Saving a Web Page

Save a Web page to a location on a drive as a txt file, html file.

You might want to save the entire Web page, and there are two ways to go about it. You can save the page as a favorite and click the Make Available Offline option. Or with the page current in the browser, choose Save As from the File menu. Specify the local folder in the Save in control, rename the page if necessary, and adjust the Save As Type option if necessary. These options are defined in Table 8.1. When you're done, click Save.

Table 8.1. Save As Web Page Options

Option	Explanation
Web Page, complete	Saves all the files needed to display the page, including graphics, frames , and style sheets.
Web Archive	Saves a snapshot of the current Web page.
Web Page, HTML Only	Saves only the information on the page; it doesn't save the graphics, sounds, or other files.
Text Only	Saves just the text on the page, without any of the formatting information such as fonts and colors.

Downloading Files

Download text file, image file, sound file, video file, software, from a Web page to a location on a drive.

A lot of sites host files that you can download to your local system or diskette. Usually, these sites provide a specific set of instructions or a link that automatically initiates the download process for you. At some point, you can expect to specify the folder in which you want to save the downloaded file. Other than that, the process is automatic.

You can also download text files, image files, sound files, and video files that are linked to Web pages. Whatever the type of file, just right-click the hyperlink and select Save Target As. Then, specify the destination directory on your computer and click OK.

Figure 8.6 shows a typical download task in progress. Clicking the download link displays the File Download dialog box. Usually, you click Save and then point to a local folder. Once you identify where you want the downloaded file saved, the download continues. You might or might not see a progress dialog while you wait.

Figure 8.6. Click a link to download a file.

Preparation

Printing a page is a common task. You might want to review the text later offline or you might even want to store the information for later use.

Previewing a Web Page

Preview a Web page.

Before you actually print a page, you might want to preview it to see how well all the elements will fit on the printed page. To preview the page, choose Print Preview from the File menu.

Changing Page Orientation

Change Web page orientation: portrait, landscape. Change paper size.

A lot of Web pages won't print properly in portrait orientation. When that's the case, consider changing the orientation to landscape. Or if your printer accommodates paper of different sizes, change the paper.

To change the orientation, choose Page Setup from the File menu. In the resulting dialog box, choose the appropriate Orientation option, shown in Figure 8.7. Choose the appropriate paper size from the Size control's drop-down list in the Paper section.

Figure 8.7. Change the print orientation and paper size.

Changing Margins

Change Web page margins: top, bottom, left, right.

Just like a document, a page has four margins: top, bottom, left, and right. To adjust those settings, choose Page Setup from the File menu and enter the appropriate margin settings (refer to Figure 8.7).

Printing

Printing a Web page is similar to printing a document. However, keep in mind that Web pages can contain complex elements and images that might not print as well on your printer as they look onscreen.

Choosing Print Options

Choose Web page print output options such as: entire Web page, specific page(s), specific frame, selected text, number of copies, and print.

To actually print the Web page, click the Print button on the toolbar or choose Print from the File menu or press Ctrl+P. The latter two methods provide more control by displaying the dialog box shown in Figure 8.8. Clicking the Print button prints one copy of the current page. If the page has frames, Current refers to the section where the cursor is present.

Figure 8.8. Control a print task.

Use the following rules to specify a range of pages:

• 15 prints pages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

• 1, 5 prints pages 1 and 5.

• 15, 7 prints pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

The Options tab lends help when the site has frames. When the site has no frame, the options are dimmed and inaccessible. When frames are present, simply click the appropriate option, as shown in Figure 8.9. You can print the selected frame, all frames separately, or the entire page as it appears in your Web browser.

Figure 8.9. Determine which frame sections get printed.

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