Going Straight to Any Web Address


Before you can jump to a page by entering its address, you must find the place in your browser provided for typing addresses. The term used to describe this area varies from browser to browser, but to keep things simple, I'll just call it the address box . Figure 4.4 shows the toolbar area of Internet Explorer, with the address box containing an address.

Figure 4.4. In most graphical browsers, you'll see an address box in the toolbar area where you type an address to go to a particular Web page or site.

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In both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, you'll see the address box as a long text box somewhere in the toolbar area, showing the address of the page you're currently viewing. If you don't see it, the toolbar that contains the address box might be switched off.

To switch on the toolbar that contains the address box:

  • In Internet Explorer, choose View, Toolbars, and make sure a check mark appears next to Address Bar in the menu that appears. If not, click Address Bar. If you still don't see an address box, try dragging each toolbar to the bottom of the stack, so that all toolbars are visible, and none overlap.

  • In Netscape, choose View, Show, Location Toolbar. If you still don't see it, it's there, but collapsed so it's not visible. Click at the far-left end of each line in the toolbar area, and it should appear.

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If you use a browser other than the Big Two (Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator), you might see an address box in the toolbar area or at the bottom of the browser window. In some browsers, you might have to choose a menu item to display a dialog that contains the address box. Look for a menu item with a name like "Enter URL" or "Jump to New Location."

Entering and Editing URLs

After you've found the address box, you can go to a particular address by typing the address you want to visit in the box and pressing Enter. When the address box is in a toolbar, you usually must click in it first, then type the address, and press Enter.

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Before you type an address in the address box, the address of the current page already appears there. In most Windows and Mac browsers, if you click once in the address box, the whole address there is highlighted, meaning that whatever you type next will replace that address.

If you click twice in the address box, the edit cursor appears there so that you can edit the address. That's a handy feature when you discover that you made a typo when first entering the address.

Note that when you type an address to go somewhere, your starting point doesn't matteryou can be at your home page or on any other page.

When typing the address, be careful of the following:

  • Spell and punctuate the address exactly as shown, and do not use any spaces.

  • Match the exact pattern of upper- and lowercase letters you see. Some Web servers are case-sensitive, and will not show you the page if you don't get the capitalization in the address just right.

  • Some addresses end in a final slash ( / ), and some don't. But servers can be quirky about slashes , and many print sources where you see addresses listed mistakenly omit a required final slash, or add one that doesn't belong. Always type the address exactly as shown. But if that doesn't work, and the address appears not to end in a filename, try adding or removing the final slash.

  • If you do not use a recent version of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you might be required to include the http:// prefix at the beginning of the URL. For example, when you see an address listed as www.discover.com , you must enter it in your address box as

    http://www.discover.com

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What happens if you type an address wrong? Nothing badyou just don't go where you want to go. Usually, your browser displays an error message, reporting that the browser could not find the address you requested . Check that you spelled, punctuated, and capitalized the address correctly. If you discover a mistake, edit (or retype) the address and press Enter to try again.

Note that Web servers and their pages are not permanent. From time to time, an address will fail not because you made a mistake, but just because the page or server to which it points is no longer online, either temporarily (because of a system glitch) or permanently.

Honest, I'm not shilling for Sams Publishing here, even though Sams publishes this book. It's just that Web pages come and go. Most Web site URLs for large organizations work fine for years . But addresses can change, and Web pages and sites do disappear from time to time.

I want to give you a reliable set of steps, and I know that the Sams Web site will still be around when you read this.

  1. Connect to the Internet and open your Web browser (see Figure 4.5).

    Figure 4.5. Step 1: Open your Web browser.

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  2. Find the address box, and click in it once.

  3. Type the URL (see Figure 4.6)

    Figure 4.6. Step 3: Type in the URL http://www.samspublishing.com.

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    www.samspublishing.com

    (If you are using an older browser, you may have to add the http:// prefix.)

  4. Press Enter. Sams's Web site appears (see Figure 4.7).

    Figure 4.7. Step 4: Press Enter to see the Sams Publishing Web site.

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Sams Teach Yourself Internet and Web Basics All in One
Sams Teach Yourself Internet and Web Basics All in One
ISBN: 0672325330
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 350
Authors: Ned Snell

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