Web browsers

The software that allows you to find an address and view a page is a "Web browser" or simply "browser". The most commonly used Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. You are almost certainly using one of these browsers to view this tutorial.

The examples in this tutorial are based on WebCT's recommended Web browsing applications, which include Netscape Navigator 4.5x, 4.6x, and all versions of 4.7 except 4.78 and 4.79, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5 SP2. Although there are differences between these applications, their function in browsing the Web and the basic interface design is similar. The examples included in this tutorial are included to show a few different ways of performing tasks. These examples are not meant to be comprehensive.

The banner

The interface for each of these programs consists of a banner (including buttons, menus, one text area, and a logo) and below that banner is an open area that displays Web pages.

The banner for each of these browsers looks something like this:

Netscape Navigator 4.75

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP 2

The banner can be can be divided into three basic sections, the menu bar, the toolbar, and the location bar:

The menu bar

The menu bar (pictured here from Netscape Navigator 4.75) is a list of terms that you can click. Clicking on these terms will display menus from which you can select actions to perform.

The toolbar

The toolbar (pictured here from Netscape Navigator 4.75) is a series of buttons that you can click to quickly access common tasks.

The location bar

The location bar (pictured here from Netscape Navigator 4.75) displays the address of the last page that the browser loaded. You can also use the location bar to enter the addresses of a page where you want to go.

Note: In Netscape Navigator, the location bar is labeled "Location: ", and in Microsoft Internet Explorer, it is labeled "Address:".