User's Guide to ViolaWWW
This is a brief guide to the viola-based
World-Wide Web
browser.
Check this out for a possible update of this guide.
Following links
Single click to follow a hypertext link.
Notice that the ``current'' document identifier is displayed in a text
field (next to the label ``Doc ID'') at the bottom of the main window.
You can type in a document ID there, and cause the browser to fetch the
document. If you want the browser to fetch a document identifier that
is in X-Window's selection, press the ``Use Selected'' button.
Beware of this bug: if a line of hot text wraps around the page,
you should click on the last line of the multiple lines.
Home
The house icon in the upper left corner always takes you to the home
page. The WWW_HOME environment variable tells this browser where the
home document is. If WWW_HOME is undefined, the home document is assumed
to be:
<![CDATA[
/usr/local/lib/WWW/default.html
]]>
If that file is inaccessible, then the following address is used:
<![CDATA[
/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
]]>
Revisiting traveled documents (Prev, Back, Next)
A history list keeps track of your link travels. To see the history
list, click on the paper-scroll icon (with an ``H'') that is near the
lower right corner of this application. The document titles are listed,
with the ``current'' document highlighted.
In the history window, the ``Dismiss'' buttons tells the history window
to go away. You can bring it back again by clicking on the history icon.
The other three buttons (Prev, Back, Next), also in the history window,
have exactly the same function and meaning as the three navigation icons
that are next to the house icon.
In the history list, you can click on a title to cause the main text field
to show that document.
Keyword search
This operation is valid only with documents containing a
IsIndex tag.
The message label, being either "Is Index" or "Not Index", indicates whether
the current document can or can not take keyword for searching.
You can enter a keyword by moving the cursor into the text field next to
the message label, then type. Convenience feature: if your mouse cursor is
in the main text field, you can simply type straight away; the cursor
will be warpped to the keyword entry field, and warpped back on carriage
return.
Bug warning: problem at the first IsIndex document?
Book mark
At the top of the main window is a ``Marked Documents'' menu. It is, like
the home page, a good place to put pointers to frequently needed documents...
It contains a set of prepackaged document references. To visit a document
marked in the menu, just choose it as you would a menu item. To mark
the current document (append it into the menu), click on the ``mark''
icon that is next to the menu.
When this browser starts up, it looks for the file "~/.WWWBookMarks"
to put into that menu. If you don't have one, a default bookmark (specified
in file "www.v") is used, instead of letting it empty.
Below is a shortened version of the default bookmark list. You can
change the defaults by editing either the bookmark file "~/.WWWBookMarks"
(or the browser application "www.v"!).
<![CDATA[
.{World-Wide Web} {www("show", "/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html");}
.{Information sources by subject} {www("show", "/hypertext/DataSources/bySubject/Overview.html");}
.{Local Weather (SF Bay Area)} {www("show", "gopher://mermaid.micro.umn.edu:150/00/Weather/California/San%20Francisco");}
]]>
Tearing-out a page
Notice the icon that looks like a-piece-of-paper-about-to-fly-off,
near the upper left corner of the main text field. Clicking on it
makes a clone of the hypertext page. The clone page has a trash-can
icon instead of the paper-tear icon, for dismissing the clone.
Notice that clicking hot text in the cloned page actually causes action
in the main text field, and not in clone text field.
Printing
Use the icon that looks like a printer, near the lower right corner
of the main window. Currently, to use this function you must have the
lineMode browser ``www'' installed.
If you want to specify the printer name, set the WWW_LPR environment variable.
For example, the following will work, if your printer happens to be named
``lw199b'':
<![CDATA[
setenv WWW_LPR "lpr -Plw199b"
]]>
The current implementation is pretty rudimentary (delegating formatting
work to www). If you have your own printing method, it should be easy for
you to easily incorporate that method into the browser's default printing
script. Look at the file "www.v", and search for "WWW_LPR" to get to the
relevant area... If you make improvements, please share!
Source viewing
Use the icon labeled ``SRC'', near the lower right corner of the main window.
It pops a window displaying the
HTML source
of the current document.
More information
The globe icon brings up general project information about this browser.
The question-mark icon brings(brought!) up this document.
The catoon-speak-bubble toggles the active help on and off.
The smudge, that appears when you press buttons, is a finger-print that
is supposed to provide visual feedback.
Bugs
Bugs/ToDo list.
Status
Very drafty. Last update is May 10, 1992.
Bugs/Comments/Suggestions >> wei@xcf.berkeley.edu