To achieve maximum functionality, the information library uses many recent advances in web technology. Many of these technologies still have open issues regarding implementation, performance, and stability. This section describes these issues and how the information library developers have tried to minimize the impact.
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Browser
and Display Screen Requirements
To use all Oracle
Information Navigator tree and search features, the following is
required:
The following browsers have been tested and shown to work with Oracle Information Navigator:
*Release 3.0.2 of Microsoft Internet Explorer originally contained a change to the Java environment that did not support the Oracle Information Navigator. A patch file is now available from Microsoft that fixes this problem. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 does not have this problem.
**While Internet Explorer 4.0 does work with Oracle Information Navigator, users may occasionally experience problems with Oracle Information Navigator not displaying properly. This is due to a Java 1.0 compatibility issue with Internet Explorer 4.0.
Oracle Information Navigator may work, but has not been extensively tested, with other browsers that support frames and Java.
Color
This information library can use color to indicate specific areas of
importance. While every effort has been made to limit color usage
within the information library to the internet safe 216 colors, your
display screen may experience color flash when running other
applications at the same time.
Color flash occurs when the number of colors requested by the application is greater than can be supplied to all applications. This problem is often resolved by moving to a higher color depth for your display or simply refreshing or reloading the page.
Frames
This
information library uses HTML frames to provide an optimal
navigating environment. Frames allow multiple HTML documents to be
loaded into a single browser window at one time. A set of
frames provides for the placement of the documentation toolbar and currently
displayed content page. How you interact with this frame-based
environment depends on which browser and browser features
(bookmarks, printing, and so on) you use. The following features are
described:
Bookmarks
While it is generally possible to bookmark any one content page, it is not currently possible to bookmark an entire multi-frame layout of a displayed content page. The default behavior when choosing Add Bookmark or Internet Shortcut from the menu of most frame-enabled browsers is to create a bookmark to the most senior frame within the browser window. For example, if your currently displayed content page is a chapter within a book and you select Add Bookmark in Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator, the bookmark is instead created for the information library home page.To bookmark the currently displayed content page:
- Left-click the mouse in the content page. This is the main text region on the right side of the browser window.
- Right-click the mouse in this area. A popup menu displays.
- Select Add Bookmark or Internet Shortcut from the popup menu.
Unfortunately, navigating to this content page using the newly established bookmark removes the documentation toolbar and any other frames from the browser window.
Microsoft Internet Explorer behaves similarly to Netscape Navigator and Netscape Communicator with respect to frames. Selecting Add To Favorites... or Internet Shortcut from the main menu or the frame popup menu bookmarks only the home page or the content page.
Printing
Printing in a multi-framed layout can be confusing. Both Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Netscape Communicator print the contents of the last selected frame.To select and print a single frame:
- Left-click the mouse in the content page you want to print.
- Choose Print... or Print Frame... from the File menu of the browser.
Reloading
You may occasionally need to refresh or reload the currently displayed content page. The major browsers treat this operation differently.Netscape Navigator and Netscape Communicator perform this operation correctly in all cases. If you are currently displaying a content page, both browsers refresh the currently displayed multi-frame layout.
Microsoft Internet Explorer resets the browser to the home page.
Non-Resizing Frames
The information library can use another HTML feature: non-resizing frames. This feature locks a frame size to a predetermined height or width. The documentation toolbar at the top of the browser window cannot be resized. As the browser window is resized, the content page window adjusts to fill the space not already allocated to the documentation toolbar.