Customizing Netscape 4.x's button bar

[Andrew J. Mutch]

To Bill and others:

As I recently mentioned, you can use Javascript commands to create
customized toolbars.  These commands include the ability to:
Move Forward
Move Back
Go Home 
Print
Stop

I provided an example of this at:

http://northville.lib.mi.us/span.htm

This page launches you into a customized frameset that after determining
your browser type either moves you into a new window with the traditional
Navigator tool bars or , if you are using Navigator 4.0, moves you into a
new window with the customized tool bar.  While this customized bar only
has the five commands I listed, it would be easy to create additional
buttons that link to other resources, such as a list of search engines, or
databases.  Additionally, I have incorporated other Javascript functions
to create the appearance of clicked buttons and to create a searchable
database right in the page(no CGI).

Creating this tool bar is very easy, look at the code when you get there.
I admit I "borrowed" the buttons from Navigator 4.0 but again, you could
use any type of button you want.  The one big warning on this is that it
only works with Navigator 4.0 (MSIE 4.0 doesn't recognize all the
Javascript commands) and you may encounter pages that bust out of your
frameset, causing your tool bar to disappear.  

(I may consider creating help pages, if there is interest, but I have
all-day workshops the next 2 days so its not happening tomorrow!)

Andrew Mutch
Northville District Library
Northville, MI  


On Tue, 3 Mar 1998, Bill Drew wrote:

> If anyone has a solution to this, please send it directly to
> the list.  I would love to force the search button to go
> tour list of databases instead of to Netscape's searchpage.
> 
> Michael Watson wrote:
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Does anyone know a way to customize Netscape 4.04's button bar?
> > I recall that one could do a lot of customization of Netscape 3
> > with Netscape's Administrator's toolkit, but what I'm looking for
> > is a way to remove the SEARCH button. Our OPAC and databases all
> > use a webbed interface, and it's interesting how many users
> > misinterpret the SEARCH button on the Netscape 4 toolbar as
> > an entry point into MEDLINE.
> > 
> > ************************************
> > * Michael Watson                   *
> > * mwatso at gopher1.library.lsumc.edu *
> > ************************************
> 
> --
> Wilfred Drew (Call me "Bill"); Associate Librarian (Systems,
> Reference)
> SUNY College of Ag. & Tech.;   P.O. Box 902;  Morrisville,
> NY 13408-0902
> E-mail: DREWWE at MORRISVILLE.EDU
> powwow:drewwe at wedrew.lib.morrisville.edu
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> --
>