Netscape Netcaster delivers information to you automatically, and gives
you the following advantages:
-
Channels are Web sites that are automatically delivered to your desktop.
Using Netcaster, you can subscribe to just the channels you want and get
just the information you need. This way, you don't have to search the Web
on your own and look through irrelevant information. Netcaster can also
update your channels automatically so you can always see current information.
-
You can make any channel into a full-screen webtop. In Windows, a webtop always remains
on your screen underneath other windows that you're working in. With a
webtop, you can easily see late-breaking information on the channel while
you complete other tasks.
-
With offline browsing, you can download any Web site and view it when you're
offline (disconnected from the Internet).
-
Netcaster's Channel Finder provides a ready-made list of interesting channels
on the Web.
Start Netscape Netcaster in one of the following ways:
- In any Communicator window, open the Communicator
menu, then choose Netcaster.
- From the Communicator personal toolbar, choose Netcaster.
By default, the Netcaster window appears on the right side of your screen.
The default channel also opens.
See Also
Customizing Netcaster
With Netcaster, you can collect both channels and Web sites. Channels are
like Web sites; they are built with the same tools, such as HTML and JavaScript.
However, instead of navigating to the site where you want information,
you subscribe to a channel by adding it to Netcaster. Then the desired
information is delivered automatically to Netcaster at predefined intervals.
In essence, a channel is a Web site delivered automatically to your computer.
In the Netscape Netcaster window, you find channels and Web sites in
two places:
-
Channel Finder contains a ready-made list of interesting channels. You
can preview channels in the list; when you find a channel that you like,
you can add it to your personal list of channels in My Channels. Channel
Finder is regularly updated; check it often for new channels.
To open Channel Finder, click the Channel Finder bar.
-
In My Channels, you can collect links to your favorite channels and sites.
When you find a channel that you like, just add it to My Channels.
To open My Channels, click the My Channels bar.
Channel Finder and My Channels also provide each site's name listed on a bar. If you've specified a channel as a webtop, look for a small, square webtop indicator to the right of the channel's name. If a channel is currently running as a webtop, its webtop indicator glows.
See Also
About Channels
About Webtops
About Channel
Finder
About Offline
Browsing
Customizing Netcaster
When Netscape Netcaster starts, the Netcaster window is closed by default.
If the window has been hidden, show it by clicking the window's tab on
the right or left side of your screen.
To hide the Netcaster window, click the tab on the side of the window.
See Also
Customizing Netcaster
Moving the Netcaster
Window
There are two rows of buttons and controls at the bottom of the Netscape
Netcaster window.
-
Click New to add a channel or site to My Channels.
-
Click Options to change the Netcaster window. For example, you can
move Netcaster to the other side of the screen, and change the properties
for channels.
-
Click Help to open this Help window.
-
Click Exit to exit the Netcaster component of Communicator. If you
have a webtop open, clicking Exit will also close the webtop.
Webtop controls
When a webtop is open, the following buttons are available in the Netcaster
window and at the bottom of the webtop window:
-
Click Security Information (padlock) to see security information
about the webtop.
-
Click Back (left arrow) to go back to the previous webtop page.
-
Click Forward (right arrow) to go forward to the next webtop page.
-
Click Print (printer) to print the webtop.
-
Click Desktop/Webtop (small square with outline) to change between
the webtop and desktop. When the webtop is displayed, clicking this button
displays the desktop. When the desktop is displayed, clicking this button
displays the webtop.
-
Click Front/Back (up and down arrows) to bring the webtop to the
front of other windows or move it behind. When the webtop is in back (its
default position), clicking this button displays the webtop in front of
other windows. When the webtop is in front, clicking this button sends
the webtop behind other windows.
-
Click Close Webtop (X) to close the webtop.
-
Click Navigator (ship's wheel) to open a new Navigator window on
top of the webtop.
See Also
About Channels
About Webtops
Near the bottom of the Netcaster window, click Exit to exit the
Netcaster application. If you have a webtop open, clicking Exit
will also close the webtop.
See Also
About Webtops
A channel is a Web site delivered to your computer automatically, rather
than as a result of clicking a link. Channels have focused content to which
you subscribe, and the content is media-rich, persistent, and automatically
updated.
Channels are like Web sites; they are built with the same tools, such
as HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and JavaScript. However, instead of
navigating to the site whenever you want information, you subscribe to
a channel by adding it to Netcaster. Then the desired information is delivered
automatically to Netcaster at predefined intervals. You receive up-to-date
information when it becomes available without having to search for it.
In the Netscape Netcaster window, Channel Finder contains a ready-made
list of interesting channels. Using Channel Finder, you can preview channels
in the list. When you find channels that you like, you can add them to
your personal list of channels in My Channels.
To use Channel Finder, follow these steps:
-
If Channel Finder isn't already open in the Netcaster window, click the
Channel Finder bar.
-
A list of channels appears.
-
To see a preview of a channel, click Preview Channel.
-
A preview opens in a separate window. To add the channel to My Channels,
click the Add Channel button in the preview window.
-
The first time you add a channel, you are asked to register. Channel Finder is part of Netscape's Member Services. Membership is free and gives you access to other Netscape services. You must be a member to add channels. Fill in your personal profile, making sure to enter information in the required fields. Click Continue.
- Complete the membership survey. Click Continue.
- Once you have completed the registration process, the Channel Properties Dialog box appears. The Name and Location field are filled in for you. To change any of the channel's properties, click the appropriate tab.
- Click OK.
After you finish adding the channel, its link appears on a bar in My Channels.
To view the channel, click its bar.
Channel Finder is regularly updated with new channels; check it often.
See Also
Adding Channels
Castanet channels are similar to web-server channels: they are collections of files that automatically install and update themselves over the network. Web-server channels are hosted on an HTTP server, while Castanet channels are hosted on a Castanet Transmitter.
A Castanet channel can consist of HTML pages or an entire web site. But a Castanet channel can also be a Java application or applet: an executable channel that is installed and updated automatically. Castanet HTML channels can be displayed in a browser or as webtops. Castanet application and applet channels are displayed in windows.
The Castanet Tuner, part of Marimba Inc.'s Castanet System for push content
delivery and enterprise-wide software deployment, is integrated into Netscape
Netcaster. The integration of Castanet offers you seamless access to Castanet
channels; you can add, view, and manipulate a Castanet channel as you would
any other channel. The display and cache size of Castanet channels, however, cannot be modified
See Also
Changing Castanet Channel Security Information
To open a channel:
-
Click the My Channels bar in Netcaster. The bar moves up or down
to reveal the contents of My Channels, closing any other open containers.
-
Click the channel you want to open. The site opens in a Navigator window.
To close a channel and its Navigator window, select Close from the
File menu.
To update channels, you must be online (connected to the Internet). When
you're online, you can update a channel in one of the following ways:
-
In the Options dialog box, select the channel you want to update. Then
click the Update Now button.
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster,
then choose Start Update in the menu that appears.
-
In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or
site every. The site will be updated at the time you specify.
A red status bar appears under the channel name while the channel is updating. Status lights indicate if the update was successful or if new information is available since the last time you updated the file.
- A green light appears next to the channel name if new information is available since the last time the channel was updated.
- A red light appears next to the channel name if an error occurred while the channel was updating. Click on the red light for more information.
- A light does not appear if the channel has not changed.
There are three ways to add a channel to Netcaster: clicking a button on
the channel, using the Netcaster New button, or using Channel Finder.
Adding a channel from the site
Some channels provide a button that lets you quickly add their channels
to Netcaster. If you're viewing such a channel and want to add it to Netcaster,
click the button and follow instructions.
Using Netcaster to add a channel
You can add a site or channel to Netcaster whether or not you're currently
viewing the site. When you find a channel or site that you want to add
to Netcaster, follow these steps:
-
Click New at the bottom of the Netcaster window. The Channel Properties
dialog box opens. If the site you're adding is a Netcaster channel, much
of the following information may be filled in for you.
-
In the Name field, enter a name for the site if you need to.
-
In the Location field, enter the location (URL) if you need to.
-
To schedule the site's updates, leave Update this channel or site every
selected, then choose the time interval for updates.
-
Click the Display tab to display the Display panel.
-
Select the attributes of the channel window.
-
If you select Navigator Window, the channel appears in a Navigator
window.
-
If you select Webtop Mode, the window appears full screen and
is locked underneath other open windows.
-
Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
-
Enter a number in Download ___ level(s) deep in site. The number
you type represents a number of "levels," where
-
the first level is the site's main page
-
the second level consists of the pages that the main page links to
-
the third level consists of the pages that the second-level pages link
to
-
In the Don't store more than ___ KB of information field, specify
the maximum amount of disk space any one channel can use. Channel providers
may provide an estimated size for how much disk space a site requires given
the number of levels you have chosen to store.
-
If you need to, specify the maximum cache size.
-
When you finish setting properties, click OK.
The channel is added to My Channels. To view the channel, open My Channels
and click the channel's bar.
See Also
About Webtops
About Offline Sites
About Channel
Finder
To delete a channel:
-
Click Options in Netcaster. The Options dialog box opens.
-
Select the channel you want to delete.
-
Click Delete.
Note
Before deleting an updating channel, click Stop Update. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster, then choose Stop Update in the menu that appears.
Netcaster is set to automatically open a channel each time you start Netcaster.
By default, Netcaster opens the Netscape Channel. You can specify another
channel as the default, or specify that no channel opens when you start
Netcaster.
To change your default channel:
-
Click Options in the Netcaster window.
-
In the Options dialog box, click the Layout tab.
-
Under Default Channel, select Set default to, then select
the channel you want to open when Netcaster starts. You can click the down
arrow to see a list of all the channels and sites in Netcaster. If you
don't want a channel to open automatically, select None.
-
Click Close.
A webtop is a type of channel that "locks" its content to the desktop
of your display. It can cover all or part of your screen, and it remains
behind other windows until you want to view it.
Although some channels are more suitable than others for webtops, you can
make any channel or site into a webtop.
If you've haven't already added the channel that you want to use as
a webtop, follow these steps:
-
Add the channel to Netcaster.
-
As part of adding the channel, make it a webtop by selecting the Webtop
Mode preference on the Display panel.
If you've already added the channel that you want to use as a webtop,
follow these steps:
-
In the Channel Properties dialog box, click the Display tab to display the Display
panel.
-
Select Webtop Mode.
-
Click OK.
See Also
Adding Channels
to Netcaster
To open a webtop:
-
Click the My Channels bar in Netcaster. The bar moves up or down to
reveal the contents of My Channels, closing any other open containers.
-
Click the webtop you want to open. A small rectangle located to the
right of the webtop's name tells you which channels are specified as webtops.
When a webtop is open, a Netscape N logo appears in the lower-right
screen, and webtop controls appear below it.
Closing a webtop
To close a webtop, click the Close Webtop button either in Netcaster
or at the bottom of the webtop itself.
See Also
Buttons and Controls
in Netcaster
To change to another webtop, open My Channels in the Netcaster window,
then select the webtop you want to open. The new webtop appears, replacing
the previous one.
To hide a webtop, click the Desktop/Webtop button (small square with
outline) in the Netcaster window or at the bottom of the webtop window.
The desktop appears, and the N logo and webtop controls stay visible. To
display the webtop again, click Desktop/Webtop again.
To update webtops, you must be online (connected to the Internet). When
you're online, you can update a webtop in one of the following ways:
-
In the Options dialog box, select the webtop you want to update. Then
click the Update Now button.
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster,
then choose Start Update in the menu that appears.
-
In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or site every. The
webtop will be updated at the time you specify.
A red status bar appears under the channel name while the channel is updating. Status lights indicate if the update was successful or if new information is available since the last time you updated the file.
- A green light appears next to the channel name if new information is available since the last time the channel was updated.
- A red light appears next to the channel name if an error occurred while the channel was updating. Click on the red light for more information.
- A light does not appear if the channel has not changed.
To return to your desktop, click the Desktop/Webtop button (small square
with outline) in the Netcaster window or at the bottom of the webtop window.
The desktop appears, and the N logo and webtop controls stay visible. To
display the webtop again, click Desktop/Webtop again.
To delete a webtop:
-
Click Options in the channel selector. The Options dialog box opens.
-
Select the webtop you want to delete.
-
Click Delete.
Note
Before deleting an updating webtop, click Stop Update. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster, then choose Stop Update in the menu that appears.
You can customize Netcaster using the Options dialog box. To display
the dialog box, click Options in Netcaster.
Follow these steps to move the Netcaster window:
-
In the Options dialog box, click the Layout tab. The Layout panel appears.
-
To move Netcaster to the left or right side of the screen, choose either
Right side of screen or Left side of the screen in the Attach Netcaster
drawer to field.
-
To hide Netcaster automatically when you select a channel or webtop,
click Automatically hide Netcaster window.
-
Click Close.
Follow these steps to change channels in Netcaster:
-
In the Options dialog box, click the Channels tab.
-
Use the following settings to customize your channels:
-
Click Properties to display the Channel Properties dialog box. In Channel
Properties, you can control various aspects of Netcaster, such as whether
sites are updated automatically and how often they are updated.
-
Click Update Now to update the currently selected channel.
-
Click New to add a channel or webtop to Netcaster.
-
Click Delete to delete the selected channel or webtop from Netcaster.
-
To determine which channel automatically opens when Netcaster starts,
click the Layout tab. Under Default Channel, select Set default to, then
select the channel you want to open when Netcaster starts. You can click
the down arrow to see a list of all the channels and sites in Netcaster.
If you don't want a channel to open automatically, select None.
-
Click OK.
To change Castanet Channel security information, click the Security tab.
- Click Accept Castanet cookies to enable the transmission of cookie information.
A "cookie" is a piece of limited, internal information transmitted between server software and Communicator. For example, a server might use cookie information to determine how many connections to a site have come from different computers (so multiple connections from the same computer
are only counted once).
- Click Enable Castanet logging to enable the transmission of user feedback data, such as channel features exercised.
By default, this item is selected.
- Click Enable Castanet profiling to enable the recording of data, such as user preferences. By default, this item is selected.
- Click OK.
See Also
Castanet Channels
By default, Netcaster is set to update channels on a regular basis.
However, you might want to turn off this feature temporarily. To change
whether a site is automatically updated, follow these steps:
-
Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in
Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
-
Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the channel in the list,
then click the Properties button.
-
In the General panel, select or deselect the checkbox next to Update
this channel or site every.
-
Selecting this box means that the site will be automatically updated
according to the specified schedule.
-
Deselecting this box means that the site won't be automatically updated.
-
Click OK.
In Netcaster, sites aren't automatically updated under the following
circumstances:
-
You've deselected the Update checkbox.
-
You're in offline mode when Netcaster is running.
-
Netcaster isn't running when the scheduled update is due to occur.
If a site hasn't been automatically updated, you can still update
the site in the following ways while you're online:
-
In the Options dialog box, select the site you want to update. Then
click the Update Now button.
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in Netcaster,
then choose Start Update in the menu that appears.
-
In the Channel Properties dialog box, select Update this channel or
site every. The site will be updated at the time you specify.
See Also
About Channels
Adding Channels
to Netcaster
By default, Netcaster is set to automatically update sites once a day.
However, you can change this update schedule to almost anything you want--for
example, every hour between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m, or every week at 8:00
a.m. on Thursday.
Follow these steps to change a site's update schedule:
-
Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in
Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
-
Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list,
then click the Properties button.
-
In the General panel, make sure that the checkbox is selected next to
Update this channel or site every.
-
Beneath the Update checkbox, enter the update frequency. Click the down
arrow to see a list of options.
- Next, enter a time for the update.
-
Click OK.
See Also
About Channels
Adding Channels
to Netcaster
When Netcaster updates a channel or site, it downloads the site's content
and stores it on your computer. By default, Netcaster downloads two levels
of a site--that is, it goes two links deep into a site. Levels represent
the page structure of a Web site. The main page of a site is the first
level; links on that page go to other pages, or the second level; each
second-level page has links to yet more pages, or the third level, and
so on.
To change how many levels are downloaded, follow these steps:
-
Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in
Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
-
Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list,
then click the Properties button.
-
In the General panel, make sure that the box next to Update this channel
or site every is selected.
-
Click the Cache tab. In the Cache panel, enter a number in Download ___ level(s) deep in site. The number you type represents a number of "levels,"
where:
-
the first level is the site's main page
-
the second level consists of the pages that the main page links to
-
the third level consists of the pages that the second-level pages link
to
-
Click OK.
See Also
About Channels
Adding Channels
to Netcaster
When Netcaster updates a channel or site, it downloads the site's contents
and stores it on your computer in its own cache. Each site's cache takes
up room on your hard disk, measured in kilobytes (KB). Although most channels
will specify a default cache size, you might want to adjust the cache size
on these occasions:
-
A site might be too large to fit in its cache. You can increase the
site's maximum cache size to accommodate the site. (Another option is to
decrease the number of site levels that are downloaded.)
-
You might run low on hard-drive space. In this case, you can reduce
a site's maximum cache size. You can also clear the entire cache, erasing
all the currently downloaded content. (Another option is to decrease the
number of site levels that are downloaded.)
To adjust the maximum cache size:
-
Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the site's link in
Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
-
Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list,
then click the Properties button.
-
Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
-
Enter an amount in kilobytes.
-
Click OK.
To clear the cache and erase all currently downloaded content:
-
Open the Channel Properties dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a link in
Netcaster, then choose Properties on the menu that appears.
-
Click the Options button in Netcaster. Select the site in the list,
then click the Properties button.
- Click the Cache tab to display the Cache panel.
- Click Clear Cache.
- Click OK.
Note
You cannot change the cache size of Castanet channels.
See Also
About Channels
Adding Channels
to Netcaster
With offline browsing, you can browse or view a Netcaster channel while
you're offline (disconnected from the Internet). Offline browsing gives
you the following advantages:
-
View a site when it's inconvenient to connect to the Internet, such
as while traveling.
-
If you're charged for connection time, viewing a site offline can reduce
the cost of your Internet connection.
-
Because Netcaster stores a site locally (on your hard disk), you can
quickly navigate the site without the delays caused by a slow connection.
How offline browsing works
Offline browsing works because Netcaster downloads the contents of a
site and stores it on your computer in a cache. Because the site is stored
on your computer, you can view it even when you're offline.
Before you can view a site offline, Netcaster has to download or
update the site at least once. A site is downloaded when you do one of
the following while you're online:
-
Start Netcaster for the first time.
-
Add a site to Netcaster.
-
In the Options dialog box, select the site you want to update. Then
click the Update Now button.
-
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) a site's link in Netcaster,
then choose Update in the menu that appears.
Most importantly, Netcaster can automatically update a site according
to a schedule that you specify. By regularly downloading a site, Netcaster
updates the site for you (gets the site's most current information).
See Also
Controlling Automatic
Updates
Controlling Update
Frequency
Controlling How
Much of a Site Is Updated
Controlling Cache
Size
About Channels
There are a few circumstances when you might be offline:
-
You're physically disconnected from the Internet (unplugged).
-
When you start Communicator, you've chosen not to connect to the Internet.
- You're in offline mode while running Communicator.
-
If you have a dial-up or phone-line connection, you've disconnected
using your dialer software.
Follow these steps to view a site offline:
-
Make sure that Netcaster has updated the site at least once.
-
Start Netcaster if you haven't already.
-
Click the site's link in My Channels.
Netcaster displays the site according to default properties or those
you've specified. You can control how sites appear offline by customizing
Netcaster. The site won't be updated until the next time you're connected,
running Netcaster, and a download is scheduled to occur.
Offline and online modes
In Communicator, you can take advantage of offline and online modes.
To disconnect and work in offline mode, open the Navigator or Messenger
File menu, then click Go Offline. If you're working in offline mode when
Netcaster is scheduled to update a site, Netcaster doesn't download the
site. If you're in online mode but not connected to the Internet (you haven't
chosen Go Offline but you've disconnected in another way), Netcaster tries
to connect and complete a scheduled update.
See Also
Starting Netcaster
Customizing
Netcaster
Controlling Automatic
Updates
Controlling Update
Frequency
Controlling How
Much of a Site Is Updated
Controlling Cache
Size