In an effort to achieve maximum functionality, the Oracle Documentation Library is implemented using some of the latest advances in web technology. Many of these technologies still have open issues regarding implementation, performance and stability. Nonetheless, the particpating development teams have worked very hard to minimize the impact these issues.
Topics covered are:
The full and proper operation of the Oracle Information Navigator and Oracle Information Navigator Search requires the following:
Testing has been conducted on...
- Netscape Navigator 3.0 or greater for Windows NT/95, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems
- Netscape Communicator 4.0 or greater for Windows NT/95
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or greater for Windows NT/95 operating systems*
The most recent release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.2 contains a change to the Java environment that does not support the Oracle Information Navigator. Microsoft is aware of this issue and will resolve it in a future release.
The Oracle Information Navigator may work on other browsers that support frames and Java, but has not been extensively tested with other browsers.
The Oracle information deliverables makes extensive use of color to denote specific areas of importance. While we've made every effort to limit color usage within the library to less than 256 colors, you may experience "color-flash" when run with other applications.
"Color flash" occurs when the number of colors requested by the application is greater than can be supplied to all applications. Often this can be resolved by moving to a higher color depth for your display or simply Refreshing or Reloading the page.
The Oracle Documentation Library makes extensive use of HTML Frames to provide a richer navigation environment. Frames allow multiple HTML documents to be loaded into a single browser window at one time. A series of nested frames are used that provide for the placement of the Toolbar (Java applet) and the main content areas. How you interact with this frame-based environment depends on which browser you use and which browser features you typically use (i.e. bookmarking, printing).
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 section or topic. The default behavior when choosing bookmark/shortcut from the menu of most frame-enabled browsers is to create a bookmark to the most senior parent frame within the browser.
Selecting Add Bookmark from within Netscape Navigator bookmarks the library home page even if some other page or section was displayed.
To bookmark the currently displayed content page:
- Left-click the mouse in the content window. This is the main text region on the right side of the browser window.
- Right-click the mouse in this area and select Add Bookmark or Internet Shortcut from the popup menu.
Unfortunately navigating to this content page using the newly established bookmark removes the toolbar and any other frames from the browser window.
Microsoft Internet Explorer behaves similarly to Netscape Navigator when dealing with frames. Selecting Add To Favorites... or Internet Shortcut from either the main menu or the frame popup menu only bookmarks the library home or the content page.
Printing
Similar to bookmarks, printing in a multi-framed application can be a bit confusing. Both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator print the contents of the last select frame.
To select and print a single frame:
- Left click the mouse in the content area you wish to print.
- Select Print... or Print Frame... form the File menu of the browser.
Reloading
Occasionally, you may find it necessary to Refresh or Reload the currently displayed page or section. Each of the major browsers treat this operation differently. Netscape Navigator performs this operation correctly in all cases. If you are currently displaying a section other than the library home page, Netscape Navigator refreshes the currently displayed multi-frame configuration.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, however, resets the browser to the Developer Library home page, displaying the Welcome... screen.
Borderless Frames
This information library may take advantage of a new feature in the latest available browsers - borderless frames. Borderless frames are achieved through the use of HTML extensions that may not be supported by all frames-enabled browsers. For these browsers, a gray bar appears separating the framed areas within the browser window. This border does not affect the operation of the Developer Library.
Frame Resizing
Another HTML extension, non-resizing frames may be used within this information library. This feature locks a frame size to a predetermined height or width. The toolbar region at the top of the browser display window are one such area that cannot be resized.
As the entire browser window is resized, the main content window adjusts to fill the space not already allocated to the toolbar and navigation regions.
Java, developed by Sun Microsystems, is a programming language designed to allow application providers to deliver platform independent applications over the Internet. The Oracle Information Navigator and the Oracle Information Navigator Search are two such applications built using the Java programming language.
While Java is a very exciting tool for web-based applications development and deployment, not all browsers support it today. Additionally, Java is not as mature as other languages and as such may from time to time exhibit some problems. These instabilities may cause the Oracle Information Navigator to misbehave.
Two common problems are:
Applet Didn't Load
Occassionally, you may experieince the navigator and/or search components not loading. At this time of this release we have not been able to determine the exact causes for this behavior. If this occurs, simply exit and restart the browser. Reloading or refeshing the display will not correct this problem..Applet Window Is To Small
In general the Oracle Information Navigator Window should appear correctly sized and placed in the upper left of your screen. Occasionally, the window displays as an iconified window. Unfortunately, resizing the window does not display the window properly. To correct this problem, simply exit and restart the browser.
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