Firefox Part 1 - Using the Firefox Web Browser

During this course, you will use the "Firefox" web browser to visit websites on the Internet. Firefox is very easy to use. It is also easy to modify to suit your browsing needs. You will learn how to modify Firefox in the next lesson.

First step:
Go to the "Applications" folder in your dock, and open Firefox. After Firefox opens, you will then see the "browser window." This window has many important areas that you will need to learn to use.

Menu Bar Items:
The "menu bar" is always located at the top of your computer's desktop. It will look different for each different computer application you use. It has nine important "drop-down" menus that you may use. I will list a few of the drop-down items I would like you to learn to use.

Firefox

• Preferences - Where you modify the browser's settings
  
• Quit - Use to quit the browser
  

File

• New Window - Opens a new window so you can visit another web page
• New Tab - Opens a new tab so you can visit another web page and still see the tab to the other web pages you have open
• Open Location - This highlights the address bar, then you can type the address to a different web page
• Close Window - Close a web page in a window
• Close Tab - Close a web page in a tab
• Save Page As... - Save a web page to your computer
• Print - Print a web page
• Work Offline - If this is checked, your are not connected to the Internet

Edit - Use these features if you need to edit, copy items, paste items, find items, etc.

• Undo
• Redo
• Cut
• Copy
• Paste
• Delete
• Select All
• Find

View

• Toolbar - You may show or hide your toolbars as you wish
  
• Status Bar - Shows if a web page is loading
  
• Side Bars - Shows your history or bookmarks
  
• Reload - Reloads your current web page
  

History

• Use this menu bar item to see the websites you have already visited

Bookmarks

• Use this tab to make or edit your website bookmarks

Tools

• These are advanced features you may learn to use later

Window

• Use this menu bar item to switch between different windows or to zoom in on the page

Help

• Use this menu bar item to access the help menu or update Firefox

Firefox has two toolbars that you may also modify for your use:

Navigation Toolbar - This toolbar has various items to help you "navigate" (find your way around) a web page:

• Back Arrow - Use to go to the page you visited before the current page
• Forward Arrow - Use to go to the page you visited after the current page
  
• Reload Arrow - Use to reload the current page
  
• Stop - Use to stop loading the current page
  
• Home - Use to go to your browser's set "home page"
  
• History - Use to view your browsing history (the pages you have already visited)
  
• Print - Use to print the current web page (be careful...it could be long!)
  
• Address Bar - Type the URL of the web page you wish to visit
  
• Search Bar - Use to search a topic with a variety of web "search engines"
  

Bookmarks Toolbar - This toolbar shows the bookmarks you have selected to be constantly displayed on the toolbar.

When you visit a web page, don't forget to click on the "hyperlinks." These are usually underlined and colored blue. Hyperlinks take you to another web page for more information about a topic.