Internet Explorer

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Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about Favorites and how to save and organize webpages. In addition, you will learn how to use add-ons like accelerators and web slices.

Favorites

You can bookmark or save a webpage to Favorites in Internet Explorer 8. There are several features that allow you to better manage, add to, and access webpages in your favorites.

To add a page to favorites:

Once you determine how you want to organize and customize your folders, you can begin adding pages to your favorites. Below are several variations on Adding to Favorites.

1. With the desired page visible in your browser, click the Favorites button, then click Add to Favorites.
   
   Add to Favorites
2. The Add a Favorite dialog box will appear.
3. Click Add to place the page in your Favorites list. Alternatively, you can select or create a folder for the webpage.

Adding a page to the Favorites bar

If you have a page you browse quite often, such as email, news, or weather sites, you may want to add it to your Favorites Bar. Simply click the Add to Favorites Bar button, and the page will automatically be added.

To add tabs to favorites:

You can also add your current tabs to favorites, which makes it easy to return to your tabbed browsing without having to open each individual tab again.

1. Click the Add to Favorites drop-down button, then select Add Current Tabs to Favorites.
   Add Current Tabs to Favorites
2. The Add Tabs to Favorites dialog box will appear and prompt you to name and place a folder for your tabs.
3. When finished, click Add.
   Add Tabs to Favorites Window

Organizing your favorites

The more organized your favorites, the easier they will be to access. Favorites allows you to organize pages into folders, which can help to keep related favorites together.

1. In the toolbar, click the Favorites button.
2. Click the Add to Favorites drop-down button, then select Organize Favorites.
   
   Access Organize Favorites
3. The Organize Favorites dialog box appears. Here, you can:
   
   • Add new folders for any subject you browse often, like shopping, travel, sports, or entertainment
   • Manage your folders by moving, renaming, or deleting them
   Organize Favorites
4. In our example below, travel webpages are organized in the Travel folder. Click the favorite to open it, or click the blue arrow to open in a new tab.
   
   Opening Favorites

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Favorites Bar additions

Suggested Sites

Suggested Sites is a convenient addition to the Favorites Bar. If you want to see similar pages to the webpage you are viewing, click on the Suggested Sites button to get a list of similar sites.

Add-ons Gallery

Add-ons include search providers, web slices, accelerators, and other tools you can add to Internet Explorer to enhance your browsing experience. When you click on the Get More Add-ons button, you'll see a quick view of add-ons, along with a link to access the Internet Explorer Add-ons Gallery.

You can search and browse the Add-ons Gallery by the categories listed in the left column. If you see an add-on you like, click Add to Internet Explorer and follow the directions.

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Accelerators

In the past, if you wanted to map a restaurant or email a friend a news story, you would have to cut and paste the information into a new webpage. Accelerators have conveniently eliminated the need to take these extra steps by providing access to certain actions like mapping an address, defining a word, or emailing content within a specific page.

To use an accelerator:

Highlight the text you desire, and click on the blue Accelerator button. Some accelerators, such as maps and translators, allow you to hover over them for instant access on the page. Others require you to click to access them.

Selecting All Accelerators allows you to:

• Access additional accelerators
• Select Find More Accelerators to search for additional accelerators in the Add-ons Gallery
• Manage your current accelerators by clicking on Manage Accelerators

Clicking on Find More Accelerators will take you to the Add-ons Gallery, where you can browse and select additional accelerators. Once you have selected an accelerator, click Add to Internet Explorer, and it will appear in your All Accelerators list.

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RSS feeds

RSS feeds are a great way to stay informed about webpages that are frequently updated like news, weather, stocks, and social networking sites. When you subscribe to an RSS feed on a webpage, you will receive up-to-date information from that site.

To subscribe to RSS feeds:

When you browse a page in Internet Explorer 8 that has an RSS feed you can subscribe to, the RSS button in the Command Bar will turn orange.

1. Click the RSS drop-down button, then select the desired feed or feeds.
   RSS Feed Button
2. The Subscribe to this Feed dialog box will appear. Click Subscribe to this feed.
3. Select the desired location, then click Subscribe.
   Subscribe to RSS Feed
4. Once you have subscribed to a feed, you can access it in Favorites. Click the Feeds tab, then select the desired feed to open and browse its feed page.
   • You can click on the blue Refresh arrows to update before opening.
   Access Feeds in Favorites

Some webpage feeds are not recognized by the feed button in the Command Bar. Look for the symbols below or the words "RSS" or "Subscribe" to find a webpage's RSS feed.

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Web slices

Web slices are like an enhanced RSS feed. They allow you to check frequently updated pages directly from your Favorites Bar. Microsoft has created web slices with several convenient features, including a one-click preview of content.

Adding and accessing web slices

Not all webpages have web slices, so the easiest way to search for and add them is in the Internet Explorer Add-ons Gallery.

1. Click the Get More Add-ons button, then select Internet Explorer Add-ons Gallery.
2. Select the Web Slices link from the Add-ons Gallery menu choices on the left.
3. Explore the web slices. If you see one you like, click on Add to Internet Explorer, and it will be placed in your Favorites Bar.

If you're browsing a page that has a web slice, the RSS button will change to the green web slice button. Additionally, you can sometimes access the web slice button directly on the page as seen in the image below. Whenever you see the green button, simply click it to add the web slice to your Favorites Bar.

When a webpage is updated, the web slice's name appears in bold, making it easy to know when there is new content. You can click on the web slice to see a quick view of the updated information. If you want to see more, click on the links to open the page.