Tips and Tricks


There are alot of tips and tricks out there, to make your life on the web easier. So on this page we will list some of those things. We will be adding to these every few days and posting them to the list, so be sure to check back from time to time to see if there is anything here that you would like to use.


A Handy Tip for all you Tripoders out there!

When you are editing the html for your page, and you are done, alot of us just hold arrow down key, until we get to the bottom of the page, and out of the text area to save the page....Try this instead of holding the arrow down key:

Hold the cmd button down on your keyboard, and hit the arrow down key! It will instantly take you out of the text editor.

Tip For Sending Email

When you are sending email to a fellow webtver, you don't have to put @webtv.net. Take my email addy for example, doranemann@webtv.net, all you would have to put in the TO line is doranemann.

Handy Pagebuilding Tip

This is a handy code to use. Especially if you have gif or midi site and they are all kept in the same directory. Instead of writing out the complete URL of images, backgrounds and gifs on your page, Use this code in betweenthe head tags of your page: <<>BASE HREF="http://url of your homepage/"><>.    You can now use the <<>xxxx.mid"><> without the long http:// addy!   Like this: (a href="kitten.gif") But be sure and replace () with <>

When Posting Multiple Links

When posting multiple urls I use this method. I get on the page that I wish to send. I hit the "to to" button, then I click on the show current. The url will then be up. Next, I hit the cmd + a key to highlight the url. Then I hit the cmd + x key to copy and remove the url. Then you type mailto:anybody in the box. You can put the real address in the box when you get ready to send it. You will then move the cursor down to the body of the message and hit the cmd +v button to put the url in the body of the message. You can then move out of the email by hitting the   back button and surf the web until you come across another link that you wish to send. Then you repeat the steps. When you get ready to send the message you will delete anybody from the addy line and then insert the real address in in the To line on your email.

When Your Email Signature Won't Load

If your email sig won't load because the server is down, you can't get to your remove sig button, and therefore can not write e-mail. Copy this into the subject line and send it to yourself: mailto:?no_signature=true Keep it in your Saved mail or just on your Mail page. Then, when you can't get your mail screen to come up, click on it. You will go right to your "no signature" Write page...

Using Your GO TO box
After pressing "GoTo", you don't have to type "www." or ".com" when entering a web address, these are filled in automatically for most sites.

Body Background Tip
When you have text that clashes with your background and it is very hard to read change your body back ground color.  For  example, (body background="https://members.tripod.com/~dorane_mann/pinkbg3.gif")(body bgcolor=pink text=midnightblue).  This is how I have mine.

Number of Emails
Want to find out the total number of E-mails you have received? Try this! Put the curser over the most recent E-mail in your E-mail box. Press the "Ctrl" button + "Cmd" button at the same time. It will show the total number of E-mails you have received in the status bar.

Transfering Entire Files From One User To Another
Step 1 First, you will open up the folder that you want to move. (It actually doesnt "move" the folder). You are just copying its contents. After you open it up, put your cursor over the first page you havesaved. Then push your "RETURN" button, and after pushing it, you need to very quickly hit your "GO TO" button. (That will keep the page from opening up.) Then choose "SHOW LAST". The url of the page will now be in the text box. Push "cmd+a" to highlight the url, then "cmd+c" to copy the url. Then push the "back" button. Step 2 This step is pretty much the same, only you will be adding one more step. Move over to the second page you have saved. Push the "return" button and very quickly hit the "go to" button. Choose "show last". Hit the space bar a couple of times. This will put some space between urls. YOu could also type yourself a note about that url in parentheses right here. Push "cmd+v", then "cmd+a" then "cmd+c". Now hit the "back" button. You now have 2 urls saved. Keep going like this, repeating the steps above that are listed in Step 2. You can work up a pretty good rythym doing this, and it wont take you long once you get the hang of it. After you have done your last page, just go to your write mail screen, address the email to your other user, put the title of the folder in the subect, and in the body of your email, push the "cmd+v" buttons. All the urls you copied, will be pasted there. Send your email. When you get to your other user, you can re-save all the urls.

Embeding Midis
To embed a MIDI in your WebTV e-mail sig box use this code. It will give you continuous play autostart music. (embed src="http://URLofSong.mid" autostart="true" loop="-1") Want to play music on a link(page) that doesn't have music, add this code to your page. <<>embed src="http://URLofMidi/title.mid" hidden="true" name="run" autostart="false"><> <<>a href="http://URLofPage" onClick="document.run.play(false)"target="_blank"><> Link text <<>/a><> Want different music on different links. Use the code above but change the name="run" and the onClick="document.run.play(false) in each link. Example: name="midi1" onClick="document.midi1.play(false)

MIDIS ON A WEB PAGE
When putting a MIDI on your web page remember there are three different major computer browsers, Netscape, Microsoft Inetnet Explorer, and WebTv. To be sure your midi is heard by all 3 use this code. It will give you continuous play autostart music. (bgsound src="http://URLofSong.mid" loop="-1") (embed src="http://URLofSong.mid" hidden="true" align="baseline" border="0" width="128" height="128" autostart="true" loop="-1") WebTV can read both codes, but "bgsound src=" is correct for MSIE, while "embed src=" is correct for Netscape.

Transloading Graphics
Here is a tip for saving and transloading graphics. Ever been surfing and found a graphic you would like to use, but the Transloader is busy. You don't want to save the site in favorites, and you are afraid you won't find the graphic again! In your favorites make a folder titled A/Transload. This should make it the first folder in favorites. Now when you are viewing a graphic you like, HIT Save. When the Pop-Up comes up hit save page. Now at your convience go to the A/Transload folder and transload the graphics to your site.

Moving Pip Picture To move your picture from one side of the screen to the other with the PIP feature on a Webtv Plus unit you hit cmd + m at the same time.

Email Memory Tip
To view the amount of memory a message occupies, choose Clean up from any screen in Mail. The right-hand column displays the percentage of available memory each message occupies.

Fn Key
[ Fn key ] (Plus units only) Is for the Smart card feature. And...If you push and hold down the [ Fn key ] then press the [ Y,U ] Key's at the same time you will get 1 of 2 special screens hit it in different pages of your set up (ex.use it in mail list/ or in favorites.)...Have fun with them...

Email Tips And Tricks
By Lady_Meow@webtv.net
Did you know that if you want to send an email message to another WebTV user from your WebTV email address - all you have to do is type their "name" on the "To" line?   You don't have to put the "@webtv.net" part. Example:  I am "Lady_Meow@webtv.net".  If I wanted to send an email to my friend Kimmie (Hi Kimmie!) who is "Goldustwoman2@webtv.net" - all I have to type in the "To" line is  "Goldustwoman2" Also, if you have a bunch of ppl that you send emails to on a regular basis - here's a way to send a message to them all in one shot (instead of clicking on all their names in your ADDRESSES file). 1. go to ADDRESSES and click on ADD 2. when the screen comes up that asks for the name and email address of who you want to add - do the following: 3. fill in the "name" slot with a easy-to-remember name like "My List" 4. fill in the "email address" slot with ALL of your frequently used email addys - each addy separated by a comma & a space 5.  save it by clicking on ADD This way, all you have to do is type your message,  click on "To" to bring up your addresses file (or click on ADDRESSES on the left sidebar) and choose "My List".   When you put the check in that box and CONTINUE, every email addy you typed in will appear on your message.

Midi Finder Tip
By Lady_Meow@webtv.net
If you are on someone's web page or have opened an email from someone, and you'd like to know what the music is that's playing - just press your INFO key.  Right underneath the addy it'll say Audio: "URL OF MIDI FILE"

Email List Tip
By Lady_Meow@webtv.net
When you create the name in your ADDRESSES file, use "*List"  (star and the word List) instead of "My List" so it'll be listed first in your address book.

Pagebuilder Tip
By knight-rider85@webtv.net
when editing a page at any of the servers i.e. tripod geocities ect if you enter the editor and need to get to the top of the page and dont want to scroll thru 10 miles of text just hit find type in head with the brackets and click on find on page and presto you are at the top of the page you need to edit.

Guest Book Advice
If you have several guestbooks or message boards to keep track of, one of the easiest ways to do this is by saving it to a Fave Folder. I have one titled "Daily's". While you are viewing your guestbook, save it to your Folder. and then when you want to check for new entries, you just have to go to that Fave folder instead of your page. Saves a little time, and it's easy to remember to check on it if you label the file Daily. Then get into the habit of doing it Daily.

The Message Light
The message light is the red light labeled MESSAGE on the front of your WebTV box. When it is on it means you have a new message in your mail list. It goes off again once you open the message. Your WebTV box automatically checks for messages as long as its plugged into an electrical outlet and a phone line. It is normally set to do this every day at 6 am. However, you can change the setting to another time if you prefer. To change the time when your WebTV box checks for mail to to "settings" and choose "message light". Then you choose a time you want your WebTV Plus Receiver to check for new messages every day even while your television is off. The red message light will illuminate if you have new mail.

Email With No Signature
Having trouble getting even your own e-mail page to load lately? Here's a tip that might come in handy. Send an e-mail to yourself with mailto:?no_signature=true in the "Subject" line. Make sure to hit your "remove signature" button before you send it so that the e-mail will load when you click on it. Save the e-mail, and when you can't get your e-mail page to load, just click on the e-mail, and then click on the mailto:?no_signature=true in the "Subject" line, and it will take you to your e-mail page; minus the signature, of course...

Your Address Book
When someone writes you a message, you can usually add the person to your address book by choosing their name, which appears in blue after the word From. You can also add a persons information to your address book by typing it in yourself. You would choose Addresses on your side bar. Then you would choose Add. Type the person's name and email address at the top of the page. Choose Add at the bottom. Then the next time you want to write someone a message you can use the address book instead of typing it in by hand.

Go To Tip
After pressing "GoTo", you don't have to type "www." or ".com" when entering a web address, these are filled in automatically for most sites

Getting Around The "Publisher Refuses To Give You Access" Message
Sometimes while surfing the web, you will get that very annoying message that says "The Publisher Of That Page Refuses To Give You Access". When this happens, try this little trick to get around it;   Hit your "Go To" key, and then click on "Show Last" in the pop-up. When the URL appears in the address window, click on "Go To Page", or just hit your "Return" key. This usually works, but you may have to repeat it a couple of times until it does...

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