The Favorite Start Page 1.72

The Favorite Start Page is a handy browser start page in dynamic HTML. The Favorite Start Page lets you put your favorites in a structure of expandable boxes which can be navigated without mouse clicks. You can drag and drop favorites to move or delete them, and you can make your most commonly used favorites permanently visible.
Your favorites are stored together with the whole program in a single, self-contained HTML file on your local hard disk. The page loads quickly whether you are online or offline. You can back up or transfer all your favorites by copying this single file, because the page can restore all your favorites by exporting them.
The page can be viewed with almost any browser, so if you put the page on the internet you will be able to access it from any online computer, or share it with other people. Internet Explorer 5.5, Opera 7, Firefox 1.0 or higher will display the page as dynamic, interactive menus, while other browsers simply show a long list of favorites.
Other features include customizable buttons for searching search engines directly from the page. You can search for a favorite on the page. You can select online CSS skins or create your own skin from within the page. It has a graphics cache which can improve icon load times in Internet Explorer itself. You can exclude specific folders and customize many aspects of the page.
Main features:
Build a personal start page with your favorites
- Click the sync button to build the page with your Internet Explorer favorites. Since the page is a single HTML file stored on your hard disk, it loads quickly whether you are offline or online.
By default, icons will be cached to a folder called graphics in the same folder as the start.html file. If you turn off the cache or delete this folder, the icons will simply be loaded from the web instead.
Its easy to find a favorite on the page
- You can search for a favorite on the page with the find button, or you can navigate to it by moving the mouse pointer over the relevant box and sub-folder names. This navigation is easier and faster than Internet Explorers Favorite menus.
- Each box on the page corresponds to a folder in your Internet Explorer favorites, and it has the same sub-folders as that folder. When boxes are closed, only a certain number of favorites is shown (specified in the settings on the help page).
- When you move the mouse pointer over the title of a box or sub-folder, it will open and display all favorites within. Move the mouse pointer out from the box to close it. Clicking on the background around the boxes will close everything, including the help page if it is open.
- You can make your most commonly used favorites permanently visible by dragging and dropping them into good positions. You can also rearrange the order of boxes. To delete links, drop them in the Recycle Box (this box appears when you start to move a link).
- Moving or deleting links will affect both the start.html file and your Internet Explorer favorites when you click sync and save changes. The order of links and boxes is only stored in the start.html file itself and is not necessarily the same order as in the Favorites Menu. Sub-folders are ordered by size for efficient navigation.
Back up, transfer or share your favorites by copying a single file
- When you build the page, all your favorites will be stored in the start.html file. (This file actually contains the whole program as well.) Simply make a copy of this file to back up your favorites, or to transport them to another computer. You can make this page available on the internet in order to share your favorites with other people.
- To restore your favorites later using the start.html file, click on the sync button and select export. Links that already exist in your Internet Explorer favorites will not be overwritten unless you check the Replace existing favorites checkbox, and favorites will not be deleted unless you check the Delete favorites not on this page checkbox.
It has buttons for searching search engines directly
- There are customizable search buttons that let you search directly in most search engines or online databases. You can configure the buttons to search your favorite search engine, your local phone directory, the bus timetable or other useful services. Click here for more information on how to configure the buttons.
Nice skins available online
- Click the help button and click on Skins to see the list of the online skins available. Click on a skin to select it. When you click sync and save changes, the skin will be stored in the same start.html file that also contains the program and all your favorites.
- Use the new and copy buttons below the skin table to create or modify skins. When you press either button, a new skin will be added to the skin table. Check the checkbox on the right hand side of this row to see the CSS text in a row just below. This text defines all skin properties.
- With the edit checkbox checked, this text is editable, and changes take effect in real time. Manually editing CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) can be a little tricky if youve never done it before. Take a look at the other skins for inspiration and to see which class names and elements are available. (To open another skin without selecting it, hold down the Ctrl key and click its name.)
- When you have created or updated a skin and want to share it, click the share button. This button is only enabled for skins created with either the copy or the new button. Enter a user name and password so that you can make updated versions of the skin later. Click OK to upload it to the web server.
- The skin will now appear as unverified in your list of skins, and only you and an administrator can see the skin at this time. When the skin is given a rating other than zero by an administrator, it immediately becomes available for all to see and use. You have to reload the page to see that change.