http://gudbrand.no/start/
The Favorite Start Page
A browser start page with all your internet bookmarks
Introduction »
The Favorite Start Page is a handy browser start page in dynamic HTML.
It shows 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.
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.
• It's 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
Explorer's 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 you've 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.
• It's free »
