Create a Timesaving Homepage

As a web designer and/or developer you need tools that help you save time in your everyday online routine. One resourceful tool we have used for many years is a custom quickie browser home page that resides on our system (or shared drive for those who use a network). By home page we are not referring to the homepage (index.html) page on your website. We are talking about creating one HTML page of links you visit on a repetitive basis. Then by editing your browser setup options, you will go directly to that page whenever you hit your HOME button on your browser or open a new browser window. Your browser homepage may already be setup for you. Perhaps it is pointing at MSN's web site, AOL's web site, your local ISP's web site, local weather, etc.

Instructions: Simply create your Get There Quick home page with the hyperlinks to the sites you visit often and save it to your hard drive. Be sure to make a note as to the absolute path of the file on your system. Note: If you are like most people, your My Favorites file is overflowing with URLs that makes it difficult to find what you want quickly. This option can be a better method than your favorites and should only contain links that you visit often (daily/weekly). The point is to get there quick and find it quick without hunting for it or typing it into your browser address bar. It is not meant to replace the My Favorites feature in any browser. Keep in mind that adding hundreds of links to this page to the point where it takes you some time to visually search for the link defeats the main purpose.

Example:
C:\My Documents\quick.html

In MIE go to Tools > Internet Options > General tab and type in the absolute path to the file on your hard drive. Click OK. Then open a browser window or click Home on a window that is already open. If it takes you to your new Get There Quick page, you are all set. If it does not, the absolute path of the file on your hard drive is not correct. Determine the correct absolute path and try it again.

In Netscape 6+ go to Edit > Preferences > Navigator > Home Page section and type in the absolute path to the file on your hard drive. Be sure that in the section "Navigator starts with ..." that the "Home Page" option is selected. Click OK. Then open a browser window or click Home on a window that is already open. If it takes you to your new Get There Quick page, you are all set. If it does not, the absolute path of the file on your hard drive is not correct. Determine the correct absolute path and try it again.

This same page can also be uploaded to your web server (public or private directory), but realize that doing so makes it easily accessed by crawling search engines or anyone who finds it perhaps through their referral logs when it is not in a private directory (password protected). Never publish passwords to private URLs on your custom home page such as your Hotmail or Yahoo account or membership sites you belong to. If you can get to it without entering a password for access, so can EVERYONE else on the Internet. Even placing it into a private directory allows access to your hosting service if they wanted it.