A previous page gave some tips for using Internet Explorer 6. Most of the tips given for IE6 apply to IE7 as well but there are some new features in IE7 that require a different approach. Some of the changes are the addition of tabs, new security features, and a somewhat different interface.
Shortcuts for tabs
Here are some shortcuts specific to IE7. Note that the keyboard shortcuts given in Table I of the previous page apply to both IE6 and IE7. Table I gives shortcuts related to the use of tabs.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
Ctrl+click | Opens a link in a tab . New tab stays in background |
Ctrl+Shift+click | Opens a link in a tab . New tab is in the foreground |
| Ctrl+t | Opens a blank tab in the foreground |
| Ctrl+Tab | Switches between tabs |
| Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Switches between tabs in reverse order |
| Ctrl+w | Closes current tab |
Ctrl+Alt+F4 | Closes other tabs |
Ctrl+q | Open Quick Tabs (thumbnail views) |
| Ctrl+n (where n is an integer from 1-8) | Opens nth tab |
Click a link with the mouse wheel | Opens a link in a tab . New tab stays in background . |
Click a tab with the mouse wheel | Closes the tab |
Drag and drop tabs
If you prefer a particular order for your tabs and end up with an arrangement you don't like, it's very easy to sort the tabs into whatever order suits you. Simply use the mouse to drag the a tab into its desired position and drop it there.
Shortcuts for menus
Table II gives some shortcuts for using the menus in the new IE7 interface. Note that the Menu Bar is no longer displayed in the default setting. Functions from the Menu Bar are available in other ways. If desired, the Menu Bar itself can be toggled on and off or restored from the new Tools menu.
| Keyboard Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Alt | Toggles the Menu Bar |
| Alt+m | Opens the Home menu |
| Alt+j | Opens the RSS menu |
| Alt+p | Opens the Print menu |
| Alt+o | Opens the Tools menu |
| Alt+l | Opens the Help menu |
| Ctrl+f | Opens the Find dialog box |
Multiple home pages
A new feature of IE7 is the ability to have the browser open with several home pages displayed as tabs. If you routinely visit several sites every time you go online, this can be a nice convenience. Naturally, however, the more home pages, the slower the browser will open. Figure 1 shows the setting in Tools-Internet Options where home pages can be entered.
There is also a menu obtainable from the Command Bar icon called "Home" (Figure 2) or by entering the keyboard shortcut Alt+m mentioned in Table II. Additional home pages can then be configured in the dialog box obtained from clicking "Add or change home page..." The dialog box that will then open is shown in Figure 3.
Security and the Information Bar
Internet Explorer 7 has a number of new security measures built in. When IE7 detects a possible security situation, it will display a message in what Microsoft calls the "Information Bar". There are a variety of messages and one example is shown in Figure 4.
There are two keyboard shortcuts that can be used with the Information Bar. These are given in Table III.
| Keyboard action | Result |
|---|---|
| Alt+n | Puts focus on Information Bar |
| Spacebar | Clicks the Information Bar |
Zoom options
With the use of higher resolution settings now common, it is sometimes desirable to zoom on a page to make text and graphics larger. Using the "Control" key together with the "plus" or "minus" keys can be used to increase or decrease the size of objects on a Web page display. Thus the keyboard combination "Ctrl+" will increase the size of objects in 10% steps. Similarly, the combination "Ctrl-" will decrease the size.
Another zoom function can be found at the far right of the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. A drop-down menu is available with a variety of different zoom settings.
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