Tabs and
Navigation
The idea of using tabs for long-time IE users is not only
mysterious but confusing, that is, until the user understands how, when, and
why they would want to use tabs. Tabs
are simply a means of organization within the browser window and have been used
successfully in other browsers for quite sometime.
·
Demonstration: creating new tabs
o
Create a new tab by
clicking on the Create New Tab icon or using the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+T
o
Review the “about:Tabs” screen and how to disable it in the future
·
Demonstration: navigating tabs
o
With two or more tabs
open in a single instance of IE 7, demonstrate how to switch between tabs by
using the mouse and keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+Tab or Shift+Ctrl+Tab
o
Table of keyboard
shortcuts for navigating tabs on page 6
 |
Navigation Using
Quick Tabs
Finding a specific tab is easy if you only have a few open, but there’s another way to find, and switch between tabs. Click on the “Quick Tabs” icon near the top left of the screen, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Q. Doing so will give you a thumbnail display of the web pages you have open. Simply click on the screen of your choice to active it.
·
Demonstration: using Quick Tabs
o
With two or more tabs
open in a single instance of IE 7, demonstrate how to switch between tabs by
using the Quick Tabs view, accessible by clicking the icon or using the
keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+Q
Multiple tabs can be set to automatically open as “homepage” defaults. Perhaps one of the easiest
ways of doing this is to simply open multiple tabs to your favorite places by
clicking on the “create new tab” icon, then changing and saving the Internet
Options.
·
Demonstration: changing
Internet Options to use Tab Groups.
1.
With multiple tabs
open, click on Tools (icon or Menu Bar option) *See note below
2.
Select Internet
Options
3.
Click the “Use
current” button
4.
Save the changes by
clicking OK
*
Note: Press the Alt key to make the
Menu Bar visible – the Menu Bar can be enabled permanently by first displaying
the Menu Bar using the Alt key, then right-clicking in the area to the right of
the Help option, and selecting the Menu Bar option on the menu screen that
appears.
More About Tabs than
You Ever Wanted to Know
There is a plethora of information available on how to use
tabbed browsing. Microsoft offers an
on-line tour at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/tour/tabs/
albeit it’s a bit heavy on marketing hype.
Another source of information is
available in IE 7 whenever you open a new tab (assuming you haven’t previously
disabled this screen by enabling the “Don’t show this page again” check
box). This screen offers a couple of
options to learn more about tabs and shortcuts Simply click on “Learn more about tabs” or “Show
more tab shortcuts” to learn more about these topics. The tables below came from the “Show more tab
shortcuts” page.
Keyboard
Shortcuts
|
Open links in a new tab in the background |
Ctrl+Click |
|
Open links in a new
tab in the foreground |
Ctrl+Shift+Click |
|
Open a new tab in
the foreground |
Ctrl+T |
|
Open a new tab from the Address bar |
Alt+Enter |
|
Open a new tab from the search box |
Alt+Enter |
|
Open Quick Tabs
(thumbnail view) |
Ctrl+Q |
|
Switch between tabs |
Ctrl+Tab/Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
|
Switch to a specific tab number |
Ctrl+n (n can be 1-8) |
|
Switch to the last tab |
Ctrl+9 |
|
Close current tab |
Ctrl+W |
|
Close all tabs |
Alt+F4 |
|
Close other tabs |
Ctrl+Alt+F4 |
|
Go to your homepage |
Alt + M |
|
Refresh the page |
F5 |
|
Back & Forward |
Alt+Left or Right Arrows |
Mouse
Shortcuts
|
Open a link in a background tab |
Click the middle mouse button on a link |
|
Open a new tab |
Double-click the empty space to the right of the last tab |
|
Close a tab |
Click the middle mouse button on the tab |