Occasionally while surfing, one finds web pages with "bookmark me" prompts.

Often, these are either

1. generic prompts or
2. they say something like, "Netscape only" or "IE only". (The "Netscape only" often has Control-D instructions and the "IE only" a link or button to click.)

It takes quite a bit of web page real estate to present those options. Further, Macintosh computers don't have a Control key (they use the Command/Apple key instead), and IE versions we've tested on Macintosh don't bookmark the same way as on PC.

With this article, you have another choice. You are no longer limited to either a generic prompt or a huge block of instructional text. You can have bookmark prompts customized for the type of browser and computer your visitor is using.

The JavaScript code on the demonstration page customizes the "bookmark me" prompt for the browser and computer requesting the web page. It has complete instructions. See http://willmaster.com/a/7/pl.pl?77a

Customization is two simple steps:

1. Specify the text prompts you want your visitors to see when using

• a Macintosh computer,
• IE on a PC,
• Netscape on a PC, and
• another browser version or computer operating system.

2. When your visitors are using IE on a PC, specify whether you want to display a link or a button -- either of which would initiate the bookmarking of your page.

When the customization is done, just specify where on your web page to put the custom prompt. That's done with three lines of JavaScript clearly demonstrated when you "view source" at the demonstration page.

Again, the demonstration page is at http://willmaster.com/a/7/pl.pl?77a

Copyright 2000 William Bontrager
Programmer/Publisher, "WillMaster Possibilities" ezine
http://willmaster.com/possibilities/
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