Help in printing from Netscape.

Help in printing from Netscape

I have not had a great deal of success in printing the "test" documents from Netscape. However, I believe that I have been able to find a scheme to accomplish this task, but only for those pages that do not use Java. I have not been able to get Netscape to print the Java graphics correctly. To get printouts of those Java pages you need to use Internet Explorer, 4.0 SP1. For non-Java pages, if you are going to use Netscape then it is essential that you use Netscape 4. Hopefully, you will be using the most recent version of Netscape Navigator (4.05).

More than hopefully. This paragraph was added 6-5-96. Netscape 4.01 does NOT work as described below. The process described below seems to be ok for version 4.04 and 4.05 on Windows 95, except that in 4.05 Navigator may pick up a spurious error in the Javascript when it is trying to print the test page. Simply click on "OK" in that error message window if it shows up. This continued inconsistency and instability in Navigator is intollerable! I have not been able to check out Netscape on the Mac at this point but I hold little hope for it. Sorry!

When you first load a page it should print correctly. If you open the secondary window to view the answers, that window should also print correctly. The problem shows up when you "reload" the page. It seems that Netscape has a problem if you use the "Reload" button on the toolbar or if you use the Reload command in the View menu. If you use either method, then Netscape will display a new page correctly, but if you ask to print that page then Netscape actually prints the original page, not the one currently on the screen. You can avoid the problem by "reloading" the page through the Location: field. You need to use the mouse to click at the end of the URL in the Location: field, and then press the "Enter" key to force a complete reload of the web page. Having done this you can print out the newly loaded page.

The problem in the following paragraph does not seem to exist in Netscape 4.06. However, it remains true for 4.05 and probably 4.01.
The secondary window also gets confused when a page is "reloaded" via the "Reload" button and the Reload menu command. As new pages are loaded and as you click on the "See Answers" button on those pages, Netscape will display the new secondary window with the correct answers in it. However, you will not be able to print that window. In fact, the print command will probably disappear from the menu, if the menu is even present. The way to avoid this problem is to force the secondary windows to close after you use them. Once all secondary windows are closed, if you click on the "See Answers" button at the end of the test, then a new secondary window will open. It will have the answers to the test that is on the screen, and you will be able to print that window.

I am sure that all of this is the result of some "design fault" in my pages. However, I have not been able to get a solution, or even a suggestion for a solution from anyone. I would love to have the problem identified, analyzed, and corrected. The easiest way to avoid the problem is to not use Netscape, but rather to use Microsoft Internet Explorer. Again, use the most recent version. Please note that both browsers are available free of charge at the respective company sites.