Definition of Web Browser. A Web browser can be considered as a utility which client uses to access web services and documents from the server. There are various types of browsers are in use, for example, the default browser for windows platform is internet explorer, similarly for apple device default browser is Safari. Web browsers allow users to view resources that are stored on a server. For example, if you were to visit www.google.com, you are.
Alternatively referred to as a web browser or Internet browser, a browser is a software program to present and explore content on the World Wide Web. These pieces of content, including pictures, videos, and web pages, are connected using hyperlinks and classified with URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers). This page is an example of a web page that can be viewed using a browser.
There have been many different web browsers that have come and gone over the years. The first, named WorldWideWeb (later changed to Nexus), was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. However, the first graphical browser and widely used browser that help bring popularity to the Internet was NCSA Mosaic.
List of current Internet browsers
Where can I download a different browser?
NoteThe following links open in a new window. Once downloaded, you'll need to open your download folder and start the install for the browser to be installed on your computer.
TipAs long as your computer meets the browser requirements, your computer can have more than one (or all) of the above browser installed.
What happens when you first open a browser?
When you first open your Internet browser, it will load your homepage or show a start screen with your favorite pages. Once open, you can browse the Internet by following any of the hyperlinks or use a search engine to search for what you would like to find.
NoteIf you changed your browser settings, it may also open the last opened web pages or all the tabs you had opened when it was last closed.
What is needed for a browser to work?
A browser needs a computer, smartphone, or tablet that meets the system requirements with a working Internet or intranet connection that allows it to connect to other computers.
Getting around in a browser
Each browser has a navigation toolbar that helps you find your way around the Internet. As seen in the images below, the navigation toolbar has undergone significant changes to streamline its appearance and functionality. However, the toolbar is likely never going to lose the navigation arrows and address bar.
Overview of browser bar buttons, menus, and functions
As we mentioned in the previous section, over time, many Internet browser buttons and options have either been moved or done away with completely. Consequently, some of the options mentioned below may not be immediately visible on your browser.
TipIn certain browsers, pressing the Alt key on your keyboard shows hidden options.
Settings (menu)
Nearly all modern browsers today have moved advanced options and features in the upper-right or left corner of the browser window. Each browser's menu button is different:
For example, Internet Explorer uses , Chrome uses , Firefox uses , and Opera uses the icon.
Back
The back button visits the previous page that referred you to the page you are currently viewing. This button often resembles an arrow pointing to the left.
Forward
The forward button moves you forward a page. It only works if you have previously used the back button. If you have not gone back, and your browser shows a forward button, it will be grayed out.
Stop
The stop button no longer exists in the majority of modern web browsers. However, its function (to stop a web page from loading) may still be executed by pressing the Esc key.
Refresh (reload)
As you browse the Internet the browser cache's data it downloads, meaning they store some or all parts of each page you visit on your computer. This feature is useful as it allows users to not have to download the full page each time they visit the same site. On some sites, you may want to refresh the page to get the latest version (e.g., on a news site). The Refresh button can also be used to reload a page that has failed to load because of an error.
TipPress the F5 key or Ctrl+R to refresh the page from the keyboard. If the F5 key is not working, you can also do a force reload by pressing Ctrl+F5 in Windows or on an Apple computer press command+R.
Home
The Home button is used to return users to their default web page; the same page that loads when the browser is first opened.
Search
In the past, the Search button opened the default search page or execute a search on the text found in the address or URL text field. Today's browsers have what is called an omnibox, which is a search function built into the address bar.
Fullscreen
This function is used to make the browser window a fullscreen; temporarily removing the toolbar, buttons, and address bar. Often, this view mode may be toggled on and off by pressing the F11 key on your keyboard.
History
This feature allows users to view the pages that have been visited since the browser history was last cleared or created. All your saved pages are stored in your Internet cache.
TipThe shortcut key for history for most browsers is Ctrl+H.
Favorites (bookmarks)
This folder stores websites or pages chosen by the user. The term 'Favorites' is used with Microsoft Internet Explorer; in other browsers this may be known as bookmarks or a hotlist.
This feature, although no longer a button and may be accessed through the main settings menu or pressing Ctrl+P on the keyboard.
Font (size)
This button no longer exists but was used to increase or decrease the size of a font; an option now covered by the zoom feature.
Zoom
On modern browsers, holding down the Ctrl key and pressing either the '+' (plus key) or '-' (minus key) zooms in or out, increasing and decreasing the size of font and images. To reset the zoom function to its default size, press Ctrl+0 (zero) at the same time.
Used to open a user's preferred e-mail program. Today, this option is no longer found in browsers.
Edit
Used to open and edit the web page you are currently viewing in an HTML editor. Today, no longer found in browsers.
Related browser pages
ActiveX, Address bar, BHO, Bookmark, Browse, Cookie, Cross-browser, Internet, Internet terms, Konqueror, Lynx, Mosaic, Netscape, Omnibox, Plug-In, SeaMonkey, Tabbed browsing, Web, Web design terms
Source code:Lib/webbrowser.py
The
webbrowser
module provides a high-level interface to allow displayingWeb-based documents to users. Under most circumstances, simply calling theopen()
function from this module will do the right thing.Under Unix, graphical browsers are preferred under X11, but text-mode browserswill be used if graphical browsers are not available or an X11 display isn’tavailable. If text-mode browsers are used, the calling process will block untilthe user exits the browser.
If the environment variable
BROWSER
exists, it is interpreted tooverride the platform default list of browsers, as an os.pathsep
-separatedlist of browsers to try in order. When the value of a list part contains thestring %s
, then it is interpreted as a literal browser command line to beused with the argument URL substituted for %s
; if the part does not contain%s
, it is simply interpreted as the name of the browser to launch. 1For non-Unix platforms, or when a remote browser is available on Unix, thecontrolling process will not wait for the user to finish with the browser, butallow the remote browser to maintain its own windows on the display. If remotebrowsers are not available on Unix, the controlling process will launch a newbrowser and wait.
The script webbrowser can be used as a command-line interface for themodule. It accepts a URL as the argument. It accepts the following optionalparameters:
-n
opens the URL in a new browser window, if possible;-t
opens the URL in a new browser page (“tab”). The options are,naturally, mutually exclusive. Usage example:The following exception is defined:
webbrowser.
Error
¶Exception raised when a browser control error occurs.
The following functions are defined:
webbrowser.
open
(url, new=0, autoraise=True)¶Display url using the default browser. If new is 0, the url is openedin the same browser window if possible. If new is 1, a new browser windowis opened if possible. If new is 2, a new browser page (“tab”) is openedif possible. If autoraise is
True
, the window is raised if possible(note that under many window managers this will occur regardless of thesetting of this variable).Note that on some platforms, trying to open a filename using this function,may work and start the operating system’s associated program. However, thisis neither supported nor portable.
Changed in version 2.5: new can now be 2.
webbrowser.
open_new
(url)¶Open url in a new window of the default browser, if possible, otherwise, openurl in the only browser window.
webbrowser.
open_new_tab
(url)¶Open url in a new page (“tab”) of the default browser, if possible, otherwiseequivalent to
open_new()
.webbrowser.
get
([name])¶Return a controller object for the browser type name. If name is empty,return a controller for a default browser appropriate to the caller’senvironment.
webbrowser.
register
(name, constructor[, instance])¶Register the browser type name. Once a browser type is registered, the
get()
function can return a controller for that browser type. Ifinstance is not provided, or is None
, constructor will be called withoutparameters to create an instance when needed. If instance is provided,constructor will never be called, and may be None
.This entry point is only useful if you plan to either set the
BROWSER
variable or call get()
with a nonempty argument matching the name of ahandler you declare.A number of browser types are predefined. This table gives the type names thatmay be passed to the
get()
function and the corresponding instantiationsfor the controller classes, all defined in this module.Type Name | Class Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
'mozilla' | Mozilla('mozilla') | |
'firefox' | Mozilla('mozilla') | |
'netscape' | Mozilla('netscape') | |
'galeon' | Galeon('galeon') | |
'epiphany' | Galeon('epiphany') | |
'skipstone' | BackgroundBrowser('skipstone') | |
'kfmclient' | Konqueror() | (1) |
'konqueror' | Konqueror() | (1) |
'kfm' | Konqueror() | (1) |
'mosaic' | BackgroundBrowser('mosaic') | |
'opera' | Opera() | |
'grail' | Grail() | |
'links' | GenericBrowser('links') | |
'elinks' | Elinks('elinks') | |
'lynx' | GenericBrowser('lynx') | |
'w3m' | GenericBrowser('w3m') | |
'windows-default' | WindowsDefault | (2) |
'macosx' | MacOSX('default') | (3) |
'safari' | MacOSX('safari') | (3) |
'google-chrome' | Chrome('google-chrome') | (4) |
'chrome' | Chrome('chrome') | (4) |
'chromium' | Chromium('chromium') | (4) |
'chromium-browser' | Chromium('chromium-browser') | (4) |
Notes:
- “Konqueror” is the file manager for the KDE desktop environment for Unix, andonly makes sense to use if KDE is running. Some way of reliably detecting KDEwould be nice; the
KDEDIR
variable is not sufficient. Note also thatthe name “kfm” is used even when using the konqueror command with KDE2 — the implementation selects the best strategy for running Konqueror. - Only on Windows platforms.
- Only on Mac OS X platform.
- Support for Chrome/Chromium has been added in version 2.7.5.
Here are some simple examples:
20.1.1. Browser Controller Objects¶
Browser controllers provide these methods which parallel three of themodule-level convenience functions:
controller.
open
(url, new=0, autoraise=True)¶Display url using the browser handled by this controller. If new is 1, a newbrowser window is opened if possible. If new is 2, a new browser page (“tab”)is opened if possible.
controller.
open_new
(url)¶Open url in a new window of the browser handled by this controller, ifpossible, otherwise, open url in the only browser window. Alias
open_new()
.controller.
open_new_tab
(url)¶Open url in a new page (“tab”) of the browser handled by this controller, ifpossible, otherwise equivalent to
open_new()
.Footnotes
Executables named here without a full path will be searched in thedirectories given in the
PATH
environment variable.