| |
inWebstigator:
Create Your Own Map of Any Web Site
By Jon Kaufthal (7/15/96)
Instead of leaving you at the mercy of a site’s designer, Ararat Software's inWebstigator PreRelease Ia gives you a graphical map of a Web site, with Microsoft Explorer-like collapsing menus. And since no special server-side extensions are required (unlike other similar programs), any site can be instantly mapped.
After loading inWebstigator, a split window pops up. Once you’ve entered a URL, inWebstigator goes to work, quickly crawling the entire site, finding every subpage, link, graphic, and file--even ActiveX and Java applets. What you soon get is a neat map of the Web site, with graphical, collapsing lists of all the elements on every page. To see a subpage, just click as you would in Explorer. Tunneling through the site lets you see the entire structure at a glance, while context sensitive pop-up menus allow you to view HTML source code, jump to the URL in your browser, or see such page statistics as the number and types of images, links, file sizes, and more.
Besides making life easier for the Web surfer, inWebstigator is a Webmaster’s dream. A site administrator can keep tabs on the entire site at a glance, maintaining links and making changes painlessly. One feature of inWebstigator sure to appeal to both Web surfers and designers alike is the program’s powerful search function. Keyword searches can be narrowed down by dozens of different criteria, and right-mouse-clicking on search results will open the page in your browser. InWebstigator’s search function can be used to find broken links, making it easy to keep links current. And since the site is already mapped out locally, the search function is blazingly quick.
As with Windows Explorer, one of inWebstigator’s strengths is its full customizability. And also as in Explorer, links and other elements can be viewed in a list, with large or small icons, or with full details (including link name, type, and complete URL). Another option allows you to view HTML source code in the right window by simply clicking on a page in the tree-map on the left. A full-feature options menu lets inWebstigator work the way you want it to.
For being an early prerelease version, inWebstigator is remarkably well-behaved. You can search a Web site while inWebstigator continues to travel the site, or simply hit the stop button if you’ve already reached the level of detail desired. The program’s friendly, familiar interface makes it simple to use, even the first time around. As beta testing continues, the program will surely improve, but the early release tested performed impressively. As the Web expands by the minute, inWebstigator is sure to be as much of a hit with Webmasters as with the average user. inWebstigator gives users a instant, current map to their favorite Web site, making the Web a friendlier place to travel.
inWebstigator PreRelease Ia for Win95/NT.
Street price: Free for downloading
Requirements: 386-based PC or better (486 recommended), 8MB RAM (16MB recommended), 6MB hard disk space, Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or later, TCP/IP connectivity.
Ararat Software Inc., Milford, CT; fax, 203-876-3301; info@ararat.com
www.ararat.com
Copyright (c) 1996 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
Member of the Internet Link Exchange
