Figure 1-2: A Web browser with buttons that enable you quickly to select a favorite Web site in VS .NET

Printing QR Code in VS .NET Figure 1-2: A Web browser with buttons that enable you quickly to select a favorite Web site

A fine line divides special-purpose browsers from those targeting a specific audience For example, a browser designed for children has both a special purpose and a specific audience, right Yep In fact, special-purpose and specific-audience browsers often have much in common The difference is that, when I talk about special-purpose browsers, I m referring to browser functionality On the other hand, when I talk about specific-audience browsers, I m referring to the way a browser looks Specifically, I mean the types of graphics you use for buttons and other areas of the browser s window

That special-audience browser for your hardware store looks better if it s designed with images related to hardware As another example, suppose that you re crazy about gardening (Hey, weirder things have happened) Wouldn t it be cool to have a Web browser covered with garden-type images (see Figure 1-3) I d rather have bikini models, of course, but that s just me

Don t forget the most important thing about customizing a Web browser: It s fun! You like to build things, right Who doesn t (Okay, my crazy Uncle Satch would rather paint crickets, but that s another story) Unlike that jigsaw puzzle of a black cat that s been sitting in your family room for the past three weeks, a custom Web browser is actually useful That puzzle well, you re just going to break it up and throw it back into the box To make a Web browser project even more stimulating and exciting, load up your favorite paint program (or use the one on this book s CD) and create custom images for your browser projects Such images include borders, backgrounds, status bars, and even buttons, as shown in Figure 1-4 If your browser project was any more fun, it would be illegal!

Don t go hog wild creating browser graphics just yet You need to understand the types of images the Browser Construction Kit expects Each type of image, for example, must be the correct size Failure to follow the rules can lead to some very weird looking browsers! Check out Part III for more information

Before you can design your own Web browsers, you need to install the Browser Construction Kit, located on this book s CD-ROM The Browser Construction Kit is a software package comprising a browser editor and a browser compiler You design your browser using the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor and then run the browser with the browser compiler You don t need to be a programmer to use the Browser Construction Kit, but if you re interested in that kind of thing, I wrote the software using Visual Basic NET All the software s source code is also on the CD

Here s how to install the Browser Construction Kit: 1 On this book s CD-ROM, find the Browser Construction Kit folder and open it 2 Double-click the setupexe file The installer s Setup Wizard window appears, as shown in Figure 1-5

3 Click the Next button to continue with the installation The Select Installation Folder window appears (see Figure 1-6) 4 Select the folder into which you want the Browser Construction Kit installed Normally, you just leave the default folder selected 5 Select either the Everyone or Just Me button, depending on whether you want to install the program for every user on your system or just for you 6 Click Next The Confirm Installation window appears, as shown in Figure 1-7 7 Click Next to start the installation The installer s window shows the installation s progress as it goes, as shown in Figure 1-8