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07/31/2001 Archived Entry: "31-July-2001 -- URL-hacking: Do-it-yourself Navigation"

URL-hacking: Do-it-yourself Navigation -- "Hacking a URL is the process of moving through a complex web site by playing directly with the address. There's nothing technical or illegal about hacking a URL. In its simplest form, you can simply lop off the end of the address, in order to see whether the author has provided a table of contents page for a particular collection of web pages." (Comments: This activity can be very, very useful. Give it a try.)

Replies: 4 comments

The Google toolbar ( http://toolbar.google.com/ ) provides an easy way to do this. From their help files:

Up: Allows you to navigate up one directory in the current URL. For example, if you are currently viewing http://www.example.com/articles/may/money.html, clicking UP will take you to http://www.example.com/articles/may/. Clicking UP again will take you to http://www.example.com/articles/. You can use the drop down list to navigate directly to the top level. Click the drop down list and select the URL you want to see.

Posted by Adam Kalsey @ 08/01/2001 01:53 AM EST

I've been viewing webpages like this for years? Do you mean to tell me that other people don't? How sad. So many pages are poorly designed that "hacking url's" is a necessity!

Posted by step @ 08/01/2001 01:45 PM EST

In response to the comment by "step"...

I teach freshman composition, and often have the privilege of watching students the first time they use the Internet for anything other than e-mail. Many, many web newbies don't know about this trick... nor do they know how to use the Task Bar to switch between open windows, or even a drop-down list.

Of course, some of these students may be expert skateboarders, poets, thinkers and/or caregivers. They aren't stupid... it's just that they -- like the vast majority of the human race -- aren't web experts.

Posted by Dennis G. Jerz @ 08/01/2001 07:24 PM EST

Indeed, this is very revealing. I found hidden sections of the edwardtufte.com site its first day live. I emailed the web people there and got no response.

If you're using the Google toolbar, you can get here almost by accident. Otherwise, go to:

http://www.edwardtufte.com/pvt/home

It happens that it's running on the ArsDigita community Server, which is cool, but it's pretty sloppy to allow the default install of ACS to just sit there. Go ahead, create an account, create a personal workspace. Whatever.

Posted by heyotwell @ 08/02/2001 02:15 PM EST

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