Tips for Browsing the ISTM Web Site

The following information introduces the features we've provided to help you navigate the ISTM web site.

The Main Menu

The main menu appears in a static "frame" that is always visible on the left-hand side of the site's pages. Click the blue buttons to access the various sections of the site. Clicking the ISTM logo at the top of the main menu will always return you to the ISTM site home page.

Most buttons on the main menu lead directly to the section indicated, but buttons with a "down arrow" indicator at their right edge expand to display a submenu when clicked. You can close the submenu by clicking the button again. When the submenu is displayed, click on an item in the list to display the indicated information.

Other Navigation Links

A second frame that appears at the top of each web page contains convenient, context-sensitive navigation links.

The topmost line in this frame, the title "The International Society of Travel Medicine," is a link that will always return you to the ISTM site home page.

The second line in this frame often contains a link that will return you to the top of the page you are currently viewing. You can test this for yourself by scrolling to the bottom of this page and then clicking the "Browsing Tips" link in the top frame. In more complex areas of the site, such as the Member Services section accessed by ISTM members, multiple links may appear on this line as you "drill down" into subsections of the site. The first link on the line returns you to the top page in the subsection, while subsequent items orient you to your progress through a section and may return you to specific juncture points in the navigation sequence (in areas where complex, multi-step processes are being navigated, the items that appear do not act as links and serve solely to orient you to your location in the site).

If the selected page has a number of subsections (like this one does), links to each of the subsections also appear in smaller type on a lower line in the header. Clicking these links takes you directly to the desired subsection. For example, clicking "Supported Browsers" in the frame of the top of this page takes you to the section of this document that indicates which browsers we've tested for compatibility with site features.

In addition to the links in the top frame, there is an "ISTM Home Page" link in the footer of each page. Clicking it will return you to the ISTM site home page. This link is most useful if you find yourself in a situation where the page you are viewing is displayed without any of the surrounding navigational frames. Clicking the link will also reestablish the navigational frames and let you browse the site as intended.

Supported Browsers

Every effort has been made to use standards-compliant code in the construction of this site. However, for efficient site design and maintenance, it was determined that older-generation browsers that do not support the use of cascading style sheets and javascript would not be supported. Generally, this means that Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers earlier than version 4.0 will not display the site as intended and may fail to work entirely in some or all sections of the site.

The following browsers have been tested and found to work with the ISTM site:

• Windows Platform
  • Internet Explorer—Versions 5.x and 6.x will display all pages and perform all functions as intended. Version 4.x was not tested extensively, but performance is expected to be acceptable.
  • Netscape—Version 7.x displays all pages and performs all functions as intended. Version 6.x was not tested, but it is expected to perform acceptably. Version 4.x will not display all pages as intended, although it will perform necessary functions. Netscape 4 users will not experience the intended function for main menu buttons (submenus do not expand and contract but remain displayed permanently), and the arrangement of buttons and elements on pages in the Member Services area of the site will not always appear as intended. It is strongly recommended that Netscape 4.x users upgrade to the current Netscape release for the best experience with this site.
  • Opera—Version 7.x of the Opera browser was tested and displayed pages and performed all functions as intended.
• Macintosh Platform
  • Internet Explorer—Version 5.2 was tested and displayed pages and performed all functions as intended.
  • Netscape—Version 7.1 was tested and displayed pages and performed all functions as intended.
  • Safari—Version 1.0 (v85) was tested and displayed pages and performed all functions as intended.

Browser "Back" Button Function

When you select a page to display, that page, in turn, loads its context-specific top navigation frame. As a result, clicking the "Back" button on your browser's navigation bar once has the effect of returning the previous navigation frame to the top of the page. Clicking the "Back" button a second time then returns you to the previous page. We recommend that you use the available navigation links rather than the browser's "Back" button to return to the previous page.