Chapter 3

Browsing the docs.sun.com Web Site

This chapter explains the concept of a collection and other structures that enable you to browse documentation on the docs.sun.com web site. Understanding these structures helps you navigate the docs.sun.com site more efficiently. You can browse every document on this site, regardless of the document's format. Available formats include:

• XML-based books – Displayed in a hierarchy of chapters and sections.

• HTML books – Displayed as a set of HTML pages.

• PDF-only books – Displayed in Adobe® Reader. If you have installed the Adobe Reader plug-in, the book automatically opens and displays in a browser window. Otherise, you must download and open the PDF book in Adobe Reader.

Note - Password-protected documents are not returned in the search results.

Note - English is the default language preference on the docs.sun.com site. To browse the site in a language other than English, choose the appropriate language preference using the drop-down menu at the top right corner of the page.

Here is a list of the information in this chapter:

• What Is a Collection?

• Browsing by Title or Product Category

• Browsing Features Depend on Book Format

What Is a Collection?

Books are often grouped in different collections to facilitate browsing. A collection is a group of related books on the docs.sun.com site that comprise the same product release. These books are grouped into collections for one or more of the following reasons:

• The books relate to a single product or product suite.

• The books contain the same subject matter.

• The books are intended for a specific audience.

An individual book can appear in one or more collections, or by itself. For example, a Solaris 9 system administration book might be unchanged in the Solaris 10 release. As a result, this book would be included in both the Solaris 9 and Solaris 10 system administration collections.

Also, Sun packages many software products into different suites, necessitating the need for books to appear in multiple collections. For example, if a product is included in two suites, the books for that product are included in the collection for each suite.

Note - Locations of books and book collections are stable at http://docs.sun.com. If you create personal links or bookmarks to books or collections that are listed on the product category pages, you can access those locations again without issuing a browse or search request. This stability also enables you to include links to Sun product documentation in your documents.

Browsing by Title or Product Category

On the docs.sun.com site, you can browse documentation by title or product category, as follows:

• Title – To browse by title, click the Browse Documentation Titles tab, then browse through the list of titles. Books and collections are listed in alphabetical order by the title of the book or collection. A list of 150 titles is displayed at a time.

• Product category – To browse by product category, click the Browse Product Documentation tab, then browse the product categories. Books and collections are grouped and displayed based on the product that they describe. These product categories reflect the actual Sun product line and are based on the Sun Universal Product Taxonomy (UPT). However, not all Sun products are included, so browse by title if you cannot find a particular book or collection.

The docs.sun.com main page also provides links to frequently requested information, such as the Sun Java Enterprise System documentation.

Browsing Features Depend on Book Format

The browsing features that are available for a book depend on its original format. The docs.sun.com site contains books that are published in three formats: XML, HTML, and PDF. This section describes how to browse XML-based books, in addition to what happens when you initially access an HTML or PDF book.

XML-Based Books

When you browse to and open an XML-based book, a table of contents that contains links is displayed. You can click the link for the chapter, appendix, preface, glossary, or index to display that book element. You can then click the and icons to open and close these book elements. You can move from chapter to chapter or from section to section by clicking links.

HTML-Based Books

When you browse to and open an HTML-based book, the initial page (called the index page) of the book is opened in a new browser window. A new browser window is opened because HTML books do not contain the docs.sun.com navigational features. Instead, use the navigational features within the book itself. To continue using docs.sun.com, you must return to the original browser window.

PDF Books

Some books are published only in PDF. When you browse to and open a book for which PDF is the only available format, you are taken to a download page with information about the size of the PDF file and options for downloading the file. For information about downloading and printing PDF files, go to How to Download and Print a PDF Document on the docs.sun.com Site.