Using Webview in Chrome

For many years now Elite has restricted Webview to use with the Internet Explorer browser only.  If you try to use Webview in another browser, you get as far as the login screen.  After that, your login information will not be accepted.

This limitation can be particularly annoying since we tend to use Google Chrome as our Internet browser of choice.  It is usually faster than IE and offers more security.  It also works better with some of the advanced options that we use in our Google Apps for Business.

Using IE can be annoying.  However, I found a shortcut into Webview that seems to work well in Chrome.

The Chrome Browser allows you to install add-ons to perform different functions.  One of those is called IE Tab.  This add-on uses your Internet Explorer engine as a virtual page within Google Chrome.  If you don't understand all that, the good new is you don't have to understand.  Just trust me that it works.  Install the add-on from this link:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ie-tab/hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd/related?hl=en-US

Clicking on the "add to chrome" button on this page will download a small executable program.  Run that to install the add-on.

Once installed, you will see an "e" logo on your Chrome toolbar.  When you have a web site open that requires Internet Explorer (e.g. Webview) click on that "e" in the toolbar to run the page in IE mode.  You should be able to open Webview and work as you always have.

I tested it on my computer and everything seems fine.  Different people may have different experiences though.  This is not something the Help Desk is familiar with and may not be able to support if you have trouble.  If it does not work for you, then you may be stuck opening IE the old fashioned way.  I just thought I would pass this along in case some of you found it convenient, and wanted to give it a try.  There are, of course, other sites that may restrict access to Internet Explorer. This trick should work on those sites as well.  You could also use it on a site that simply is not rendering properly in Chrome.

Also, to work properly, you must have Internet Explorer installed on the computer. Using this add-on with a Mac or some other non-Windows device is not going to work.

As always, if you want to enter time and not have the restrictions imposed by Webview, we continue to offer iTimeKeep as a much more flexible time entry method as well.  The iTimeKeep site: http://desktop.itimekeep.com will work with any browser and without any add-ons.  There are also apps available for your iPhone or Android device.  Just log in using your email address and Gmail password.

Internet Browsers

Internet Browsers

More and more of our work is being done on cloud based apps that are access via an Internet browsers.  Unlike software being loaded on your computer, cloud based apps run at some remote location.  The term "cloud" simply means you use the Internet to access your data or applications.

Typically, you need to use a browser to connect to the site.  A browser is simply a program on your computer that allows you to access other web sites through your internet connection.

Your Internet browser must be distinguished from your Windows browser.  When you click on "My Computer" in Windows XP, or simply "Computer" in Windows 7, you are in your Windows browser, where can view the various folders and files stored on your computer, or on the network server.  This is a different program from the Internet browser that is used to access web sites.  Microsoft blends the two so that you can often get to a web site simply by typing the address in the address bar Windows Explorer, although you will notice it must launch your default Internet browser to get you there.  In most instances, you can use an Internet Browser to access a local file on your computer or on the network.  For example, we do this with our Research Home Page, which is simply a series of files stored on a server in the main office.

Internet without Browsers

To make things even more confusing, many programs can also access the Internet without using a browser at all.  For example you may have a formula in a MS Excel spreadsheet that draws information from a web site without ever opening a browser.  If you have an offline email program such as MS Outlook, it gets your mail from the Internet without using a browser.  At home, you may have computer games that you play with other people over the Internet, without using a browser.  Access without a browser is actually the norm on phones and tablets.  Most of your apps there are using the Internet for any number of things without ever accessing your phone's browser.

Main Types of Browsers

Many years ago, Netscape was the standard and most popular browser.  But Microsoft was able to dominate the browser competition and become the standard by the mid-1990s.  Hopefully all of you are familiar with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  It comes standard on all Windows computers.  We use it to access Webview for time entry.  Many of you also use it for most of your Internet browsing.

Netscape eventually evolved into an open source browser called Mozilla Firefox, which is still very popular. Apple has always supplied Safari on its computers.  Google has also gotten into the browser game with it's browser, called Chrome.  Chrome recently passed Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in use worldwide.  There are many other browsers as well, but these are the biggest four  in use today.

Why should I care which browser I use?

For many years, it mattered relatively little what browser you used.  Sure, some may have been a little faster or have a few extra features, but by and large, all of them could read the same web sites, that used the shared common language of the Internet, HTML.  More and more, however, that is changing.  While most web sites will still work on almost any browser, many more are being designed to work with specific browsers. Some sites may not work at all with some browsers, or have some functions that will not work properly.

For example, Elite does not allow you to access Webview with any browser other than Internet Explorer.  Similarly, many Gmail and Google Drive functions will not work properly unless you are accessing the site using Google Chrome browser.  Google has also recently discontinued support for Java, which had been used on many web sites, including some court sites.  For more on this, see my earlier post on the subject.  Therefore, you may need to use more than one browser for everything you need to do.

Microsoft has announced that it is retiring Internet Explorer later this year when it released Windows 10.  The new version of Windows uses a native browser currently called Spartan.  That name may change with the actual release.  It remains to be seen how Spartan works with the sites we use that require Internet Explorer.  We will begin testing once the final version is released.

Your Default Browser

You have the ability to set a default browsers on your computer.  Your default browser is the one that will open whenever you click on an Internet link.  Of course, if you already have a browser open and click on a link within the browser, you remain in that browser.  Typically, I like to set my default to Chrome, since we use that for Gmail.  But if you prefer something else, that is fine.  You can still open your non-default browsers from the icon on your computer.  If you want to change your default browser, you can do so in the settings for that browser.  If you have any trouble, the help desk can fix it for you.

Some web sites, not only restrict use to a particular browser, but want to use particular version of that browser.  For example, Webview will only work on Internet Explorer 6 and higher.  Also, when you get above version 8, you often need to set the site to "compatibility view" in order for it to work properly.  Compatibility view is a setting that can be changed from the toolbar within IE, in Tools, Compatibility view settings.

Customizing your Browser

The main thing people like to set is the default home page.  This is the page that opens every time you open your browser.  Typically, I set my Chrome browser to open to Gmail.  I set my Internet Explorer to open to the Research Home Page.  But you can set these to whatever you like.  You can even have your browser have multiple home pages, each one opening in a separate tab.  This is simply a matter of preference.  Just know that opening more home pages can slow down how fast your browsers opens when you start it.  If some other program changes your home page, we can always change it back.  Just call the help desk.

You also have the ability to customize your search engine.  When you type a phrase into the address box or search box at the top of your browser, it can search for your query using your default search engine.  I recommend using Google search, but Microsoft Bing is also pretty good.  Some program updates or malware can sometimes change your default search engine.  Often these change it to inferior search engines such as answers.com or Yahoo search.  Some malware can change the searches to blatantly terrible searches that simply direct you to advertising.  You should always be able to reset your default search engine in the browser settings.  Again, the help desk can assist you with this if you need it.

Some people also like to set up certain tool bars on their browsers.  This is fine if you want it.  But sometimes you get too many tool bars up there, which takes away from the space you have on your screen to view sites.  Some tool bars can also slow down your Internet experience or interfere with some web sites.  Typically, you can delete or disable tool bars in your settings.  Also, if you just need a little more space on your screen once in a while, you can hide everything by pressing the F11 key to go to full screen (and press it again to go back to normal).

Conclusion:

Browsers are critical to many things we do.  By default, we install Chrome and Internet Explorer on all computers.  You are welcome to install others such as Firefox if you wish.  If you choose to install other more oddball browsers, you should check with the IT Department to make sure there are no security or performance issues related to use.  We also allow customizations with the warning that some add-ons can impact your computer performance.  But if you come across things that could be useful to others, feel free to pass along your ideas to me so I can make them available to others.

End of Java?

Google Chrome's most recent release has been causing problems for people.  Specifically, if you use a site that uses Java (and many Courts do) the site will no longer work properly.  You may be redirected to Oracle's web site to download the latest version of Java.  However, updating Java will not help.

Google has decided that in its most recent release of Chrome (ver. 42) it will no longer support the NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface).  As you might guess from its name, it was developed for Netscape Navigator 20 years ago.  It has been a very convenient way to run other applications through your browser Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight (used by Netflix), and several other systems have used it as well.  Most of these other applications have complied with Google's demands to work with newer APIs, but Java has not.

As a result, Java will no longer work in Google Chrome.  There is a fix for this for now.  In Chrome, go to the following address:

chrome://flags/#enable-npapi

Click on the "enable" link.

This should re-enable the NPAPI, and Java will work once again.

However, this is a temporary fix.  Google has announced that with the release of Chrome version 45, which will probably be released in a few months, it will no longer offer the option to enable NPAPI at all. Once that happens, unless Java comes up with a new build, Java will not work in Chrome, period.

Microsoft has also announced that will no longer support the NPAPI in its new browser for Windows 10, although it offers limited support in Internet Explorer for the foreseeable future.  Mozilla Firefox also offers limited support.

Although this API has proven very useful over the years, it is being retired because it is a gaping security risk.  Hackers are using this to load malware on your computers from compromised web sites.  I understand why it is being retired and cannot understand way Java is resisting change.

During this transition, there may be other problems as well.  Essentially, web sites need to rebuild their sites to stop using Java or Java needs to come up with a fix to use more a more modern API.  As of today, Java has not announced that it is planning for a fix.

We, the end users, are stuck in the middle of this.  For now, I recommend using Internet Explorer if you have a problem getting to a site in Chrome.  If there is more new on this, I will let everyone know.

If you care to read more about this issue, this Tech Republic Article is quite informative.

Editing MS Documents Online

Microsoft remains the de facto standard for editable documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.  Working with MS formats, however, can be problematic if you do not have MS Office.  Fortunately, there are several solutions:

Chrome Extension for Google Docs

Google will allow you to view any MS documents, such as Word or Excel.  You can also download them, but cannot allow you to edit them directly in Google Drive.  There is, however, a fix for that.  There is a Google Chrome Extension that will allow you to edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Google Drive.  If you would like to get this extension, click here.  Make sure you are doing this using your Chrome Browser. These extensions will not work if you are accessing Google Drive from Internet Explorer or some other browser.

Creating MS Documents in Drive

If you are creating a new document you can do in Google Drive using the native Google format.  When done, you can download the document to your computer.  One of the options is to download the document as a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document.   Once downloaded you can send the document to others who need that format.

Office Online

In an earlier post, I discussed how to open up a free personal account with MS Office 365.  This can also be helpful, especially if you are already comfortable operating with the MS Office interface.  Still, it involves downloading an email attachment to your computer, then uploading it again to MS Office online.  So the process takes longer than simply using Google Docs.

LibreOffice and WordPerfect

In the offline world, there are also options that don't involve having MS Office installed on your computer.  Both LibreOffice and WordPerfect are capable of reading MS Office documents and saving in that format.  However, they do not do a perfect job.  Changing document formats sometimes messes up how the document appears.  There are also instances of document corruption.  LibreOffice seems to do a much better job with MS documents than WordPerfect, but there can be problems with both.  Also, because LibreOffice is open source, you are free to download and install it on as many computers as you like without working about licensing restrictions.