Windows 7 The Legacy of WebView

Windows XP included Microsoft’s WebView technology that attempted to make your local content integrate as seamlessly as possible with Internet-based content. This integration was designed to offer the benefits of more information displayed within the interface by default and quick access to common activities.

Microsoft ended WebView with Windows XP, but many features of WebView were integrated into Windows Explorer and the Computer folder in Windows Explorer in Vista, and these features have been improved and refined in Windows 7.

Windows Explorer in WebView, which is the standard view. Classic view, which was an option in Windows Vista and enabled you to use a Windows 2000–like interface, no longer exists in Windows 7. WebView gives you access to some common tasks related to files and folders in the toolbar above the Navigation and Content panes. The Details pane at the bottom of the window displays basic information about a selected item, such as

• The selected item’s name and type (such as document, folder, application, library, and so on)

• The date on which it was most recently modified

• Its size and other item-specific information



How WebView Gives Windows 7 a Browser Look and Feel
Some key WebView effects have remained in Windows 7, such as Desktop Gadgets (formerly part of the Windows Sidebar in Vista). Microsoft has worked hard to dovetail the interfaces of Internet Explorer and Computer/Windows Explorer more tightly than ever in Windows 7. Some of the key WebView effects that have remained in Windows 7 include

• Computer and Windows Explorer have Back and Forward buttons, an Address bar, and a Search box similar to Internet Explorer.

• The toolbars in folder and Windows Explorer windows are customizable and have address fields, just like a browser. You can type in a web address and press Enter (or click Go), and the Internet Explorer window appears and displays the content. If you enter a drive letter (C:, for example), its contents are displayed.

• Windows 7 can navigate the contents of compressed archives, such as zipped files, without a third-party utility. Archive files act like compressed folders.

There are many more features and options in the interface. If you’re the controlling type, you might want to fine-tune aspects of your folders’ behavior. Go to the Folder Options Control Panel applet by choosing Appearance and Personalization, Folder Options from the Control Panel window, and then select the View tab. You’ll see a bevy of options that affect how folders and their contents are displayed.

Source of Information : QUE Microsoft Windows in Depth (09-2009)