In the “File”-menu you will fins the option “Preferences...”. The dialog is splited into four parts, and you can switch between those using the icon-list in the left. The “Default”-button resets all options to their default values, as they were when you first installed the program.
Searching preferences
This defines in which tags you want the program to search for broken links. You can ofcourse check all the options, but the program will run faster with some options off.
 
The tags are categorized into three parts. When the “Check linked files too”-option is on, the program will search in the files linked with one of the first eight tags in the preferences, titled “Links”. In other words, you can't set the program to search for broken links in a file linked as, for example, “<IMG SRC=file>”. For a more detailed explanation of the tags, please referer to one of my other programs, “HTML Vocabulary”.
Mapping preferences
The second part of the preferences is the mapping settings. A mapping is a link which is “translated” into another link, based upon some options which can be set here. This is useful if you have absolute links on your pages. For example, if your pages are hosted at “http://www.server.com/mydir/”, and you have links written as “<A HREF="http://www.server.com/mydir/mypage.html">”, HTML LinkChecker would normally check this link as abn external link. It would be slow, and you wouldn't have the option to search the linked page (since it is external). By using the mapping-options, the program can “translate” the text “http://www.server.som/mydir/” to a local path, for example “Hard Drive:Web-pages:”.
 
To change a mapping, click “Set” in the right part of the window. You can use a maximum of three different mappings in HTML LinkChecker. A new window will appear in which you can define the absolute link and the local path. If you don't want to use the mapping, sinply click “No mapping”.
The second option in the dialog is used to locate the so called “root-level path”. This is only used when a link starts with “/“, which means the root level (for example “http://www.server.com”) of the server. If you use links starting with a “/”, set this option to the folder where your www-pages live on your local disk.
Finally you're asked to “map files ending with "/" to” something. When you visit a link such as “http://www.calles.pp.se/”, the server automatically translates it to “http://www.calles.pp.se/index.html”. Different servers uses different “default”-files, but “index.html” or “default.html“ are often used. If you have a relative link ending with “/”, your server may understand it, but not your harddrive. Therefore, type in your server's “default”-name and HTML LinkChecker will be able to find the file correctly.
Network preferences
These options are only used when searching external links. At first, you must specify if you're using a proxy-server or not. Proxy-servers are often used in company networks, and this option should be off if you're connected over modem at home. Ask your nearest network guru if you're not sure how to do. You can also open the settings in Netscape or Explorer, if installed. In Netscape, open “Network options”, click “Proxy” and “Configure”. If there is anything written in the “HTTP”-field, copy this number and paste it into “HTML LinkChecker”. The default port is “80”, but the proxy can use different numbers.
 
“DNS Timeout” is the time to wait until stop waiting for a DNS-request. A DNS-request is, in short words, the procedure when a hostname such like “www.apple.com” is translated into a set of numbers, like “194.12.43.2”. When using a proxy, this is only done once, otherwise it is done everytime as external link is checked. Note that there is a problem when the DNS Timeout is too low, please read the “TCP Notes”-chapter for more.
“Idle timeout” is the time to wait for a respond from the server. If there is no reply after that time, HTML LinkChecker will label the link as “Idl error - Idle timeout”. Since the program can wait for a respond in the background, you can increase the time without any notable differences, but when using “Try again”, “Check version” or “Test URL”, you'll have to wait no longer than this time. If you get a lot of “Idl error”s, you should increase the “Idle timeout”.
Misc preferences
The last section of the preferences are called “Misc preferences”, or “Miscellaneous preferences”. At first you're asked how to define a searchable HTML-document. Usually it ends with “.htm”, “.html” or “.shtml”, and a good written page always include the tags “<HTML>” and “</HTML>”, but it's up t you to change these settings for your needs.
 
At least you're asked to choose to what program reports saved using the “Save”-button belongs to, and some other settings. If “Beep when finished” is on, HTML LinkChecker will get your attention when the searching progress is done by playing the default system-beep. “Add from subfolders” is used when option-clicking “Add” (which means “Add folder”), and defines if the program should search for pages in all subfolders, or just in the picked folder.
