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Contents

Site structure

The NHAS website is organised into a number of main sections. Each represents a particular work area of the NHAS service. Links to the main sections are found above the green banner.

Page structure

The page structure of NHAS remains constant throughout the site and features the following:

  1. the NHAS logo in the top left hand corner is a link back to the home page
  2. main navigation bar
  3. sub-navigation links (these only show when there is more content in a section)
  4. the breadcrumb trail*
  5. quick access to help content and the site map.

Page structure of NHAS

* The 'breadcrumb trail' is a useful navigation tool, displaying a list of the parent pages (linked text for easy navigation to the parent pages), from the top-level (home) page right down to the current page (unlinked text).

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Navigating NHAS website

Selecting the 'links' on the main navigation bar, sub-navigation links, or by using the breadcrumb trail, takes you around the site. In some cases you are also able to navigate by using links within the text on the page.

In NHAS, the main navigation links are black. When you 'roll over' them (move your mouse cursor over the link) they turn red and are underlined. All unvisited links (links to pages you have not visited) within the text are blue and underlined and are red on 'roll over'. All visited links (links to pages you have visited) are purple.

If you are not sure whether something is a link, move the cursor over a word; if it's a link, the cursor will change from an arrow to a hand with the finger extended.

An alternative method of navigating the site is by using the site map. The site map brings up all of the pages on the site. You can then simply scroll down the page to find the area you are interested in.

You can also use your web browser's 'Back' and 'Forward' buttons to navigate through pages you've visited.

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Viewing files or documents

File types and sizes

We try to publish most NHAS content as web pages, but some content may be provided in PDF, Word, Excel or Powerpoint file format.

Our publishing standard is that these file formats should open in a new window so that the NHAS website remains available to you while you view the file's content.

We also indicate how large is the file size in kb (kilobytes) or mb (megabytes) eg 35kb, 1.5mb. The smaller the file size the quicker it will open or download to your computer. How fast a file opens or downloads will also depend on the speed of your connection to the internet. For instance, 'Broadband' access will be much faster than a 'dial-up' connection.

Viewers

Many of these files will open in a web browser window just by selecting the link to the content. Sometimes you may need the relevant application to view or get the full functionality for this content.

If you do not have the application installed on your computer, you can download free viewers for most Microsoft products and Adobe Acrobat reader. Links to the main applications are listed below.

Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDFs

PDFs (Portable document format) needs Adobe Acrobat Reader to get the full range of options for viewing a PDF file. You will need to download this software from the internet and install it prior to viewing content in this format.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is free software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files on all major computer platforms, as well as fill in and submit Adobe PDF forms online.

Microsoft Office packages

Microsoft Office packages such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint can be viewed using the full application or by using the cut-down viewer product.

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