Council
Site help
We've tried to make this site easy for first time Internet users but if you are having problems, this section should help you.
- How do I get around this site?
- Use the search box
- How do I use AccessKeys?
- How do I change my screen settings?
- How do I get back to this site if I leave it?
- How can I find what I need on your site?
- What are PDFs and how do I read them?
- How can I view a Word file if I don't have Microsoft Word software?
- How can I view an Excel file if I don't have Microsoft Word software?
- The text is too small for me to read - how can I change it?
- My browser is out-of-date, how can I get a new one?
- Other questions?
How do I get around this site?
To move around the site, click on the menu items with your mouse. The main menu is on the right. When you have clicked on a main menu item, a sub-menu appears on the left. Sometimes a section will have more links at the top of the main text area.
Whenever your cursor looks like a hand rather than an arrow, it means you can click and go to another page. Links in the text areas are underlined.
Once you have left the home page, you'll notice that a line of text at the top left of each page shows you which section you are in. The words are links and can be used to trace your steps back to the home page.
You can also use the back button on your browser to return to the page you last visited.
Use the search box
You will find a green box inviting you to 'search this site' at the top right hand corner of most web pages on the Tower Hamlets website. Using the site search is often the quickest route to the information you are looking for.
To use the site search, type one or two key words relating to the information you are looking for into the search box and then click the 'go' button. This will take you to a list of pages and documents that are the most closely related to the words you have supplied.
How do I use accesskeys?
Each of the main areas also have an AccessKey assigned to them. This means that you can use the keyboard to jump to any main area from anywhere else in the site.
AccessKeys work slightly differently on Macs and PCs. Below is a list of the main areas of the site, and the keyboard commands that will jump to them.
Area |
PC |
Mac |
|
Homepage |
alt + 0 > rtn |
ctrl + 0 |
|
News and events |
alt + 1 > rtn |
ctrl + 1 |
|
Jobs |
alt + 2 > rtn |
ctrl + 2 |
|
Your council |
alt + 3 > rtn |
ctrl + 3 |
|
Housing |
alt + 4 > rtn |
ctrl + 4 |
|
Learning for all |
alt + 5 > rtn |
ctrl + 5 |
|
Transport and parking |
alt + 6 > rtn |
ctrl + 6 |
|
Libraries & leisure |
alt + k > rtn |
ctrl + k |
|
Business matters |
alt + 7 > rtn |
ctrl + 7 |
|
Planning and building |
alt + 8 > rtn |
ctrl + 8 |
|
Community |
alt + 9 > rtn |
ctrl + 9 |
|
Environment |
alt + e > rtn |
ctrl + e |
|
Caring for you |
alt + y > rtn |
ctrl + y |
|
Discover Tower Hamlets |
alt + d > rtn |
ctrl + d |
|
|
||
|
Services A-Z |
alt + z > rtn |
ctrl + z |
|
Resident |
alt + r > rtn |
ctrl + r |
|
Business |
alt + b > rtn |
ctrl + b |
|
Visitor |
alt + v > rtn |
ctrl + v |
|
|
||
|
Accessibility |
alt + a > rtn |
ctrl + a |
|
Help |
alt + h > rtn |
ctrl + h |
|
Legal notices |
alt + l > rtn |
ctrl + l |
|
Contact us |
alt + c > rtn |
ctrl + c |
|
Register |
alt + g > rtn |
ctrl + g |
|
|
||
|
Skip navigation |
alt + s > rtn |
ctrl + s |
|
Jump to top of page |
alt + j > rtn |
ctrl + j |
'alt + 1 > rtn' means that you must hold the alt key and the 1 key at the same time, then press the Return key.
'ctrl + 1' means that you must hold the ctrl key and the 1 key at the same time.
Netscape and Explorer also have various keyboard shortcuts that may be useful:
|
|
Browser |
PC |
Mac |
|
Go back to previous page |
Netscape |
alt + left arrow |
cmd + left arrow |
|
Explorer |
alt + left arrow |
cmd + left arrow |
|
|
|
|||
|
Go forward to next page |
Netscape |
alt + right arrow |
cmd + right arrow |
|
Explorer |
alt + right arrow |
cmd + right arrow |
|
|
|
|||
|
Search on current page |
Netscape |
ctrl + f |
cmd + f |
|
Explorer |
ctrl + f |
cmd + f |
|
|
|
|||
|
Refresh page |
Netscape |
ctrl + r |
cmd + r |
|
Explorer |
F5 |
cmd + r |
|
|
|
|||
|
Add page to favourites |
Netscape |
ctrl + d |
cmd + d |
|
Explorer |
ctrl + a |
cmd + d |
|
|
|
|||
|
Cycle through open windows |
Netscape |
alt + tab |
not available |
|
Explorer |
alt + tab |
cmd + ~ |
|
|
|
|||
|
Close window |
Netscape |
ctrl + w |
shift + cmd + w |
|
Explorer |
ctrl + w |
cmd + w |
|
How do I change my screen settings?
This site looks best with a screen resolution (the size of what is shown) of 800 x 600. To change this on a PC running Windows operating systems, go to Start > Settings > Control panel > Display > Settings and change the desktop area by using the sliding bar.
On an Apple Macintosh, you can use the Monitor & sound control panel to change the resolution.
How do I get back to this site if I leave it?
The address of our site is http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
If you want to come back to this site at any time, type in the address in the browser address bar and press enter.
To save you doing this more than once, add the page to your Favourites (in Internet Explorer click on Favourites > Add to Favourites > and then name the page something that you will remember like Tower Hamlets Council).
If you are using Netscape Navigator - go to Bookmarks. This works like Favourites.
How can I find what I need on your site?
Try using the Search facility - type in a word or phrase, electoral register for example, and then click GO. A list of links to pages containing your search word will come up.
You can also search the Services A-Z in a similar way. We've added direct links to relevant entries in the Services A-Z at the bottom of some pages, so look out for these too.
What are PDFs and how do I read them?
PDF stands for Portable Document file. It's an established way of publishing documents on the web and retaining their original printed look. We've used PDFs on the site for application forms for certain services for you to print off and return to us by mail.
You need a plug-in called Adobe Acrobat to read these files. This is available to download free of charge at www.adobe.com.
For more information on PDFs go to the accessibility page.
How can I view a Word file if I don't have Microsoft Word software?
Microsoft has made a free Word Viewer available to download.
How can I view an Excel file if I don't have Microsoft Word software?
Microsoft has made a free Excel Viewer available to download.
The text is too small for me to read - how can I change it?
In Internet Explorer go to View > Text size and select the text size, e.g. Larger or Largest
Netscape works in a similar way.
My browser out of date - how can I get a new one?
This site is designed to be viewed using version 4 and above of Internet and Netscape browsers.
The latest versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape can be downloaded free of charge from their web sites:
Internet Explorer
www.microsoft.com
Netscape
www.netscape.aol.com
You'll also find that lots of the computer magazines for sale in newsagents include CDs with copies of the latest browsers.
Other questions?
For more online help, visit the BBC's site at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/
If you have any questions about this site, or you find something that we haven't covered in this section that you would like to know about, use the form in Contact us to let us know and we will do our best to answer your questions.
