Changing user_pref Settings
(With example on how to make Google your default search engine)

Applies to: Communicator 4.0x
Operating Systems: Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT.
Reference: "Security Preferences for Communicator" by Alec B. Plumb, "Advanced Communicator References" by Jay Garcia and Kevin Hecht at http://www.ufaq.org/commonly/userprefs.html
Translations: To be done in Spanish, French, Italian, and Chinese.

Changing user_pref Settings for the prefs.js Configuration File

(With Example on How to Make Google Your Default Search Engine)

The information provided on this page is related to direct modification of the core Communicator preferences file, prefs.js. This file is located in your ...\Netscape\Users\{username}\ directory.

Making changes to your prefs.js configuration file can be dangerous because the parameters in the file are case sensitive. Spelling and syntax errors may cause the contents of the file to be deleted when you restart Netscape. So we strongly recommend that you be careful and back up everything first.

Therefore, before making changes to this file, please make sure

1) Netscape is not running

2) Make a backup copy of the file

3) Use a text editor such as Notepad.

Note that editing of prefs.js is not a procedure officially supported by Netscape, so do so at your own risk.
 

Modifying the prefs.js File

Let me repeat, before editing,

1) Close Communicator
2) Make a backup of prefs.js
3) Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the original text

Note that parameters in this file are case sensitive, and it does matter whether you type an uppercase vs. a lowercase letter. Spelling and syntax errors may cause the contents of the file to be deleted when you restart Netscape. So be careful and back up everything first.

Modifying Preferences Manually
You can modify Communicator preferences "manually" by editing your Preferences file. The name and location of this file varies from platform to platform:

Be sure to edit this file only while all instances of Communicator are shut down, as Communicator will overwrite prefs.js when it exits. To enable a preference, add a line like this to the Preferences file: 

user_pref("signed.applets.codebase_principal_support", true);

Substitute the name of the preference you wish to enable for the first argument of user_pref().

To disable a preference, find the user_pref() line for that preference in the Preference file, and set the value to "false".

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This article is provided by Samuel Chong of Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, and supporter of Google, with references from "Security Preferences for Communicator" by Alec B. Plumb, and "Advanced Communicator References" by Jay Garcia and Kevin Hecht .  For more information, please contact us.

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