Finding Aids
Search
Use the Search field in the left column to find a term of interest. For instance, start typing in the word 'johanna' and watch as a list of known references appear. Click one of the list items to see details of that occurence used in Ferns Roots. The details show in the main text body. Click the article link and all occurrences of your search word will show highlighgted in that article. Press your browser 'back-arrow' to return to the page you were on.
Categories
In the right column will show different lists of category entries that update depending on your current choice. For instance, clicking on United Kingdom will show a different list of choices than will clicking on Australia or New Zealand. The Ferns Roots category will always show below the current category you are browsing, so is always available.
Your Tracks
The 'Your Tracks ...' aid provides a 'breadcrubs' trail to show where you are in Ferns Roots. Clicking on any track link will take you back along your trail to that point. Use your browser forward and back arrows to move back and forth between pages as required.
Using Tabs
Your browser allows you to open more than one page at a time so you can flip back and forth between pages, perhaps keeping one page showing a list of names while using a second page for detailed study. Browsers all have this feature, but may work slighly differently depending on your model of browser, or whether you are using a desktop, tablet or smartphone.
For example, using Firefox browser on a desktop PC I find a page link I want to have open as well as my current page. I move my mouse over the link and right-click on the link to show a dropdown list of options. I choose 'Open in new tab' and the page opens. I flip back and forth between the two pages by selecting the browser tab I want. This is a browser feature it is well worth while becoming familiar with.
Another example is using my smartphone, where I 'long press' on a link to see options, where I select 'Open link in new tab in group'. I might then browse to a cemetery site to see a memorial inscription on a headstone, using the tab bar at the bottom of my smartphonescreen to flip back and forth between the cemetery record and the Ferns Roots page.
Responsive Pages
The Ferns Roots site uses a modern software capability that makes it 'responsive' to the size of device that it is viewed on. So a desktop PC having a wide screen can easily display the page header, plus left and right columns. To fit all that information onto a small smartphone screen, the site removes unused space in the header width, and shifts the left and right column content below the main page. This means it is always possible to read good sized text on a small screen.
You can see responsiveness in action by rotating a smartphone or tablet onto its side and seeing the header change size, or by making a desktop window resizable, then dragging the right sidebar to the left and watching the content rearrange itself.