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40 >Privoxy 3.1.1 User Manual</TH
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76 NAME="QUICKSTART">4. Quickstart to Using <SPAN
86 > If upgrading, from versions before 2.9.16, please back up any configuration
88 HREF="upgradersnote.html"
99 HREF="installation.html"
100 >Installation Section</A
101 > below for platform specific
107 > Advanced users and those who want to offer <SPAN
111 service to more than just their local machine should check the <A
115 HREF="config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL"
116 >security-relevant</A
126 >, if the installation program has
127 not done this already (may vary according to platform). See the section
139 > Set your browser to use <SPAN
143 HTTPS proxy by setting the proxy configuration for address of
154 > and earlier versions of
158 > used port 8000.) See the section <A
165 for more details on this.
170 > Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached ad images.
175 > A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point for
176 most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to adjust the
177 configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need arises. Little
178 to no initial configuration is required in most cases.
182 HREF="configuration.html"
183 >Configuration section</A
185 configuration options, and how to customize your installation.
191 > If you experience ads that slipped through, innocent images that are
192 blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune
196 > behaviour, take a look at the <A
197 HREF="actions-file.html"
199 >. As a quick start, you might
201 HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
202 >richly commented examples</A
204 helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files through the <A
205 HREF="http://config.privoxy.org"
207 >web-based user interface</A
212 HREF="appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT"
216 > has hints how to debug actions that
225 > Please see the section <A
229 > on how to report bugs or problems with websites or to get
235 > Now enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy!
245 NAME="QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING">4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking</H2
247 > Ad blocking is but one of <SPAN
251 array of features. Many of these features are for the technically minded advanced
252 user. But, ad and banner blocking is surely common ground for everybody.</P
255 This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so
256 you can get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive
257 information provided below, though this is highly recommended.</P
259 > First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking SPAM: the
260 more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to block
261 things that were not intended. So there is a trade off here. If you want
262 extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
266 > sites, and to spend more time adjusting the
267 configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In short, there is
268 not an easy way to eliminate <SPAN
275 the easy way and settle for <SPAN
281 > ads blocked with the
282 default configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing
283 habits and preferences.</P
285 > Secondly, a brief explanation of <SPAN
295 > in this context, are
296 the directives we use to tell <SPAN
300 some task relating to HTTP transactions (i.e. web browsing). We tell
308 action has a unique name and function. While there are many potential
316 arsenal, only a few are used for ad blocking. <A
317 HREF="actions-file.html#ACTIONS"
320 HREF="actions-file.html"
322 configuration files</A
323 >, are explained in depth below.</P
325 > Actions are specified in <SPAN
329 followed by one or more URLs to which the action should apply. URLs
330 can actually be URL type <A
331 HREF="actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS"
334 wildcards so they can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The
335 actions, together with the URL patterns are called a section.</P
337 > When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one or more
338 of the sections as defined in <SPAN
342 or not. If so, then <SPAN
346 respective actions. If not, then nothing special happens. Furthermore, web
347 pages may contain embedded, secondary URLs that your web browser will
348 use to load additional components of the page, as it parses the
349 original page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL
350 embedded in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server,
351 or a server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many
352 such embedded URLs.</P
354 > The actions we need to know about for ad blocking are: <TT
357 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
363 HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
370 HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
371 >set-image-blocker</A
383 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
386 > - this action stops
387 any contact between your browser and any URL patterns that match this
388 action's configuration. It can be used for blocking ads, but also anything
389 that is determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any
390 communication with the remote server and sends <SPAN
394 own built-in BLOCKED page instead to let you now what has happened.
402 HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
409 > to treat this URL as an image.
413 >'s default configuration already does this
414 for all common image types (e.g. GIF), but there are many situations where this
415 is not so easy to determine. So we'll force it in these cases. This is particularly
416 important for ad blocking, since only if we know that it's an image of
417 some kind, can we replace it with an image of our choosing, instead of the
421 > BLOCKED page (which would only result in
424 >"broken image"</SPAN
425 > icon). There are some limitations to this
426 though. For instance, you can't just brute-force an image substitution for
427 an entire HTML page in most situations.
435 HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
436 >set-image-blocker</A
442 > what to display in place of an ad image that
443 has hit a block rule. For this to come into play, the URL must match a
447 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
450 > action somewhere in the
457 >, it must also match an
461 HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
467 > The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad are:
482 > - a checkerboard pattern, so that an ad
483 replacement is obvious. This is the default.
503 > - A very small empty GIF image is displayed.
504 This is the so-called <SPAN
507 > configuration option.
525 >http://<URL></I
527 > - A redirect to any image anywhere
528 of the user's choosing (advanced usage).
539 > The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your browser through
544 HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
546 >http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
551 >http://p.p/show-status</A
553 is an internal page, and does not require Internet access. Select the
564 >. It is best to put personal or
565 local preferences in <TT
569 meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in
570 other files. Here you can insert new <SPAN
574 blocking or other purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration.
578 > will detect these changes automatically.</P
580 > A quick and simple step by step example:</P
587 > Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select
592 >Copy Link Location</SPAN
600 > Set your browser to
602 HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
604 >http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
613 > in the top section, and click
628 >Figure 1. Actions Files in Use</B
634 SRC="../images/files-in-use.jpg"></P
642 > You should have a section with only
646 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
654 If not, click a <SPAN
658 >Insert new section below</SPAN
661 button, and in the new section that just appeared, click the
665 > button right under the word <SPAN
669 This will bring up a list of all actions. Find
673 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
676 > near the top, and click
695 HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
705 > button, and paste the URL the
706 browser got from <SPAN
710 >Copy Link Location</SPAN
716 > at the beginning of the URL. Then, click
730 > if in a pop-up window).
735 > Now go back to the original page, and press <B
739 (or flush all browser caches). The image should be gone now.
745 > This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good reasons to use a
746 wildcard pattern match to include potentially similar images from the same
747 site. For a more extensive explanation of <SPAN
751 the entire actions concept, see <A
752 HREF="actions-file.html"
757 > For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you might want
759 HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
760 >Actions Files Tutorial</A
762 The ideas explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.</P
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809 >Note to Upgraders</TD