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->Privoxy 3.0.18 User Manual</TH
-></TR
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="10%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-><A
-HREF="whatsnew.html"
-ACCESSKEY="P"
->Prev</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="80%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="10%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-><A
-HREF="startup.html"
-ACCESSKEY="N"
->Next</A
-></TD
-></TR
-></TABLE
-><HR
-ALIGN="LEFT"
-WIDTH="100%"></DIV
-><DIV
-CLASS="SECT1"
-><H1
-CLASS="SECT1"
-><A
-NAME="QUICKSTART"
->4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy</A
-></H1
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> Install <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->. See the <A
-HREF="installation.html"
->Installation Section</A
-> below for platform specific
- information.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Advanced users and those who want to offer <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->
- service to more than just their local machine should check the <A
-HREF="config.html"
->main config file</A
->, especially the <A
-HREF="config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL"
->security-relevant</A
-> options. These are
- off by default.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Start <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->, if the installation program has
- not done this already (may vary according to platform). See the section
- <A
-HREF="startup.html"
->Starting <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-></A
->.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Set your browser to use <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> as HTTP and
- HTTPS (SSL) <A
-HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
-TARGET="_top"
->proxy</A
->
- by setting the proxy configuration for address of
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->127.0.0.1</TT
-> and port <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->8118</TT
->.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->DO NOT</I
-></SPAN
-> activate proxying for <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->FTP</TT
-> or
- any protocols besides HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) unless you intend to prevent your
- browser from using these protocols.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached ad images.
- If using <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to manage
- <A
-HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
-TARGET="_top"
->cookies</A
->,
- you should remove any currently stored cookies too.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point for
- most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to adjust the
- configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need arises. Little
- to no initial configuration is required in most cases, you may want
- to enable the
- <A
-HREF="config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS"
-TARGET="_top"
->web-based action editor</A
-> though.
- Be sure to read the warnings first.
- </P
-><P
-> See the <A
-HREF="configuration.html"
->Configuration section</A
-> for more
- configuration options, and how to customize your installation.
- You might also want to look at the <A
-HREF="quickstart.html#QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING"
->next section</A
-> for a quick
- introduction to how <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> blocks ads and
- banners.</P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are
- blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> behavior, take a look at the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->actions files</A
->. As a quick start, you might
- find the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
->richly commented examples</A
->
- helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files through the <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org"
-TARGET="_top"
->web-based user interface</A
->. The
- Appendix <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<A
-HREF="appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT"
->Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an
- Action</A
->"</SPAN
-> has hints on how to understand and debug actions that
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"misbehave"</SPAN
->.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Please see the section <A
-HREF="contact.html"
->Contacting the
- Developers</A
-> on how to report bugs, problems with websites or to get
- help.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!
- </P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><DIV
-CLASS="SECT2"
-><H2
-CLASS="SECT2"
-><A
-NAME="QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING"
->4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking</A
-></H2
-><P
-> Ad blocking is but one of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- array of features. Many of these features are for the technically minded advanced
- user. But, ad and banner blocking is surely common ground for everybody.</P
-><P
->
- This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so
- you can get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive
- information provided below, though this is highly recommended.</P
-><P
-> First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking SPAM: the
- more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to block
- things that were not intended. And the more likely that some things
- may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. If you want
- extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"problem"</SPAN
-> sites, and to spend more time adjusting the
- configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In short, there is
- not an easy way to eliminate <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->all</I
-></SPAN
-> ads. Either take
- the easy way and settle for <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->most</I
-></SPAN
-> ads blocked with the
- default configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing
- habits and preferences.</P
-><P
-> Secondly, a brief explanation of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's </SPAN
->
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
->. <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions"</SPAN
-> in this context, are
- the directives we use to tell <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to perform
- some task relating to HTTP transactions (i.e. web browsing). We tell
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to take some <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"action"</SPAN
->. Each
- action has a unique name and function. While there are many potential
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->actions</SPAN
-> in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- arsenal, only a few are used for ad blocking. <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACTIONS"
->Actions</A
->, and <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->action
- configuration files</A
->, are explained in depth below.</P
-><P
-> Actions are specified in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> configuration,
- followed by one or more URLs to which the action should apply. URLs
- can actually be URL type <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS"
->patterns</A
-> that use
- wildcards so they can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The
- actions, together with the URL patterns are called a section.</P
-><P
-> When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one or more
- of the sections as defined in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> configuration,
- or not. If so, then <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> will perform the
- respective actions. If not, then nothing special happens. Furthermore, web
- pages may contain embedded, secondary URLs that your web browser will
- use to load additional components of the page, as it parses the
- original page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL
- embedded in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server,
- or a server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many
- such embedded URLs. <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> can deal with each URL individually, so, for
- instance, the main page text is not touched, but images from such-and-such
- server are blocked.</P
-><P
-> The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
->, <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
->,
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT"
->handle-as-empty-document</A
-></TT
->,and
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
->set-image-blocker</A
-></TT
->:</P
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> - this is perhaps
- the single most used action, and is particularly important for ad blocking.
- This action stops any contact between your browser and any URL patterns
- that match this action's configuration. It can be used for blocking ads,
- but also anything that is determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply
- stops any communication with the remote server and sends
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->'s own built-in BLOCKED page instead to
- let you now what has happened (with some exceptions, see below).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
-> -
- tells <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to treat this URL as an image.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->'s default configuration already does this
- for all common image types (e.g. GIF), but there are many situations where this
- is not so easy to determine. So we'll force it in these cases. This is particularly
- important for ad blocking, since only if we know that it's an image of
- some kind, can we replace it with an image of our choosing, instead of the
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> BLOCKED page (which would only result in
- a <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"broken image"</SPAN
-> icon). There are some limitations to this
- though. For instance, you can't just brute-force an image substitution for
- an entire HTML page in most situations.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT"
->handle-as-empty-document</A
-></TT
-> -
- sends an empty document instead of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- normal BLOCKED HTML page. This is useful for file types that are neither
- HTML nor images, such as blocking JavaScript files.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
->set-image-blocker</A
-></TT
-> - tells
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> what to display in place of an ad image that
- has hit a block rule. For this to come into play, the URL must match a
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> action somewhere in the
- configuration, <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->and</I
-></SPAN
->, it must also match an
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
-> action.
- </P
-><P
-> The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad are:
- </P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->pattern</I
-></SPAN
-> - a checkerboard pattern, so that an ad
- replacement is obvious. This is the default.
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->blank</I
-></SPAN
-> - A very small empty GIF image is displayed.
- This is the so-called <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"invisible"</SPAN
-> configuration option.
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->http://<URL></I
-></SPAN
-> - A redirect to any image anywhere
- of the user's choosing (advanced usage).
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><P
-> Advanced users will eventually want to explore <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#FILTER"
->filters</A
-></TT
-> as well. Filters
- are very different from <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->blocks</A
-></TT
->.
- A <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"block"</SPAN
-> blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented. Filters
- are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the page. An example
- filter usage: a text replacement of <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"no-no"</SPAN
-> for
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"nasty-word"</SPAN
->. That is a very simple example. This process can be
- used for ad blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has
- some pitfalls to be wary off.</P
-><P
-> The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your browser through
- the special <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> editor at <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
->
- (shortcut: <A
-HREF="http://p.p/"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://p.p/show-status</A
->). This
- is an internal page, and does not require Internet access.</P
-><P
-> Note that as of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> 3.0.7 beta the
- action editor is disabled by default. Check the
- <A
-HREF="config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS"
-TARGET="_top"
->enable-edit-actions
- section in the configuration file</A
-> to learn why and in which
- cases it's safe to enable again.</P
-><P
-> If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
-> file, and click
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->. It is best to put personal or
- local preferences in <TT
-CLASS="FILENAME"
->user.action</TT
-> since this is not
- meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in
- other files. Here you can insert new <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
->, and URLs for ad
- blocking or other purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> will detect these changes automatically.</P
-><P
-> A quick and simple step by step example:</P
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIMENUITEM"
->Copy Link Location</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> from the
- pop-up menu.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Set your browser to
- <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
->
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Find <TT
-CLASS="FILENAME"
->user.action</TT
-> in the top section, and click
- on <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->:
- </P
-><P
-> <DIV
-CLASS="FIGURE"
-><A
-NAME="AEN687"
-></A
-><P
-><B
->Figure 1. Actions Files in Use</B
-></P
-><DIV
-CLASS="MEDIAOBJECT"
-><P
-><IMG
-SRC="files-in-use.jpg"></P
-></DIV
-></DIV
->
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> You should have a section with only
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> listed under
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions:"</SPAN
->.
- If not, click a <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Insert new section below</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->
- button, and in the new section that just appeared, click the
- <SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
-> button right under the word <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions:"</SPAN
->.
- This will bring up a list of all actions. Find
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> near the top, and click
- in the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Enabled"</SPAN
-> column, then <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Submit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->
- just below the list.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now, in the <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> actions section,
- click the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Add</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> button, and paste the URL the
- browser got from <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIMENUITEM"
->Copy Link Location</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->.
- Remove the <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->http://</TT
-> at the beginning of the URL. Then, click
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Submit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> (or
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->OK</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> if in a pop-up window).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now go back to the original page, and press <B
-CLASS="KEYCAP"
->SHIFT-Reload</B
->
- (or flush all browser caches). The image should be gone now.
- </P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><P
-> This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good reasons to use a
- wildcard pattern match to include potentially similar images from the same
- site. For a more extensive explanation of <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"patterns"</SPAN
->, and
- the entire actions concept, see <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->the Actions
- section</A
->.</P
-><P
-> For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you might want
- to now go to the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
->Actions Files Tutorial</A
->.
- The ideas explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.</P
-><P
-> There are also various
- <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#FILTER"
->filters</A
-> that can be used for ad blocking
- (filters are a special subset of actions). These
- fall into the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"advanced"</SPAN
-> usage category, and are explained in
- depth in later sections. </P
-></DIV
-></DIV
-><DIV
-CLASS="NAVFOOTER"
-><HR
-ALIGN="LEFT"
-WIDTH="100%"><TABLE
-SUMMARY="Footer navigation table"
-WIDTH="100%"
-BORDER="0"
-CELLPADDING="0"
-CELLSPACING="0"
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="whatsnew.html"
-ACCESSKEY="P"
->Prev</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="34%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="index.html"
-ACCESSKEY="H"
->Home</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="startup.html"
-ACCESSKEY="N"
->Next</A
-></TD
-></TR
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="top"
->What's New in this Release</TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="34%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="top"
-> </TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="top"
->Starting Privoxy</TD
-></TR
-></TABLE
-></DIV
-></BODY
-></HTML
->
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01
+Transitional//EN""http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
+<html>
+ <head>
+ <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org">
+ <title>
+ Quickstart to Using Privoxy
+ </title>
+ <meta name="GENERATOR" content=
+ "Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.79">
+ <link rel="HOME" title="Privoxy 3.0.18 User Manual" href="index.html">
+ <link rel="PREVIOUS" title="What's New in this Release" href=
+ "whatsnew.html">
+ <link rel="NEXT" title="Starting Privoxy" href="startup.html">
+ <link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="../p_doc.css">
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
+ <link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="p_doc.css">
+<style type="text/css">
+ body {
+ background-color: #EEEEEE;
+ color: #000000;
+ }
+ :link { color: #0000FF }
+ :visited { color: #840084 }
+ :active { color: #0000FF }
+ p.c2 {font-weight: bold}
+ hr.c1 {text-align: left}
+</style>
+ </head>
+ <body class="SECT1">
+ <div class="NAVHEADER">
+ <table summary="Header navigation table" width="100%" border="0"
+ cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
+ <tr>
+ <th colspan="3" align="center">
+ Privoxy 3.0.18 User Manual
+ </th>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td width="10%" align="left" valign="bottom">
+ <a href="whatsnew.html" accesskey="P">Prev</a>
+ </td>
+ <td width="80%" align="center" valign="bottom">
+ </td>
+ <td width="10%" align="right" valign="bottom">
+ <a href="startup.html" accesskey="N">Next</a>
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ <hr width="100%" class="c1">
+ </div>
+ <div class="SECT1">
+ <h1 class="SECT1">
+ <a name="QUICKSTART">4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy</a>
+ </h1>
+ <p>
+ </p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Install <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>. See the <a
+ href="installation.html">Installation Section</a> below for
+ platform specific information.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Advanced users and those who want to offer <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> service to more than just their
+ local machine should check the <a href="config.html">main config
+ file</a>, especially the <a href=
+ "config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL">security-relevant</a> options. These
+ are off by default.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Start <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, if the
+ installation program has not done this already (may vary
+ according to platform). See the section <a href=
+ "startup.html">Starting <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span></a>.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Set your browser to use <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
+ as HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) <a href=
+ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server" target=
+ "_top">proxy</a> by setting the proxy configuration for address
+ of <tt class="LITERAL">127.0.0.1</tt> and port <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">8118</tt>. <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">DO NOT</i></span> activate proxying for <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">FTP</tt> or any protocols besides HTTP and HTTPS (SSL)
+ unless you intend to prevent your browser from using these
+ protocols.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached
+ ad images. If using <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to
+ manage <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
+ target="_top">cookies</a>, you should remove any currently stored
+ cookies too.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point
+ for most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want
+ to adjust the configuration, but that can be dealt with as the
+ need arises. Little to no initial configuration is required in
+ most cases, you may want to enable the <a href=
+ "config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">web-based action
+ editor</a> though. Be sure to read the warnings first.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ See the <a href="configuration.html">Configuration section</a>
+ for more configuration options, and how to customize your
+ installation. You might also want to look at the <a href=
+ "quickstart.html#QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING">next section</a> for a
+ quick introduction to how <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> blocks ads and banners.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are
+ blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> behavior, take a look at the <a
+ href="actions-file.html">actions files</a>. As a quick start, you
+ might find the <a href="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">richly
+ commented examples</a> helpful. You can also view and edit the
+ actions files through the <a href="http://config.privoxy.org"
+ target="_top">web-based user interface</a>. The Appendix <span
+ class="QUOTE">"<a href=
+ "appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an
+ Action</a>"</span> has hints on how to understand and debug
+ actions that <span class="QUOTE">"misbehave"</span>.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Please see the section <a href="contact.html">Contacting the
+ Developers</a> on how to report bugs, problems with websites or
+ to get help.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <div class="SECT2">
+ <h2 class="SECT2">
+ <a name="QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING">4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking</a>
+ </h2>
+ <p>
+ Ad blocking is but one of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> array of features. Many of these
+ features are for the technically minded advanced user. But, ad and
+ banner blocking is surely common ground for everybody.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so you can
+ get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive
+ information provided below, though this is highly recommended.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking
+ SPAM: the more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are
+ to block things that were not intended. And the more likely that
+ some things may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here.
+ If you want extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
+ <span class="QUOTE">"problem"</span> sites, and to spend more time
+ adjusting the configuration to solve these unintended consequences.
+ In short, there is not an easy way to eliminate <span class=
+ "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">all</i></span> ads. Either take the
+ easy way and settle for <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">most</i></span> ads blocked with the default
+ configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing
+ habits and preferences.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Secondly, a brief explanation of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"actions"</span>. <span class="QUOTE">"Actions"</span> in
+ this context, are the directives we use to tell <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to perform some task relating to HTTP
+ transactions (i.e. web browsing). We tell <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to take some <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"action"</span>. Each action has a unique name and
+ function. While there are many potential <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">actions</span> in <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> arsenal, only a few are used for ad
+ blocking. <a href="actions-file.html#ACTIONS">Actions</a>, and <a
+ href="actions-file.html">action configuration files</a>, are
+ explained in depth below.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Actions are specified in <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span>
+ configuration, followed by one or more URLs to which the action
+ should apply. URLs can actually be URL type <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS">patterns</a> that use wildcards so
+ they can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The actions,
+ together with the URL patterns are called a section.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one
+ or more of the sections as defined in <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> configuration, or not. If so, then
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> will perform the
+ respective actions. If not, then nothing special happens.
+ Furthermore, web pages may contain embedded, secondary URLs that
+ your web browser will use to load additional components of the
+ page, as it parses the original page's HTML content. An ad image
+ for instance, is just an URL embedded in the page somewhere. The
+ image itself may be on the same server, or a server somewhere else
+ on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many such embedded
+ URLs. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can deal with each
+ URL individually, so, for instance, the main page text is not
+ touched, but images from such-and-such server are blocked.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt>, <tt
+ class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt>, <tt
+ class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT">handle-as-empty-document</a></tt>,and
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER">set-image-blocker</a></tt>:
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ </p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> - this is perhaps the
+ single most used action, and is particularly important for ad
+ blocking. This action stops any contact between your browser
+ and any URL patterns that match this action's configuration. It
+ can be used for blocking ads, but also anything that is
+ determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any
+ communication with the remote server and sends <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s own built-in BLOCKED page
+ instead to let you now what has happened (with some exceptions,
+ see below).
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt> -
+ tells <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to treat this
+ URL as an image. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s
+ default configuration already does this for all common image
+ types (e.g. GIF), but there are many situations where this is
+ not so easy to determine. So we'll force it in these cases.
+ This is particularly important for ad blocking, since only if
+ we know that it's an image of some kind, can we replace it with
+ an image of our choosing, instead of the <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> BLOCKED page (which would only
+ result in a <span class="QUOTE">"broken image"</span> icon).
+ There are some limitations to this though. For instance, you
+ can't just brute-force an image substitution for an entire HTML
+ page in most situations.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT">handle-as-empty-document</a></tt>
+ - sends an empty document instead of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> normal BLOCKED HTML page. This
+ is useful for file types that are neither HTML nor images, such
+ as blocking JavaScript files.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER">set-image-blocker</a></tt>
+ - tells <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> what to
+ display in place of an ad image that has hit a block rule. For
+ this to come into play, the URL must match a <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt>
+ action somewhere in the configuration, <span class=
+ "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">and</i></span>, it must also
+ match an <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt>
+ action.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad
+ are:
+ </p>
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>
+ <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">pattern</i></span> - a checkerboard pattern,
+ so that an ad replacement is obvious. This is the
+ default.
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>
+ <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">blank</i></span> - A very small empty GIF
+ image is displayed. This is the so-called <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"invisible"</span> configuration option.
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>
+ <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">http://<URL></i></span> - A redirect to
+ any image anywhere of the user's choosing (advanced
+ usage).
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ Advanced users will eventually want to explore <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#FILTER">filters</a></tt> as well. Filters are
+ very different from <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">blocks</a></tt>. A <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"block"</span> blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented.
+ Filters are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the
+ page. An example filter usage: a text replacement of <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"no-no"</span> for <span class="QUOTE">"nasty-word"</span>.
+ That is a very simple example. This process can be used for ad
+ blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has
+ some pitfalls to be wary off.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your
+ browser through the special <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> editor at <a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
+ "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a> (shortcut: <a
+ href="http://p.p/" target="_top">http://p.p/show-status</a>). This
+ is an internal page, and does not require Internet access.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Note that as of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> 3.0.7 beta
+ the action editor is disabled by default. Check the <a href=
+ "config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">enable-edit-actions
+ section in the configuration file</a> to learn why and in which
+ cases it's safe to enable again.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate
+ <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> file, and click <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Edit</span>"</span>. It is best to
+ put personal or local preferences in <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">user.action</tt> since this is not meant to be
+ overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in
+ other files. Here you can insert new <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"actions"</span>, and URLs for ad blocking or other
+ purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration. <span
+ class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> will detect these changes
+ automatically.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ A quick and simple step by step example:
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ </p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select <span
+ class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIMENUITEM">Copy Link
+ Location</span>"</span> from the pop-up menu.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Set your browser to <a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
+ "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a>
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Find <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt> in the top section,
+ and click on <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Edit</span>"</span>:
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ </p>
+ <div class="FIGURE">
+ <a name="AEN687"></a>
+ <p class="c2">
+ Figure 1. Actions Files in Use
+ </p>
+ <div class="MEDIAOBJECT">
+ <p>
+ <img src="files-in-use.jpg">
+ </p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ You should have a section with only <tt class="LITERAL"><a
+ href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> listed under
+ <span class="QUOTE">"Actions:"</span>. If not, click a <span
+ class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Insert new section
+ below</span>"</span> button, and in the new section that just
+ appeared, click the <span class="GUIBUTTON">Edit</span> button
+ right under the word <span class="QUOTE">"Actions:"</span>.
+ This will bring up a list of all actions. Find <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> near
+ the top, and click in the <span class="QUOTE">"Enabled"</span>
+ column, then <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Submit</span>"</span> just below the list.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Now, in the <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> actions section, click
+ the <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Add</span>"</span> button, and paste the URL the
+ browser got from <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIMENUITEM">Copy Link Location</span>"</span>. Remove the <tt
+ class="LITERAL">http://</tt> at the beginning of the URL. Then,
+ click <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Submit</span>"</span> (or <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">OK</span>"</span> if in a
+ pop-up window).
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <p>
+ Now go back to the original page, and press <b class=
+ "KEYCAP">SHIFT-Reload</b> (or flush all browser caches). The
+ image should be gone now.
+ </p>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good
+ reasons to use a wildcard pattern match to include potentially
+ similar images from the same site. For a more extensive explanation
+ of <span class="QUOTE">"patterns"</span>, and the entire actions
+ concept, see <a href="actions-file.html">the Actions section</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you
+ might want to now go to the <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">Actions Files Tutorial</a>. The
+ ideas explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ There are also various <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#FILTER">filters</a> that can be used for ad
+ blocking (filters are a special subset of actions). These fall into
+ the <span class="QUOTE">"advanced"</span> usage category, and are
+ explained in depth in later sections.
+ </p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ <div class="NAVFOOTER">
+ <hr width="100%" class="c1">
+ <table summary="Footer navigation table" width="100%" border="0"
+ cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
+ <tr>
+ <td width="33%" align="left" valign="top">
+ <a href="whatsnew.html" accesskey="P">Prev</a>
+ </td>
+ <td width="34%" align="center" valign="top">
+ <a href="index.html" accesskey="H">Home</a>
+ </td>
+ <td width="33%" align="right" valign="top">
+ <a href="startup.html" accesskey="N">Next</a>
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td width="33%" align="left" valign="top">
+ What's New in this Release
+ </td>
+ <td width="34%" align="center" valign="top">
+
+ </td>
+ <td width="33%" align="right" valign="top">
+ Starting Privoxy
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </div>
+ </body>
+</html>
+
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff