Similar to an entry in a list of bookmarks, URL objects provide direct access to an object that is not contained in the current folder, but is located somewhere on the Web, on an FTP or News server etc. A URL object may also be used to access a BSCW object in another folder or workspace on the same BSCW server (see 4.11).

A URL object basically consists of its name and its address, e.g., http://bscw.fit.fraunhofer.de/bscw_help-4.3/english/. You enter name and address in a form when you create a URL object by clicking  File    New    URL . URL objects may also be copied from the search result page of a Web search: Copy some search results to your clipboard and then paste them into a folder.

The special action menu entries for URL objects are:

  verify 

checks the availability of a URL;

  fetch 

stores the contents of the document or object referred to by a URL in your workspace;

  rate 

lets you rate the quality of the document or object referred to by a URL on a five point scale.

These actions help manage the links within your workspace or across the Web and support their shared utilization.