How to Use This Site
Junior Crystal Dig, Image Credit: Lori Carter
(See more about this image below)
Navigation
Menu
There is a menu to the left of the page to help you navigate from page to page. Menu items with sub-menus have a V-shaped arrow to the left. Click the arrow to expand the menu to see and access sub-menu(s). Click it again to collapse the menu.
If all of the menu items will not fit on your screen, there will be a slider on the right that you can use to scroll the menu up and down.
When you select a page, its entry on the menu is highlighted so you can see where you are in the menu structure.
You can use your browser's "back" button to return to the prior page you were viewing, or click another menu item to view another page.
When the page is small, the menu is not displayed at all times, but is still accessible by a small icon composed of three horizontal lines located in the upper left corner of the page. It still operates as described above. The menu may appear this way for the following reasons:
The website is being viewed on a phone
The window it is in is reduced to a size that no longer accommodates the full menu
The window it is in is increased to a size that no longer accommodates the full menu, for example by holding down the control key and clicking the plus sign (+).
Links
Links within the website and to other websites will be indicated as links, for example with underlined text and the words "click here".
There are also link symbols on pages so other websites can link directly to a place on a page. The symbols look like a link in a chain. You may have to hover your cursor over a heading, spreadsheet, or other item on the page to see the link icon. Click it to copy the link.
Home
You can return to the home page by clicking any of the following:
The AFMS logo in the upper left corner of the page
The acronym "AFMS" in the upper left corner of the page
Buttons at the bottom of the page
There are three quick access buttons at the bottom of every page:
Find a club - Takes you to the map of AFMS clubs on the home page
Contact - Takes you to the Contact page where you can fill out a form requesting or reporting information.
Copyright - Takes you to the Copyright page
Spreadsheets
Some of the information on the website is displayed in a convenient spreadsheet format.
Tabs
The bottom of the spreadsheet may have tabs for additional information. Simply click the tab to see more.
Side Slider
If there are more rows in the spreadsheet to view, you can use the slider on the right side of the spreadsheet to scroll up and down.
Bottom Slider
If a row is too wide for your screen, you can use the slider at the bottom of the spreadsheet to scroll right and left.
Open Icon
In the upper right corner of a spreadsheet there is an open icon. You may have to hover your cursor there to see it. Click the icon to open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets. Once the sheet is open, you can sort, filter, print, magnify, and download the information. Note: To use this feature you must be logged into a Google Account, for example a Gmail account.
Documents/Articles
Some of the information on the website is available as documents. Some documents are linked directly, and some are listed in folders.
Linked
To view a linked document, simply click it and it will open in another window in your browser.
List
To view a document in folder, simply click it and it will open in another window in your browser. If there are more documents than will fit on your screen, you can use a slider on the right side of the list to scroll up and down.
Download/Print
After you open a document to view it, you can also download or print it.
Open Icon
In the upper right corner of a list of documents, there is an open icon. You may have to hover your cursor there to see it. Click the icon to open the spreadsheet in Google Drive. In Drive you can sort the documents by name or last modified date.
Document Information
At the bottom of each document you will see the following:
Author
Name of the document
AFMS website url
Most recent date the document was saved
Pictures
Page Pictures
Most pages on this website have a picture at the top of the page. There is also a full view of the picture plus a description including photo credit. All of the pictures were taken by members of clubs in the AFMS.
Picture Carousels
Sets of pictures are displayed in picture "carousels". The pictures change automatically, but if you want to stop the automatic display, click a picture in the carousel. Then you can use the left and right arrows in the carousel to look through the pictures manually.
Other Page Features
There are some useful features on all pages and in certain places on pages.
Last Updated
The lower left corner of each page has a lower case i in a circle. Click that icon to see the last time the page was updated.
Webmaster Contact
At the bottom of every page, there is a link to send email to the webmaster.
Collapsible Boxes
Some information is in collapsible boxes. They are indicated by a V-shaped arrow to the right of the heading. Click the arrow to expand and collapse a box.
Buttons at the bottom of the page
There are three quick access buttons at the bottom of every page:
Find a club - Takes you to the map of AFMS clubs on the home page
Contact - Takes you to the Contact page where you can fill out a form requesting or reporting information.
Copyright - Takes you to the Copyright page
Forms
Basic Forms
Basic forms allow you to enter information, select values etc. When you finish filling out a form, click the submit button at the bottom.
Forms that allow attachments
Some forms are designed to allow attachments. To prevent malware and spam, these forms require you to be logged onto a Google Account, for example Gmail. If you need to fill out one of these forms but do not have a Google account, it is simple to get an account, but if you prefer not to, contact the webmaster or central office.
Restricted Forms
Some forms are restricted to authorized members only. These will be clearly identified. Only members with AFMS accounts may use these forms.
About the image on this page
Some field trips are specifically for junior club members. This junior is proudly showing off some quartz crystals that she just dug out of the ground, as evidenced by the red clay still on the crystals and her hands!
Image Credit: Lori Carter