Web Slices

This section offers conceptual overview material for Web Slices, introduced with Internet Explorer 8. A Web Slice uses simple HTML markup to represent a clipping of a Web page, enabling users to subscribe to content directly within a Web page.

Important As of Internet Explorer 11 for the desktop, Web slice and Accelerator buttons no longer display within a webpage. As of May 2014, this applies to all versions of Internet Explorer starting with IE8. Use the Feed discovery button in the Command bar to access Web Slices. Accelerators are available from the shortcut menu.

Overviews

Authenticated Web Slices

This topic covers the security model of Web Slices and includes samples of authenticated scenarios in ASP.NET.

Subscribing to Content with Web Slices

Today, many Web sites provide content updates through Really Simple Syndication (RSS) news feeds. This requires a Web site to duplicate some content as a special XML file, called a feed, that a news reader application can download and check for updates. In contrast, a Web Slice enables users to subscribe to content directly within a Web page; a separate feed file is not required. Users monitor content changes and view the updated portion of the Web page directly from the Favorites bar (the improved Links toolbar) of Internet Explorer.

Web Slice Format Specification - Version 0.9

A Web Slice allows users to subscribe to a portion of a Web page. The Web Slice format consists of the minimum HTML annotations necessary to enable the publication and consumption of a mutable item on a Web page. Web publishers can use this format in conjunction with properties from hAtom Microformat  to make portions of a Web page subscribe-able.

Web Slice Icon Guidelines

Guidelines for using the Web Slice icon in content.

Tutorials

Answers to Web Slice Tutorial Exercises

This page contains suggested answers to exercise questions.

LESSON 1: Adding Web Slices to a Web page

This tutorial explains how to add Web Slices to Web pages.

LESSON 2: Adding visible content to your Web Slice

This tutorial explains how to add Web Slice content that appears in the preview window on the Favorites bar.

LESSON 3: Setting an expiration time

This tutorial explains how to add an expiration time to a Web Slice.

LESSON 4: Setting a time-to-live (TTL) value

This tutorial explains how to limit the frequency of Web Slice updates.

LESSON 5: Getting Web Slice content from an RSS feed source

This tutorial explains how to create an alternate feed source for a Web Slice.

LESSON 6: Using a custom button to install a Web Slice

This tutorial explains how to create a customized user experience for your site.