+
+Hopefully you will be able to work it without too much help, but this
+documentation page contains information about the database website
+which you may not be able to divine from the online user interface.
+
+<p>
+
+If this page is all too complicated for you, you may prefer to read
+<a href="intro">the introduction</a> instead.
+
+<h2>Bookmarkable URLs</h2>
+
+Mostly, you can bookmark the specific pages and queries. Select the
+ocean, query page, and other combinations of options, as you wish, and
+perhaps fill in the actual data fields too, and bookmark the resulting
+URL.
+
+<p>
+
+(An exception to this is if you select the "Update" option from the
+"Trades for route" lookup; the list of (de)selected stalls is too long
+to fit in a URL.)
+
+<h2>Dynamic confirmation of meaning of text entry boxes</h2>
+
+If you have Javascript enabled, the various text entry boxes will be
+annotated with a brief explanation of the system's interpretation of
+your current entry string. To get the actual results updated, you
+must still hit "Go" or "Update".
+
+<h2>Trades for route</h2>
+
+Given a list of islands (or archipelagoes), provides a list of
+potentially profitable trades. If the route is suitable for the trade
+route optimiser, it will generate a complete voyage plan, telling you
+which goods to buy and sell where at which stalls and prices.
+
+<p><a name="arbitrage"></a>
+
+If you specify only one island or one archipelago, the site shows only
+arbitrage trades. If you want single-hop trades within an
+archipelago, you must enter the archipelago name twice.
+
+<p>
+
+After getting the results, you can untick various trades individually,
+and select "Update" to get a new plan. The unticked trades will be
+excluded from the voyage plan (if any) and also from the totals.
+
+<h3><a name="capacity">Vessel capacity</a></h3>
+
+If you don't specify a vessel or a vessel capacity, the trading plan
+will not take into account the fact that your voyage will be on a ship
+with a limited size. This will probably result in a plan
+which trades excessively cumbersome goods (eg. hemp, wood, iron).
+
+<p>
+
+So you should specify your vessel capacity. You can enter things
+like:
+<dl>
+<dt>sloop
+<dd>The capacity of a sloop, leaving no allowance for rum and shot
+<dt>wb - 1%
+<dd>The capacity of a war brig minus 1%
+<dt>13t 20kl
+<dd>13 tonnes (13,000kg), 20 kilolitres (20,000l)
+<dt>sloop - 10 small 40 rum
+<dd>The capacity of a sloop which remains after
+ 10 small shot and 40 rum are loaded
+<dt>2t plus 500kg minus 200kg
+<dd>2300kg, with no limit on volume
+</dl>
+Evaluation is strictly from left to right.