To help you organize and manage your work, the desktop provides windows,
workspaces, controls, menus, and the Front Panel.
Windows contain software applications
and are framed with controls so you can move them, size them, or
place them in additional workspaces.
Workspaces are the screen areas where you place
the windows needed for your work, arrange them, and put them away
when you're done.
Controls enable you to manipulate objects, select
choices, or type information.
Menus provide access to commands you use to manage
windows and operate applications.
The Front Panel is a collection of frequently used
controls, available in every workspace.
Some of the windows, icons and objects you'll encounter
as you use the desktop are:
Window Icons |
 |
| When you minimize a window, it becomes
an icon on the workspace. Shown here are the window
icons for File Manager and Style Manager. |
To minimize a window, click the minimize button near the upper
right corner of the window frame.
To restore the window, double-click mouse button 1 on the
icon. You can also restore the window by clicking its icon to display
the Window menu and then clicking on the menu's Restore
item. See “To Restore a Window from an Icon” for more information.
Front Panel |
|
The Front Panel is a special window at the bottom of the display.
It provides controls, indicators, and subpanels you use in your
everyday work. The Front Panel also provides the workspace switch
for selecting a workspace.
Many controls in the Front Panel, such as the File Manager
control, start applications when you click them. Some controls,
like the Printer control, are also drop zones. You can drag a file
icon from File Manager and drop it on the Printer control to be
printed.
The clock is an example of an indicator.
Arrow buttons over Front Panel controls identify subpanels—click
an arrow button to open a subpanel.
For more information, see Chapter 4 “Using the Front Panel”."
Style Manager |
|
Use Style Manager to easily customize many elements of the
desktop including:
Keyboard, mouse, and window behavior
| To start Style Manager, click its Front
Panel control. |
For more information about Style Manager, see Chapter 7 “Customizing the Desktop Environment”."
File Manager |
|
File Manager displays the files, folders, and applications
on your system as icons. Working with File Manager icons saves you
from having to learn complex commands.
| To open a File Manager view of your home
folder, click the File Manager control in the Front Panel. |
For more information, see Chapter 5 “Managing Files with File Manager”."
Application Manager |
|
Application Manager provides access to applications you use
in your everyday work through action icons.
You use action icons to start applications. Application Manager
stores action icons in special folders called application
groups.
You can place the action icons you use frequently on the workspace backdrop.
| To open Application Manager, click its
Front Panel control. |
For more information, see Chapter 6 “Running Applications from the Desktop”."
Workspace Objects |
|
You can place the files, folders, and actions you use frequently
on the workspace backdrop as icons.
| To place an object on the workspace,
drag its icon from a File Manager or Application Manager window
and drop it directly on the workspace backdrop. |
A workspace object is a reference to
the actual object, not a copy. The actual object remains unchanged
within File Manager or Application Manager.
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