Chapter 8 - Customizing Your Workspace

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1, "Getting Started with the Desktop," introduced the concept of the Desktop workspace: a place to put the programs, files, and directories you use most often. This chapter shows you how to customize your workspace and tools. You will learn how to:

This chapter also describes working with layouts, including how to:

The Desktop Startup Layout

When you start the Desktop for the first time, the Desktop Window fills your screen, and a Directory Window of your home directory opens in the middle of the Desktop.

The Desktop Window

The Desktop Window is the background on which other windows sit. It is the only window that must be open while the Desktop is running. A major feature of the Desktop is that you can customize the appearance and contents of the Desktop Window. You can display it with or without frames. For additional information about changing the appearance of the Desktop Window, refer to Table 1.

By default, the Desktop Window is "pinned" to the root, or background, window. The Desktop Window fills your screen. If you prefer to use the background of the X Window System, you can use the icon bar to "unpin" the Desktop Window, so that it does not fill your screen. You can then resize and move it.

To help you organize your work and perform a variety of tasks, the Desktop Window has several distinct features:

Pull-Down Command Menus

The Desktop Window has six menus:

These menus contain the Desktop commands; example procedures later in this chapter step through tasks you can perform using them. There is also a Help menu that is described in Chapter 3.

Several of these commands are also available through accelerator keys. Refer to "Using Accelerator Keys" for a table of these keys and the associated commands.

The Icon Bar

The Icon Bar is an important feature of the Desktop Window. It contains a row of graphic buttons which open various Desktop windows, launch applications, or open command dialogs. To view the name of a particular button, hold down the mouse button while pointing to the button; this displays its name in the first text box in the status area at the bottom of the Desktop Window. (You must select View Status Area from the View menu first.) Click a button to execute the associated action.

Generally, the buttons that are supplied with the Desktop provide shortcuts for operations that can be performed using menu commands from the Desktop Window menus. However, you can add buttons to the Icon Bar that do things not available on any Desktop menu.

Default Icon Bar Display

Ten buttons are shown on the Icon Bar when you first start the Desktop:

Changing the Icon Bar

The Icon Bar command lets you control the appearance and contents of the Icon Bar.

When you select Icon Bar... from the Options Menu in the Desktop Window, the Icon Bar Window is displayed:

Internal Icon Bar Buttons

The scrolling window displays a list of all the buttons available to you: the custom external buttons you have created and the internal Icon Bar buttons.

For more information on creating custom buttons, refer to "Customizing the Icon Bar with New External Commands."

The custom buttons that you have created are listed first, in order of creation, followed by an alphabetical list of internal buttons. You can choose whether or not to show the internal Desktop buttons on the Icon Bar, but you cannot edit or remove them from the list. These buttons are:

Five buttons to the left of the scrolling list perform various actions. Depending on the item currently selected in the scrolling list, some of the buttons may appear dimmed when you first open the Icon Bar Window.

If you show many icons on the Icon Bar, or unstick the Desktop from the root and resize it, there may be insufficient room to display all of the large or small icons on the current Icon Bar. If the resized window cannot display all of the icons on the current Icon Bar, the Icon Bar will first wrap to the next line, then display a fragment to the right of the last displayed icon. This indicates that additional icons on the current Icon Bar are hidden from view (as shown in the following graphic). Enlarge the Desktop Window to display all of the icons.

Setting the Size of Buttons on the Icon Bar

In the Icon Bar Window, you can select either of two sizes for the buttons on the Icon Bar. The Icon Size area displays two radio buttons: Large Icons and Small Icons. Large icons are 40 x 40 pixels; small icons are 24 x 24 pixels.

  1. In the Icon Size area, click Large Icons to display large buttons on the Icon Bar. Click Small Icons to display small buttons.

  2. Click OK to save the changes and close the Icon Bar Window.
    This change is applied to your Desktop Window Icon Bar.
    You can also click Apply to save your changes without closing the window, or Reset to change the Current Icon Bar field back to its last saved configuration.
    You can click Defaults to restore the Current Icon Bar field to its original configuration (either your most recently restored layout, or if no layout has been restored, the configuration when you last started the Desktop).

Arranging Buttons on the Icon Bar

In the Icon Bar Window, you can rearrange the order of the buttons on the Icon Bar.

  1. Click the button in the Current Icon Bar you want to move.
    The pointer changes to a hand cursor.

  2. Drag the button to its new location on the Current Icon Bar.
    The buttons shift to their new locations, filling in as needed.

  3. Click Apply to show your changes on the Desktop Window Icon Bar.

Customizing the Icon Bar with New External Commands

In the Icon Bar Window, you can create new external commands and associate them with your own custom buttons that you have designed. You can show the buttons on the Icon Bar for easy access.

You can define the command and create the icon for the button in the same procedure, but you may want to perform these steps separately. You can also define the command and use a generic the Desktop icon for its button, then specify another custom button later on. For more information, refer to "Creating Personal Icons for External Command Buttons."

Creating a New External Command

  1. Open the Icon Bar Window.

  2. Click Create.
    This adds an item called New External Command to the top of the scrolling list. The circle to the left of the name identifies it as an external command as opposed to an internal one. External commands are placed at the top of the scrolling list in order of creation.

  3. Select the New External Command item in the scrolling list and click Edit....
    You can also Double-click the New External Command item in the scrolling list.
    The Edit External Command Window opens:

  4. In the Name field, enter the name of the command.
    This is the name that will be displayed in the scrolling list.
    If you are editing an existing external command that already has an associated icon, that icon is displayed to the right of the Name field.

  5. Type your command in the Command Line text box.
    This is the command that you want to associate with the Icon Bar button.
    External commands can include the #f, #d, #F, #D, #u, #g, and #c symbols used in the Command Line Window. However, the selected file and directory symbols refer to the current selected files or directories regardless of whether they are on the Desktop or in an open Directory Window. For details on command syntax and related information, refer to "Using the Command Line Window."

  6. Select the Run In Terminal Window check box if you want the program to run in a terminal emulator window.

  7. In the Small Icon Name field, specify the icon you want to display on the Icon Bar when using small icons.

    This icon should have a maximum size of 24 x 24 pixels. If you do not specify a small icon, a message is displayed that the Desktop will use a generic Desktop icon. For more information, refer to "Creating Personal Icons for External Command Buttons."

  8. In the Large Icon Name field, specify the icon you want to display on the Icon Bar when using large icons.
    This icon should have a maximum size of 40 x 40 pixels. If you do not specify a large icon, a message is displayed that the Desktop will use a generic Desktop icon.

  9. When you have finished, click OK to save the changes and close the Edit External Command Window.

Creating Personal Icons for External Command Buttons

You can use the Icon Editor to create or edit icons for use on Icon Bar buttons. You reference these icons by name in the Edit External Command Window in the Small Icon Name and Large Icon Name fields.

For additional detailed information on creating graphics for the Icon Bar buttons, refer to Chapter 9, "Working with the Icon Editor."

Starting the Icon Editor

  1. Click the Run Icon Editor... button in the Edit External Command Window.
    You can also select Icon Editor from the Run Menu in the Desktop Window.
    The Icon Editor Window opens.

From the Galleries Menu in the Icon Editor Window, you can access four galleries:

These four galleries are useful in different ways. You can directly reference any icon in the system Icon Bar buttons gallery by name in the External Command Window. When the system resolves which icon to use for an external command, this file is consulted if the given name cannot be found in your personal icon gallery (lg_bar.vr).

You can copy icons from any of the three system galleries and paste them into this personal gallery so you can reference them in the External Command Window. You can also edit or create icons in this personal gallery. When you save this personal gallery, the icons in it are immediately available to the Desktop. You cannot edit icons or add to the sets in the system galleries unless you are a system administrator or super-user.

The Mailbox Icon

The Mailbox icon in the upper right-hand corner of your Desktop Window is used for mail notification. If you have unread mail, the Mailbox contains letters and the flag is up.

The Desktop

The Desktop "area" beneath the Icon Bar is a place to put icons for the directories and files you use most often. The directories and files you put on the Desktop are not moved from their actual location in the file system---but they are also displayed on the Desktop so you can access them easily.

You can open directories and files on the Desktop the same way you can in Directory Windows. When you open a file from the Desktop, the application's icon appears in the Jobs Window if it is open. For detailed information about activating files, refer to Chapter 7, "Running Programs."

Directories and files that are dimmed on the Desktop cannot be located by the Desktop. This usually occurs when a directory or file has been moved or removed by a program other than the Desktop, or resides in a file system that is not currently mounted or has been mounted at a different location.

Using the Desktop Trash

  1. Select the objects you want to remove.

  2. Drag their icons onto the Trash can and drop them.
    You can also remove any object you have placed on the Desktop by dragging its icon onto the Trash.
    This removes the actual object; it does not just remove it from the Desktop.
    By default, the Trash collects directories and files you remove. For information on removal options, refer to Chapter 10, "Changing the Desktop Preferences." For information on the Trash and the Trash Window menus, refer to Chapter 5, "Managing Directories and Files."

Retrieving Items from the Trash

Items that you place in the Trash can be retrieved before the Trash is emptied. The appearance of the Trash can changes if it contains anything. To view the contents of the Trash can, double-click on the icon, or select it and then select Open from the File Menu.

Directories and Files on the Desktop

There are two ways to put a directory or file from a Directory Window on the Desktop:

Putting a Directory or File on the Desktop

  1. In a Directory Window, select the directory or file that you want to put on the Desktop.

  2. Put the directory or file on the Desktop by doing one of the following:

Removing a Directory or File from the Desktop

  1. On the Desktop, select the directory or file you want to remove.
    Selecting the Trash can disables the Take Off Desktop command.

  2. Choose Take Off Desktop from the File Menu on the Desktop.
    The directory or file no longer appears on the Desktop. It still exists in its original location in the filesystem. Taking an object off the Desktop is not the same as removing an object (permanent) or dragging it to the Trash (recoverable).

Viewing the Full Pathname of Directories and Files

  1. Select the Show Full Pathname check box from the View Menu on the Desktop.
    When the check box is selected, all of the directories and files on the Desktop are displayed with their full pathnames. When the check box is unselected, only the file name or the directory name is displayed.
    If you use the Desktop to move a directory or file into a new directory, the file's pathname changes in the Desktop to reflect the new location if you selected Show Full Pathname from the View Menu.

Opening Directories and Files from the Desktop

You can open directories and files on the Desktop the same way you can in Directory Windows.

  1. On the Desktop, select the directories and files you want to open.

  2. Choose Open from the File Menu.
    You can also double-click each directory or file you want to open.
    If you selected a directory, it is displayed in a Directory Window. If you selected a file, it is activated.

Showing Directories and Files from the Desktop

  1. On the Desktop, select one directory or file you want to show.
    Selecting the Trash can or multiple directories or files disables this command.

  2. Choose Show from the File Menu on the Desktop.
    A Directory Window opens with the directory or file selected in its parent Directory Window.

Printing Files from the Desktop

  1. On the Desktop, select the files you want to print.

  2. Choose Print from the File Menu on the Desktop.
    The Desktop prints the files. If you select a file that is not printable, the Desktop displays a dialog telling you that it will not be printed. For more information about printing files, refer to "Printing Files."

Moving Directories and Files around on the Desktop

  1. Drag the directory or file to its new position on the Desktop.

Cleaning Up the Desktop

You can clean up the Desktop by using the Clean Up command to neatly line up directories and files. You can organize all directories and files on your Desktop or only selected directories and files, lining up all directories and files with an invisible grid on the Desktop.

  1. Choose Clean Up from the View Menu on the Desktop.
    All the directories and files are arranged in neat rows and columns on an invisible grid, filling in the Desktop from left to right and top to bottom.

Organizing Selected Directories or Files on the Desktop:

  1. On the Desktop, select the directories and files you want to clean up.

  2. Choose Clean Up from the View Menu on the Desktop.
    The directories and files you selected are moved to the nearest available space on the grid---not necessarily filling in the Desktop from left to right and top to bottom.

Working with Layouts

You can arrange your workspace in many different ways and then name and save each as a layout. The term layout refers to a specific arrangement of a workspace and includes the appearance and contents of the Desktop Window and any other open Desktop windows (except Preferences windows). Saving a layout makes it easy to switch from one activity to another without having to rearrange the windows yourself.

For example, you might save a layout for working on budgets. The Desktop might include your spreadsheet program, any documents you are currently working on, and a directory icon representing the directory in which you keep business plans. You could create a separate layout for working on correspondence, and then switch between the two.

Ordinarily, when the Desktop starts up, it restores your workspace to the exact arrangement it was in when you last exited the Desktop. This arrangement (called Startup in the Layouts Window) is not associated with any specific layout but is a feature of the Desktop operating environment. It can be thought of as a "snapshot" of your workspace at the last shutdown.

The contents of the Icon Bar are saved as part of a layout. Certain buttons or external commands in one layout may be useful only for certain tasks, and you may not need these in other layouts.

When you save a layout, you can only include windows that are controlled by the Desktop. You cannot save terminal emulator windows or other external program windows as part of your layout.

Opening the Layouts Window

To open the Layouts Window, select Layouts... from the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.

You can create, edit, or remove layouts in the Layouts Window. When you open the Layouts Window, the first item in the Layouts scrolling list, Current, is highlighted. Current is not a layout; it identifies the arrangement of your workspace at this time, whether or not the arrangement is also a saved layout.

The second item in the Layouts scrolling list, Startup, is also not a layout; it identifies the arrangement of your workspace when you started the current Desktop session. This includes any arguments you specified if you started the Desktop from a command line.

The Layouts Window contains the name of all available layouts in a scrolling list. Any preconfigured layouts installed in your system are listed in bold at the end of the scrolling list, and the miniature icons displayed to the left of their names contain a small padlock, indicating that they cannot be removed or overwritten. (The preconfigured layouts also appear at the bottom of the Layout Menu on the Desktop.)

You can use the resize handle to the right of the Layouts scrolling list to resize the width of the list and the Name and Notes text boxes.

Saving New Layouts

You can save as many different layouts as you want. You can then use these layouts, switching between them as you perform different tasks in the Desktop. You can also specify one as the layout to use each time you start up the Desktop.

Saving a New Layout

  1. Organize your workspace the way you want it.
    Open any windows you want (including window attributes such as View, Positionable, Show Full Pathnames, or Sort key), place any items on the Desktop that you want to have accessible, and edit the Icon Bar if you want to show different buttons as part of a particular layout.

  2. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.
    The Layouts Window is displayed.

  3. Click Current, the first item in the Layouts scrolling list.
    The preview area on the right displays a thumbnail sketch of the workspace. The black rectangle represents the Desktop, the medium gray rectangles represent Directory Windows, and the light gray rectangles represent any other the Desktop windows that will be restored. If you position the cursor over an item in the thumbnail sketch and press a mouse button, the name of that window is displayed beneath the preview area.
    Some windows are not included precisely in Layout previews. The layering of windows when a layout is restored may not match the thumbnail sketch.

  4. Type the name of your new layout in the Name field.
    The layout name you specify can be up to 14 characters long.

  5. Type any comments or notes you want to add about this layout in the Notes field.

  6. Click Save to save your new layout.
    The new layout is saved and its name is added to the scrolling list. The name of the layout is also added to the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.
    You need to select the newly saved layout to restore it.

  7. Click Close to close the Layout Window.

Restoring Existing Layouts

You can restore a layout in two ways:

You can also specify a particular layout as your startup layout. Refer to "Specifying Layout Behavior" for more information on startup options.

Restoring Layouts from the Layout Menu

  1. From the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window, select the layout you want to restore.
    Your workspace changes to the layout you selected. If Show Status Area has been selected from the View menu on the Desktop, the left side of the status line displays: 
    Last Restored Layout: layout name
    layout name is the name of the layout you restored.

Restoring Layouts from the Layouts Window

  1. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu on the Desktop.
    The Layouts Window is displayed. The layouts you can restore are displayed in the scrolling list on the left side of the window.

  2. Restore the layout you want by doing one of the following:
    layout name is the name of the layout you restored.

Changing Saved Layouts

In the Layouts Window, you can only save or change the current workspace arrangement as a layout. You must restore your workspace to that layout before making changes to it or saving it.

  1. Select the layout you want to change from the Layout Menu on the Desktop.
    If you are already using the workspace layout you want to change, go to the next step.

  2. Organize your workspace the way you want it.

  3. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.

  4. Click Save.
    An alert message appears, asking you to confirm the replacement of an existing layout version.

  5. Click Yes.
    The alert message closes, and you return to the Layouts Window. Your changes have been saved under the old name.

  6. Click Close.
    The Layouts Window closes.

Removing Layouts

  1. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.
    The Layouts Window is displayed.

  2. Select the layout you want to delete from the list.

  3. Click Delete.
    Depending on your removal preferences, an alert message is displayed, asking you to confirm the deletion.
    The layout is removed permanently and cannot be retrieved from the Trash.

  4. Click Yes.
    The layout is removed.

Specifying Layout Behavior

You can specify how the Desktop behaves at startup and how it handles changes to your workspace as you move from layout to layout.

You can choose to have the Desktop start up with a particular layout either by specifying a layout that you want to restore each time as your initial layout (called the Default layout), or specifying that the Desktop should always open the layout you last restored before you exited the Desktop. Note that starting the Desktop with the -layout option overrides any of these specifications.

If you have specified a default layout that the Desktop is to restore at startup, it is identified by a check mark on its miniature icon to the left of its name in the Layouts Window.

Specifying a Default Layout

  1. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu in the Desktop Window.
    The Layouts Window is displayed.

  2. Select Use Default Layout in the Startup Options radio group.

  3. Select the layout you want to specify to the Desktop as your default layout from the Layouts list.

  4. Click Make Default.
    The Desktop uses the specified layout when it starts up.

  5. Click Close.

Specifying a Startup Layout

  1. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu on the Desktop.
    The Layouts Window is displayed. The Startup Options radio group contains three options for your startup layout.

  2. Specify the layout you want the Desktop to use at startup by selecting one of the following:

Specifying Layout Save Options

You can also specify how you want the Desktop to handle changes to your workspace as you move from layout to layout during the course of your work.

  1. Choose Layouts... from the Layout Menu on the Desktop.
    The Layout Save Options radio group contains three options for specifying how the Desktop handles workspace changes.

  2. Specify how you want the Desktop to handle changes to workspaces by selecting one of the following:

Using Environment Variables

This section discusses how to use the Environment Variables command from the Options Menu in the Desktop Window to view, edit, add, save, and remove environment variables.

What Are Environment Variables?

Environment variables provide a shorthand way to insert data into a command line or directory path and to pass information between programs.

Standard environment variables contain information about your operating environment. You cannot change or delete the names of some standard environment variables, but you can change their contents. You cannot change or delete the following variables (a lock appears beside their names in the scrolling list):

You can also use environment variables with the command line feature in the Desktop. For more information about the command line feature, refer to "Using the Command Line Window."

To use an environment variable in a text field or in another shell, enter a dollar sign ($) and the variable name. The Desktop, or another shell, substitutes the value of the variable at the point where the variable appears in the field.

The Desktop automatically exports environment variables so that any program run by the Desktop inherits the current list of variables.

The Desktop uses the environment variable LG_FEATURE_SET to determine whether to use certain file typing rules. For more information about LG_FEATURE_SET, refer to Chapter 11, "Defining File Types."

Editing Environment Variables

  1. Select Environment Variables from the Options menu on the Desktop.
    The Environment Variables Window opens.

  2. Select the variable in the scrolling list that you want to edit.

  3. Edit the Name field if necessary.

  4. Edit the Value field to provide a value for the named variable.

  5. Click OK to apply your changes for this session and exit the Environment Variables Window.
    You can also click Apply to apply your changes without closing the window, or Reset to discard any changes you made since your environment variables were last saved.

Adding Environment Variables

  1. Select Environment Variables from the Options menu on the Desktop.
    The Environment Variables Window opens.

  2. Click Add.
    A new variable called NEW_VAR_N is added to the scrolling list, and its value is listed as UNKNOWN.

  3. Enter the name of the variable in the Name field.

  4. Enter the value for the variable in the Value field.

  5. If you want to use an environment variable you have added in a later Desktop session, you must save your changes using the Save button.

  6. Click OK to apply your changes for this session and exit the Environment Variables Window.
    The new environment variables is added for the current session.
    You can also click Apply to apply your changes without closing the window, or Reset to discard any changes you made since your environment variables were last saved or applied.

Removing Environment Variables

  1. Select Environment Variables from the Options menu on the Desktop.
    The Environment Variables Window opens.

  2. Select the variable you want to remove.

  3. Click Remove.
    The variable is removed.
    When you remove an environment variable created by the Desktop and save your changes, it is permanently removed. However, your external shell also defines environment variables that the Desktop adds to its own list of variables at startup time. When you use the Desktop to remove an environment variable created by your external shell and save your changes, the variable is only removed from the Desktop's list of variables. It will appear again the next time you start the Desktop if it is defined by your external shell.

  4. Click OK to apply your changes for this session and exit the Environment Variables Window.
    You can also click Apply to apply your changes without closing the window, or Reset to discard any changes you made since your environment variables were last saved or applied.

Saving Environment Variables

If you change one or more of your environment variables and want your changes to be saved for use in future the Desktop sessions, you can save them in the Environment Variables Window.

  1. If you have not already done so using Add or Remove, make any changes to your environment variables.

  2. Click Save.
    A confirmation dialog asks if you want to save changes to environment variables.

  3. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog.
    Your environment variables are saved for use in future sessions.

  4. Click Cancel to exit the Environment Variables Window.
    Any additional changes you have not applied or saved are discarded.