Common Desktop Environment: User's Guide

# 4 Using the Front Panel

Contents of Chapter:

Front Panel Elements
  Main Panel
  Subpanels
  The Workspace Switch

Basic Front Panel Skills
  To Activate a Front Panel Control
  To Open a Subpanel
  To Close a Subpanel
  Front Panel Pop-Up Menus
    To Display a Front Panel Pop-Up Menu
  Front Panel Help
    To Get On Item Help on a Front Panel Control
    To Get Help on Using and Configuring the Front Panel
    To Move the Front Panel or a Subpanel
    To Minimize the Front Panel

A Tour of the Front Panel
  The Main Panel
  Personal Applications Subpanel
  Personal Printers Subpanel
  Help Subpanel

Customizing the Front Panel
  To Put a Subpanel Control in the Main Panel
  To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel
  Adding and Removing Subpanels
    To Add a Subpanel
    To Remove a Subpanel
    To Replace a Control in the Main Panel
    To Remove All User Customizations

Customizing Workspaces
  To Rename a Workspace
  To Add Workspaces
  To Remove Workspaces
  To Customize the Controls in the Workspace Switch

The Front Panel is a special desktop window that contains a set of controls for doing common tasks. The Front Panel moves with you as you switch workspaces.

## Front Panel Elements

The two main elements of the Front Panel are the Main Panel and the subpanels. The Main Panel includes the workspace switch.

### Main Panel

The Main Panel is the horizontal window at the bottom of the display.

It contains a number of controls you use often, including the workspace switch, which contains buttons for changing to other workspaces.

Many of the controls in the Front Panel start applications when you click them--for example, the File Manager and Style Manager controls.

Some controls are drop zones--for example, the Printer and Trash Can controls. You can drag a file from File Manager or Application Manager to the control.

Certain controls, such as the clock and busy light, are indicators that tell you something about the state of your system. Other controls have a dual purpose; for example, the Calendar and Mailer controls are both indicators (showing today's date and the arrival of new mail, respectively) and buttons for starting applications.

### Subpanels

If a control in the Main Panel has an arrow button on top of it, then that control has a subpanel.

Subpanels always contain:

- An Install Icon control. Use this control to customize the subpanel.
- A labelled copy of the control in the Main Panel.

### The Workspace Switch

The workspace switch contains the buttons you use to change from one workspace to another. The workspace switch also contains several controls.

Each workspace occupies the entire display, as though your display has several layers. Workspaces multiply the amount of display area available for windows.

## Basic Front Panel Skills

This section covers basic skills for using Front Panel controls and subpanels.

### To Activate a Front Panel Control

Click or double-click the control.

Some controls do not have a click action--for example, the Clock control and the busy light.

### To Open a Subpanel

Controls that have subpanels have an arrow button on top of the control.

Click the arrow button above the control.

### To Close a Subpanel

The subpanel closes automatically when you choose a control unless you have moved the subpanel from its original location.

- Click the arrow control for the subpanel.

- Or, double-click the window button in the upper left corner of the subpanel

### Front Panel Pop-Up Menus

Each control in the Front Panel has a pop-up menu. The menu is different for each control.

#### To Display a Front Panel Pop-Up Menu

1. Point to the control.

2. Press and hold down mouse button 3.

#### Contents of the Pop-Up Menus

The contents of the pop-up menu depend on the behavior of the control and its location.

##### Main Panel Controls

If the control starts an application, the first entry in the menu is a command that starts the application. Choosing the menu item has the same effect as clicking the control.

In addition, the pop-up menu may contain these items:

Add Subpanel
  Adds a subpanel to the control

Delete Subpanel
  Removes the subpanel and its contents

Help
  Displays On Item help for the control

##### Switch Area

The switch area is the portion of the workspace switch not occupied by other controls or workspace buttons.

The switch area pop-up menu contains these items:

Add Workspace
  Adds a workspace and creates a workspace button in the workspace switch

Help
  Displays help for the workspace switch

##### Workspace Buttons

Use the workspace buttons to change workspaces. Each button has its own menu.

The workspace button pop-up menu includes these items:

Add Workspace
  Adds a workspace to your list of workspaces

Delete
  Deletes the workspace

Rename
  Changes the button into a text field for editing the name

Help
  Displays help for the workspace switch

##### Subpanel Controls

The pop-up menus for subpanels include a command for making the control the current Main Panel control.

The pop-up menu for subpanel controls includes these items:

Copy to Main Panel
  Duplicates the control in the Main Panel, replacing the current Main Panel control

Delete
  Deletes the control from the subpanel

Help
  Displays On Item help for the control

### Front Panel Help

You can get help on:

- Individual controls
- Using and configuring the Front Panel

#### To Get On Item Help on a Front Panel Control

Choose Help from the control's pop-up menu.

Or:

1. Display the Help subpanel.

2. Click the On Item Help control.

   The pointer changes shape.

3. Click the control on which you want help.

#### To Get Help on Using and Configuring the Front Panel

1. Display the Help subpanel.

2. Click the Front Panel Help control.

   This displays the Help Viewer and Front Panel help volume.

### To Move the Front Panel or a Subpanel

Subpanels are moved like other windows--by dragging the title bar.

The Main Panel is moved using its move handles.

### To Minimize the Front Panel

Minimizing the Front Panel turns it into an icon.

Click the Front Panel's minimize button.

The Front Panel window icon is labeled with the workspace name.

## A Tour of the Front Panel

This section introduces the contents of the Main Panel and the subpanels:

- Personal Applications subpanel
- Personal Printers subpanel
- Help subpanel

Your Front Panel may be customized with different or additional controls.

### The Main Panel

The Main Panel is the horizontal window at the bottom of the display.

Table 4-1 describes the Main Panel controls.

Table 4-1 Main Panel Contols

### Personal Applications Subpanel

Use the Personal Applications subpanel for applications you use frequently. The default applications are Text Editor, Terminal, and Icon Editor.

Table 4-2 describes the Personal Applications subpanel controls..

Table 4-2 Personal Applications Subpanel Controls

### Personal Printers Subpanel

Use the Personal Printers subpanel for printers you use frequently.

Table 4-3 describes the Personal Printers subpanel controls.

Table 4-3 Personal Printers Subpanel Controls

### Help Subpanel

The Help subpanel enables you to access the Help Manager, Desktop Introduction, and Front Panel help volumes, and On Item help.

Table 4-4 describes the Help subpanel controls.

Table 4-4 Help Subpanel Controls

## Customizing the Front Panel

There are two types of Front Panel customization:

- Easy customization

  This is customization you can do using the desktop's interface, including:

  - Adding controls to subpanels
  - Interchanging Main Panel and subpanel controls
  - Adding subpanels
  - Adding and deleting workspaces
  - Renaming workspaces

- Advanced customization

  This is customization that requires you to create or edit a Front Panel configuration file. For more information, see the CDE Advanced User's and System Administrator's Guide .

### To Put a Subpanel Control in the Main Panel

1. Point to the subpanel control you want to put in the Main Panel.

2. Choose Copy to Main Panel from the control's pop-up menu.

### To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel

You can add any type of File Manager or Application Manager icon to the Front Panel. However, the most convenient use for this feature is adding application icons.

1. Display the object's icon in File Manager or Application Manager.

2. Display the subpanel to which the object is to be added.

3. Drag the object to the Install Icon control and drop it on the control.

#### How Installed Icons Work

The behavior of controls added to the Front Panel using the Install Icon control depend on the type of icon that was dropped.

Type of Icon Installed
  Behavior

File
  The same behavior as the file's icon in File Manager

Folder
  Opens a File Manager view of the folder

Application group
  Opens an Application Manager view of the application group

Application icon
  The same behavior as the application's icon in File Manager or Application Manager

### Adding and Removing Subpanels

Any control in the Main Panel can have a subpanel.

#### To Add a Subpanel

1. Point to a control in the Main Panel that does not have a subpanel.

2. Choose Add Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

#### To Remove a Subpanel

1. Point to the control whose subpanel you want to remove.

2. Choose Delete Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

### To Replace a Control in the Main Panel

The easiest way to replace a control in the Main Panel is to exchange it with a subpanel control. If the control does not have a subpanel, you can create one temporarily or permanently.

1. If the control you want to replace does not have a subpanel, create one by choosing Add Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

2. Display the new subpanel.

3. If the control you want to put in the Main Panel is not already in the subpanel, add it to the subpanel.

   See "To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel".

4. Choose Copy to Main Panel from the subpanel control's pop-up menu.

### To Remove All User Customizations

Note: This procedure does not affect advanced customizations made by manually editing Front Panel configuration files.

1. Open Application Manager and double-click the Desktop_Tools application group icon.

2. Double-click Restore Front Panel.

   The screen will go blank for several seconds while the Workspace Manager is restarted.

The Restore Front Panel action removes all customization made using:

- The Install Icon control
- The Front Panel's pop-up menus

## Customizing Workspaces

You can use the Front Panel workspace switch to rename workspaces and change the number of workspaces.

### To Rename a Workspace

1. Point to the workspace button of the workspace you want to rename.

2. Choose Rename from the button's pop-up menu (displayed by presssing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).

   The workspace button turns into a text field.

3. Edit the text field.

4. Press Return.

### To Add Workspaces

1. Point to any area in the workspace switch and press mouse button 3 to display the pop-up menu.

2. Choose Add Workspace from the pop-up menu.

   The new workspace, named New, is placed at the end of the set of workspaces.

3. Rename the workspace (see "To Rename a Workspace" above).

### To Remove Workspaces

If you remove a workspace that contains windows, those windows are moved to the next workspace.

1. Point to the workspace button of the workspace you want to remove.

2. Choose Delete from the button's pop-up menu (displayed by presssing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).

### To Customize the Controls in the Workspace Switch

This is an advanced task that requires you to create a Front Panel configuration file. Advanced customization is covered in the CDE Advanced User's and System Administrator's Guide .

Initially, the workspace switch has these four positions.

Use this procedure to replace one of these controls. (Blank is also a control.)

1. Install the application you want placed in the switch into the Personal Applications subpanel.

   For example, if you want to add a Display System Load control to the switch, drag it from the Desktop_Tools application group to the Personal Applications subpanel.

2. Locate the Front Panel configuration file created automatically when you installed the control in the Personal Applications subpanel. The definition is located in the directory HomeDirectory `/.dt/types/fp_dynamic` .

   For example, when Display System Load is added to the Personal Applications subpanel, it creates the file `Xload1.fp`.

3. Move the file from the HomeDirectory`/.dt/types/fp_dynamic` directory to the HomeDirectory`/.dt/types` directory.

4. Open the file in the HomeDirectory`/.dt/types` directory for editing.

   Edit the lines that define the `CONTAINER_TYPE` and `CONTAINER_NAME` to the following:

       CONTAINER_TYPE       SWITCH
       CONTAINER_NAME       Switch

5. Edit the line that defines the position (`POSITION_HINTS`). For example, to put the control in the Blank location, set:

       POSITION_HINTS					3

6. Save the configuration file.

7. Create another file in the HomeDirectory`/.dt/types` directory.

   The file name must end with `.fp`. For example. you might create a new file HomeDirectory`/.dt/types`/`DeleteBlank.fp`.

8. Open the file for editing.

9. Open the file `/usr/dt/appconfig/types/`language`/dtwm.fp` in another editor window.

   This file is read-only. You will not have to write to it.

10. In `/usr/dt/appconfig/types/`language`/dtwm.fp`, find the definition for the switch control you are replacing.

    For example, this is the definition for the Blank control:

        CONTROL Blank
        {
         TYPE               blank
         CONTAINER_NAME     Switch
         CONTAINER_TYPE     SWITCH
         POSITION_HINTS     3
         ICON               FpblnkS
         HELP_TOPIC         FPOnItemSwitch
         HELP_VOLUME        FPanel
        }

11. Copy the definition for the control you are replacing from `/usr/dt/appconfig/types/`language`/dtwm.fp` to the new configuration file.

    For example, you would copy the definition for the Blank control to the new file HomeDirectory`/.dt/types`/`DeleteBlank.fp`.

12. Add the line `DELETE True` to the end of the definition, within the curly braces:

        CONTROL Blank
        {
         ...
         HELP_VOLUME     FPanel
         DELETE          True
        }

13. Save the file.

14. Choose Restart Workspace Manager from the Workspace menu.

    You will see the new control in the switch.

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