Working With MenusThis chapter describes how to use menus in the desktop.
Introduction to MenusmenusintroductionYou can access all desktop functions through menus. The Menu Panel contains
menus, so you can use a combination of menus and panels to perform your tasks.
You can perform various actions on your menus, such as copy menu items to
panels.You can access the following menus from the desktop:Applications menu: You can access many
of your applications, commands, and configuration options from the
Applications menu. You can also access the desktop preference tools
from the Applications menu.Actions menu: You can access various commands
that enable you to perform desktop tasks from the Actions
menu. For example, you can start the Search Tool
application, or log out of the desktop. GNOME Menu: You can also access the items
in the Applications and Actions menus
from the GNOME Menu. You can have many GNOME Menu
buttons in your panels. You can also right-click on the desktop background to open the
Desktop Background menu. The Desktop Background
menu enables you to perform desktop background-related tasks. All of these menus provide you with multiple ways to perform your tasks,
and enable you to work in the way that you prefer.Menu FeaturesmenusfeaturesMenus can contain the following items: SubmenusLaunchers or menu itemsAn arrow to the right of an item in a menu indicates that the item is
a submenu. When you point to the submenu, the submenu opens. You can choose
items from the submenu. When you choose a launcher, the launcher starts an application or runs
a command. You can also right-click on a launcher to open a popup menu. The
popup menu enables you to add the item to a panel, and perform other tasks.
For more information on the popup menu, see the next section. You can change the theme for your session to change how all your menus
look. To change the theme, choose Applications
Desktop Preferences
Theme.Launcher Popup Menumenuslauncher popup menulauncher popup menudescription
Launchers on menus have an associated popup
menu that enables you to perform tasks related to launchers. When you right-click
on a launcher in a menu, the popup menu for the launcher opens. The popup
menu also contains a submenu that allows you to perform menu-related tasks.
You can use the launcher popup menu to perform the following tasks:
Add launchers to panels. Remove launchers from menus.Open the Run Program dialog with the
launcher command in the dialog.Add menus to panels. You can add a menu as a menu object or
as a drawer object. Add new items to menus.Change the properties of submenus and launchers. shows the popup menu.launcher popup menuillustration describes the items on launcher
popup menus. launchersadding to panel
Items on Launcher Popup MenusItem
DescriptionAdd this launcher to panelAdds the launcher to the panel from which you open
the menu.Remove this itemRemoves the launcher from the menu.Put into run dialogDisplays the Run Program dialog
with the command from the Command field of the launcher
in the command field on the Run Program dialog. Help on application_name
Opens the online help for the application.PropertiesDisplays a dialog that enables you to edit
the properties of the launcher.Entire
menuAdd this as drawer to panel
Adds the submenu as a drawer to the panel from which you open the menu.Entire
menuAdd this as menu to panel
Adds the submenu as a menu object to the panel from which you open the menu.
Entire menu
Add new item to this menuEnables you to add an item to the submenu.
Entire menu
PropertiesDisplays a dialog that enables you to edit
the properties of the submenu.
menusadding to panelApplications MenumenusApplications menuThe Applications menu contains a hierarchy
of submenus, from which you can start the standard GNOME applications and
preference tools. The Applications menu contains the
Desktop Preferences menu. You can use the Desktop Preferences
menu to start the desktop preference tools. The Applications
menu also includes the file manager and the help browser.The Applications menu resides in the following places:
Menu PanelStart Here location in
NautilusGNOME MenuActions MenumenusActions menuThe Actions menu contains various commands that enable
you to perform desktop tasks. describes
the commands in the Actions menu.
Actions Menu CommandsMenu Item
FunctionRun ProgramOpens the Run Program dialog.
Use the Run Program dialog to run commands. For more
information, see .Search for FilesStarts the Search Tool
application. For more information, see the Search Tool
manual.ScreenshotTakes a screenshot of the desktop, and opens the
Screenshot dialog. Use the Screenshot dialog
to save the screenshot.Lock ScreenLocks your screen. Log OutLogs you out of the current session.
The Actions menu resides in the following places:
Menu Panel. GNOME Menu. The items in the
Actions menu are at the top level of the GNOME Menu.
Using the Run Program DialogRun Program dialog, using
The Run Program dialog gives you access to the command
line. When you run a command in the Run Program dialog,
you cannot receive output from the command.To run a command from the command line perform the following steps:
Display the Run Program dialog. You can
display the Run Program dialog in any of the following
ways:From the Menu PanelChoose ActionsRun
Program.From the GNOME MenuOpen the GNOME Menu, then choose Run
Program.Use shortcut keysThe default shortcut keys to display the Run Program
dialog is AltF2. You can change the shortcut
keys that display the Run Program dialog in the
Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool. To change the shortcut keys,
choose ApplicationsDesktop
PreferencesKeyboard Shortcuts.From a launcher popup menuRight-click on a launcher in a menu, then choose Put into
run dialog from the popup menu. The Run Program
dialog opens with the command from the menu in the command field.The Run Program dialog is displayed.Enter the command that you want to run in the blank field.
Alternatively, to choose a command that you ran previously, click the down
arrow button beside the command field, then choose the command to run.Alternatively, click on the Known Applications
button to display a list of available applications.You can also use the Append File button to choose
a file to append to the command line. For example, you can enter
emacs as the command, then choose a file to edit.Select the Run in terminal option to run the application
or command in a terminal window. Choose this option for an application or
command that does not create a window in which to run.Click on the Run button on the
Run Program dialog. To Take a Screenshotscreenshots, takingYou can
take a screenshot in any of the following ways:Use the Actions menuTo take a screenshot of the entire screen, choose
ActionsScreenshot.
A Screenshot dialog is displayed. To save the screenshot,
select the Save screenshot to file option. Enter the
path and filename for the screenshot in the drop-down combination box. Alternatively,
to save the screenshot to another directory, click Browse.
When you select a directory, click OK. You can also save the screenshot to the desktop background. To save
the screenshot to the desktop background, select the Save screenshot
to desktop option. Use shortcut keysTo take a screenshot, use the following shortcut keys:Default Shortcut KeysFunctionPrint ScreenTakes a screenshot of the entire screen, and
displays the Screenshot dialog. Use the Screenshot
dialog to save the screenshot.AltPrint
ScreenTakes a screenshot
of the window that has focus, and displays the Screenshot
dialog. Use the Screenshot dialog to save the screenshot.
You can use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference
tool to modify the default shortcut keys.Use a commandYou can use the gnome-panel-screenshot command to
take a screenshot. The gnome-panel-screenshot command takes
a screenshot of the entire screen, and displays the Screenshot
dialog. Use the Screenshot dialog to save the screenshot.
You can also use options on the gnome-panel-screenshot
command as follows: Option
Function--windowTakes a screenshot of the window that has
focus, and displays the Screenshot dialog. Use the
Screenshot dialog to save the screenshot.--delay=seconds
Takes
a screenshot after the specified number of seconds, and displays the
Screenshot dialog. Use the Screenshot dialog
to save the screenshot.--helpDisplays the options for the command.GNOME MenumenusGNOME Menu
GNOME MenuGNOME Menu
introductionShows open GNOME Menu. Menu items: Applications, CDE Menu, Run Program, Search for Files, Screenshot, Lock Screen, Log Out.
You can access almost all of the standard applications, commands, and
configuration options from the GNOME Menu. The GNOME Menu provides the following top-level menus
and special menu items: Applications: Contains all applications
and preference tools. This menu also includes the file manager and the help
browser.Actions: Contains commands that enable
you to perform desktop tasks, for example the Lock Screen
and Log Out commands. The items in the
Actions menu are at the top level of the GNOME Menu.
You can add GNOME Menu buttons to your panels. By
default, the GNOME Menu is represented on panels by a stylized
footprint icon, as follows:Shows GNOME Menu icon.To Open the GNOME MenuGNOME MenuopeningYou can open the GNOME Menu in the following ways:
From a panel with a GNOME MenuClick on the GNOME Menu. Use shortcut keysYou can use shortcut keys to open the GNOME Menu.
When you use shortcut keys to open the GNOME Menu, the
GNOME Menu appears at the mouse pointer. The default shortcut keys to open the GNOME Menu
are AltF1. To change the shortcut keys
that open the GNOME Menu, choose
ApplicationsDesktop PreferencesKeyboard Shortcuts.To Add a GNOME Menu to a PanelGNOME Menuadding to panelYou can add as many GNOME Menu buttons
as you want to your panels. To add a GNOME Menu to a panel,
right-click on any vacant space on the panel. Choose
Add to PanelGNOME Menu.
Customizing Your MenusmenuscustomizingYou can modify the contents of the following menus:Applications menuDesktop Preferences menuYou use the following desktop components to customize menus:Menus on panelsNautilus file managerWhen you use panels to customize your menus, you use the launcher popup
menu. For more information, see .When you use Nautilus to customize your menus,
you must access the Applications menu or the
Desktop Preferences menu from within Nautilus.
To access the Applications menu or the Desktop
Preferences menu, open a Nautilus window.
Choose GoStart Here. Double-click on the Applications object
or on the Desktop Preferences object. For more information
on Nautilus, see Nautilus File Manager
.To Add a MenumenusaddingTo add a menu, perform the following steps:In a Nautilus window, access the
location where you want to add the menu. For example, to add a menu to the
Applications menu, choose GoStart Here, then double-click on the
Applications object.Choose File
New Folder. An untitled folder is added to the
view pane. The name of the folder is selected.Type a name for the folder, then press Return.
The next time that you log out then log in again, the menu is in the
assigned location.To Add a Launcher to a Menumenusadding launchers toTo add a launcher to a menu, perform the following steps:
Right-click on any item in the menu to which you want to add
the launcher.Choose Entire menuAdd new item to this menu. A
Create Launcher dialog is displayed.Enter the properties of the launcher in the Create
Launcher dialog. For more information on the elements in the
Create Launcher dialog, see Working With Panels.
Click OK.To Copy a Launcher to a Menumenuscopying launchers toTo copy an existing launcher to a menu, perform the following
steps:In a Nautilus window, access the
location from which you want to copy the launcher. For example, to copy a
launcher from the Applications menu, choose GoStart Here,
then double-click on the Applications object.Select the launcher that you want to copy, then choose EditCopy File.
In a Nautilus window, access the
location to which you want to copy the launcher.Choose Edit
Paste Files. The launcher is added to the new location.
Alternatively, you can drag the launcher from one location to another.
The next time that you log out then log in again, the launcher is in
the new menu location.To Edit the Properties of a Menumenusediting propertiesTo edit the properties of a menu, perform the following
steps:Right-click on any item in the menu that you want to edit.
Choose Entire menuProperties. A Launcher Properties
dialog is displayed.Modify the properties of the menu in the Launcher
Properties dialog. For more information on the elements in the
Launcher Properties dialog, see Working With Panels.
Click OK.To Edit a Menu Itemmenusediting menu itemsTo edit a menu item, perform the following steps:Right-click on the item that you want to edit.Choose Properties. A
Launcher Properties dialog is displayed.Modify the properties of the launcher in the Launcher
Properties dialog. For more information on the elements in the
Launcher Properties dialog, see Working With Panels.
Click OK.To Delete an Item from a Menumenusdeleting menu itemsTo delete an item from a menu, use the launcher
popup menu. To delete an item from a menu, perform the following steps:Right-click on the item that you want to delete.Choose Remove this item.