path: root/gnome-users-guide/gnome-users-guide-1.4/C/applets/desk-guide-ug.sgml

 
  <!-- ###############   Desk Guide Applet   ############### -->
<sect2 id="deskguide-applet">
  <title>Desk Guide Applet</title> 
  
   <para> 
    <application>Desk Guide</application> applet, shown in <xref
    linkend="deskguide-applet-fig">, is an applet that allows you to
    visually navigate your virtual desktops. To add this applet to a
    <interface>Panel</interface>, right-click on the panel and choose
         <menuchoice>
               <guimenu>Applets</guimenu>
               <guisubmenu>Utility</guisubmenu>
	       <guimenuitem>Desk Guide</guimenuitem>
	</menuchoice>. 
   </para>
  

   <figure id="deskguide-applet-fig">
   <title>Desk Guide</title>
   <screenshot>
    <screeninfo>Desk Guide</screeninfo>
    <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-fig" srccredit="John Fleck">
    </graphic>
   </screenshot>
   </figure>
<sect3 id="deskguide-applet-usage">
   <title>Usage</title>


   <para><application>Desk Guide</application> applet helps you
    navigate all of the virtual desktops available on your system. The
    <application>X Window</application> system, working in
    hand with a piece of software called a "window manager", allows
    you to create more than one virtual desktop to organize your
    work, with different applications running on each
    desktop. Each desktop can also be subdivided by the window
    manager into rows and columns of working space, called
    "desk areas". <application>Desk
    Guide</application> applet is a navigational tool to get around
    the various desktops and desk areas, providing a miniature road
    map in the GNOME panel showing all your virtual desktops (also
    known as workspaces) and desk areas, and allowing you to switch
    easily between them.</para>

    <para><application>Desk Guide</application> applet works
    hand-in-hand with the window manager, the piece of software such
    as Sawfish or Enlightenment that handles the look, feel and performance of
    your windows. The window manager lays down borders, resizes windows, places
    and moves them. The window manager is in charge of the various
    desktops. <application>Desk Guide</application> applet handles the
    navigation.</para>
 
    <para><application>Desk Guide</application> applet displays
    miniature versions of all your available desktops, including
    outlined boxes representing the applications running in each
    desktop window. The desktop currently in use is
    highlighted. Mouse-click on a representation of a desktop in
    <application>Desk Guide</application> applet to switch to display
    a different virtual desktop on your monitor.</para>

    <para>Click and hold with your middle mouse button on any window
    image in <application>Desk Guide</application> applet to drag the
    window around your virtual desktops.</para>

    <note>
      <title>Note</title>
      <para>Different window managers use different jargon to describe
      virtual desktops and the subdivided workspaces within
      them. <application>Enlightenment</application> divides your
      working area into "desktops," and then subdivides those into
      "screens." <application>Sawfish</application>, formerly known as
      <application>Sawmill</application> divides your
      working area into "workspaces" and then subdivides those into
      columns and rows. <application>Desk Guide</application> applet
      calls the workspaces "desktops" and the areas within them
      "viewports". See your window manager's documentation for more
      informaton on setting up and managing your virtual workspaces.</para>
    </note>

    <para>Mouse-clicking on the arrow on the left side of
    <application>Desk Guide</application> applet brings up the
    <interface>Task List</interface> window, shown in <xref
    linkend="deskguide-tasklist-applet-fig">.</para>

 <figure id="deskguide-tasklist-applet-fig">
   <title>Desk Guide Task List</title>
   <screenshot>
    <screeninfo>Desk Guide Task List</screeninfo>
    <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-tasklist-fig" srccredit="John Fleck">
    </graphic>
   </screenshot>
   </figure>

    <para>The window lists the various applications running on your
    computer. Left-clicking on any of the applications listed in the
    <interface>Task List</interface> window shifts focus to that
    application, i.e. this window rises to the foreground and all your
    keyboard input will be sent to the application running in this window.</para>

  </sect3>

   <sect3 id="deskguide-right-click">
    <title>Right-Click Pop-Up Menu Items</title>
    <para> 
     In addition to the standard menu items (see <xref
     linkend="deskguide-standard-right-click-items">), the right-click
    pop-up menu has the following item: 
     <itemizedlist> 	
      <listitem>
       <para>
        <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem> &mdash; This menu
        item opens the <interface>Properties</interface> dialog (see
        <xref linkend="deskguide-properties">) which allows you to
        customize the appearance and behavior of this applet.
       </para>
      </listitem>
    
      
     </itemizedlist>
    </para>
   </sect3>

   <sect3 id="deskguide-properties">
    <title>Properties</title>
    <para>
     You can configure <application>Desk Guide</application> applet by
     right-clicking on the applet and choosing the
     <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem> menu item. This will open the
     <interface>Properties</interface> dialog, with four different
     tabbed pages giving you access to various configuration options -
     <link linkend="deskguide-properties-display">display</link>,
     <link linkend="deskguide-properties-tasks">tasks</link> <link
     linkend="deskguide-properties-geometry">geometry</link>, <link
     linkend="deskguide-properties-advanced">advanced</link>.</para>


   
    <sect4 id="deskguide-properties-display">
      <title>Properties - Display</title>
      <para>The first <interface>Properties </interface> window, shown
      in <xref linkend="deskguide-properties-fig">, allows you to
      control <application>Desk Guide</application> applet's display.</para>
 
    <figure id="deskguide-properties-fig">
     <title>Properties Dialog</title>
     <screenshot>
      <screeninfo>Properties Dialog</screeninfo> 
      <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-properties"
	       srccredit="John Fleck">
      </graphic>
     </screenshot>
    </figure>
    
    <para>Options include:
<itemizedlist>

	<listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Switch tasklist arrow</guilabel>
	  &mdash; switches the side of the applet on which the
	  arrow used to launch the tasklist window is displayed.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Only show current desktop in
	  pager</guilabel> &mdash; limits the applet display
	  to the desktop currently in use, including all its
	  viewports.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Raise area grid over tasks</guilabel>
	  &mdash; If you use multiple viewports (not only multiple
	  desktops) with your window manager, <application>Desk
	  Guide</application> draws a
	  viewport grid in the current desktop. It can either draw the
	  grid on top of the windows or below them.</para>
	</listitem>
      

        <listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Show Desk-Guide tooltips</guilabel> &mdash;
	  Display tooltips related to various
	  <application>Desk Guide</application> applet components. The arrow
	  is the only widget that displays a tooltip.</para> 
	</listitem>

        <listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Desk-Guide tooltip delay [ms]</guilabel> &mdash;
	  delay, in milliseconds, before the tooltip is displayed. You
	  may either type in a number or use the arrows to change the
	  number.</para>
	</listitem>

        <listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Show desktop name tooltips</guilabel>
	  &mdash; Some window managers, such as
	  <application>Enlightenment</application>, allow you to name
	  your desktops. The feature directs
	  <application>Deskguide</application> to show tooltips
	  displaying the desktop's name.</para> 
	</listitem>

        <listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Desktop name tooltip delay [ms]</guilabel>
	  &mdash;  delay, in milliseconds, before the tooltip is
	  displayed. You may either type in a number or use the arrows
	  to change the number.</para> 
	</listitem>

      </itemizedlist>
</para>
   </sect4>
    <sect4 id="deskguide-properties-tasks">
      <title>Properties - Tasks</title>

 
  <figure id="deskguide-properties-tasks-fig">
     <title>Properties Dialog - Tasks</title>
     <screenshot>
      <screeninfo>Properties Dialog - Tasks</screeninfo> 
      <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-properties-tasks-fig"
	       srccredit="John Fleck">
      </graphic>
     </screenshot>
    </figure>
      <para>Options include:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
	<listitem>
	  <para><guilabel>Show hidden tasks (HIDDEN)</guilabel>, 
	<guilabel>Show shaded tasks (SHADED)</guilabel>,
	 <guilabel>Show tasks which hide from window list
	  (SKIP-WINLIST)</guilabel>, <guilabel>Show tasks which hide from taskbar
	  (SKIP-TASKBAR)</guilabel> &mdash; These four items allow
	<application>Deskguide</application> to display applications
	running with flags set that would normally hide them from an
	application like this. For instance the
	<application>panel</application> is flagged as
	HIDDEN, HIDE_FROM_WINLIST and
	HIDE_FROM_TASKBAR. Selecting these options will allow
	<application>Deskguide</application> to show such
	applications.</para>
	</listitem>

      </itemizedlist>

     </sect4>

    <sect4 id="deskguide-properties-geometry">
      <title>Properties - Geometry</title>
     <figure id="deskguide-properties-geometry-fig">
     <title>Properties Dialog - Geometry</title>
     <screenshot>
      <screeninfo>Properties Dialog - Geometry</screeninfo> 
      <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-properties-geometry-fig"
	       srccredit="John Fleck">
      </graphic>
     </screenshot>
    </figure>
      <para>Options include:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Desktop Height [pixels]</guilabel> &mdash;
	 sets the height of the desktop. By default this is greyed
	 out, and the panel size automatically sets the desktop
	 height. To activate it uncheck the <guilabel>Override desktop
	 height with panel size</guilabel> checkbox.</para>
	</listitem>
      

      <listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Override desktop height with panel
	 size</guilabel> &mdash; forces <application>Desk
	 Guide</application> to automatically size itself to the
	 panel. Unchecking this allows you to manually set the height
	 using the <guilabel>Desktop Height</guilabel> setting above.</para>
	</listitem>
    

	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Divide height by number of vertical
	 areas</guilabel> &mdash; divide the total applet
	 height by the number of rows of desktop areas visible.</para>
	</listitem>
     


	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Rows of desktops</guilabel> &mdash; set the
	 number of rows of desktop maps <application>Desk
	 Guide</application> creates in the panel to represent your
	 desktops.
	    <note>
	      <para>Your window manager, not <application>Desk Guide
	      Applet</application>, controls the number of desktops available on
	      your computer. This feature only controls the way
	      <application>Desk Guide</application> applet displays them.</para>
	    </note>
	  </para>
	</listitem>
     


      <listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Divide height by number of rows</guilabel>
	 &mdash; forces <application>Desk
	 Guide</application> to fit all the rows of desktops into the
	 height specified above (either one you have manually
	 specified or one set automatically to match the height of the
	 panel). Unchecking this, if you have more than one row,
	 allows <application>Desk Guide</application> to expand
	 vertically to two or more times normal height.</para>
	</listitem>
      


      </itemizedlist>

      <para>The options for <interface>Vertical Layout</interface> are
      mirror those for horizontal layout above, but effect the width
      instead of height of the applet, and the number of columns it
      occupies instead of the number of rows.</para>
    </sect4>

    <sect4 id="deskguide-properties-advanced">
      <title>Properties - Advanced</title>
         <figure id="deskguide-properties-advanced-fig">
     <title>Properties Dialog - Advanced</title>
     <screenshot>
      <screeninfo>Properties Dialog - Advanced</screeninfo> 
      <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/deskguide-properties-advanced-fig"
	       srccredit="John Fleck">
      </graphic>
     </screenshot>
    </figure>

      <para>Advanced options allow you to control <application>Desk
      Guide's</application> behavior with specific window managers,
      along with other settings.</para>

      <itemizedlist>

	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Draw desktops double-buffered
	 (recommended)</guilabel> &mdash; controls the method
	 <application>Desk Guide</application> draws desktops. Without
	 double-buffering, you may see flicker on slower
	 machines. With it, you may see slower performance on network
	 connections.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Window manager moves decoration window
	 instead</guilabel> &mdash; Check this if, when you move a
	 window with the middle mouse button, but the resulting window
	 position is off. If in doubt, check this if you use any of
	 the window managers mentioned
	 (<application>AfterStep</application>,
	 <application>Enlightenment</application>,
	 <application>FVWM</application>,
	 <application>IceWM</application>, or
	 <application>Sawmill</application>, now known as
	 <application>Sawfish</application>).</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Window manager changes active area on all
	 desktops</guilabel> &mdash; If you have more than one
	 desktop, with multiple work areas within each desktop, this
	 option can be used to force the window manager to change the
	 active work area within all the desktops simultaneously if
	 you change your work area on one.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Window manager expects pager to modify
	 area+desktop</guilabel> &mdash; Currently has no effect.</para>
	</listitem>
    <listitem>
	 <para><guilabel>Popdown task view automatically</guilabel> &mdash;
	 Automatically pops down the task view window after you click on an
	 application in the task view list. If unchecked, you must click a
	 second time on the task view arrow to get the window to pop down.</para>
	</listitem>
  </itemizedlist>
    </sect4>

<sect4 id="moreInformation">
      <title>More Information</title>
    <para>All <interface>Properties</interface> dialogs have the following
     buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
     <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        <guibutton>OK</guibutton> &mdash;
        Pressing <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will activate any changes
        in the properties you have made and close the
        <interface>Properties</interface> dialog.
       </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        <guibutton>Apply</guibutton> &mdash;
        Pressing <guibutton>Apply</guibutton> at any time will
        make your changes active without closing the
        <interface>Properties</interface> dialog.  This is helpful if
        you would like to test the effects of the changes you have
        made but may want to continue changing the properties.
       </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        <guibutton>Close</guibutton> &mdash;
        Pressing <guibutton>Close</guibutton> will close the
        <interface>Properties</interface> dialog.  Only changes in the
        configuration which were previously applied with the
        <guibutton>Apply</guibutton> button will persist.  Other
        changes will not be made active.
       </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        <guibutton>Help</guibutton> &mdash;
        Pressing <guibutton>Help</guibutton> brings up the manual for
        the application, opening it to the page describing the
        <interface>Properties</interface> dialog.


    
    </para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</sect4>

 <sect4 id="deskguide-standard-right-click-items"> 
    <title>Standard Pop-Up Items</title>
    <para>
     All applets should have the following items in their right-click
     <guimenu>pop-up menu</guimenu>:
     <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
       <term>Remove from panel</term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         The <guimenuitem>Remove from panel</guimenuitem> menu item
         removes the applet from the <interface>Panel</interface>. 
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>Move</term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         After selecting <guimenuitem>Move</guimenuitem>, your mouse
         pointer will change appearance (typically to a cross with
         arrows in each direction). As you move your mouse, the applet
         will move with it.  When you have finished moving the applet,
         click any mouse button and the applet will anchor in its
         current position.  Note that applets can be moved between two
         <interface>Panels</interface> this way.
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>Panel</term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         The <guisubmenu>Panel</guisubmenu> submenu contains various
         items and submenus for adding and removing
         <interface>Panels</interface> and applets and for changing
         the configuration.
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>About</term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         The <guimenuitem>About...</guimenuitem> menu item brings up a 
         dialogue box containing various information about the applet,
         typically including the applet's  name, version, author,
         copyright, license and description. 
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>Help</term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         The <guimenuitem>Help</guimenuitem> menu item brings up the help
         manual for the applet. 
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
     </variablelist>
    </para>
   </sect4>



   </sect3>
  
   <sect3 id="deskguide-applet-bugs">
    <title> Known Bugs and Limitations</title>
    <para>The <guilabel>Window manager expects pager to modify
	 area+desktop</guilabel> feature on the <interface>advanced
    properties</interface> window currently has no effect.
    
    </para>
   </sect3>
  <!-- ============= Authors ================================ -->

  <sect3 id="deskguide-applet-authors">
   <title>Authors</title>
   <para>
    <application>Desk Guide</application> applet was written by Tim Janik
    (<email>timj@gtk.org</email>).  Please send all comments,
    suggestions, and bug 
    reports to the <ulink url="http://bugs.gnome.org/" type="http">GNOME
    bug tracking database</ulink>. (Instructions for submitting bug
    reports can be found <ulink
    url="http://bugs.gnome.org/Reporting.html" type="http">
    on-line</ulink>. If you are using
    GNOME 1.1 or later, you can also use <application>Bug Report
    Tool</application> (<command>bug-buddy</command>), available in the
    <guisubmenu>Utilities</guisubmenu> submenu of <guimenu>Main
    Menu</guimenu>, for submitting bug reports.
   </para>

   <para>
    This manual was written by John Fleck
    (<email>jfleck@inkstain.net</email>). Please send all comments and
    suggestions regarding this manual to the <ulink type="http"
    url="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gdp/">GNOME Documentation Project</ulink> 
    by sending an email to <email>docs@gnome.org</email>. You can also
    submit comments online by using the <ulink type="http"
    url="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gdp/doctable/">GNOME Documentation Status
    Table</ulink>.
   </para>

   <!-- For translations: uncomment this:

   <para>
    Latin translation was done by ME
    (<email>MYNAME@MYADDRESS</email>). Please send all  comments  and
    suggestions regarding this translation to SOMEWHERE.
   </para>

   -->

  </sect3>


  <!-- ============= Application License ============================= -->

  <sect3 id="deskguide-applet-license">
   <title>License</title>
   <para>
    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    modify it under the terms of the <ulink type="help"
    url="gnome-help:gpl"><citetitle>GNU General Public
    License</citetitle></ulink> as published by the Free Software
    Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option)
    any later version.
   </para>
   <para>
    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    <ulink type="help" url="gnome-help:gpl"><citetitle>GNU General
    Public License</citetitle></ulink> for more details.
   </para>
   <para>
    A copy of the <ulink type="help"
    url="gnome-help:gpl"><citetitle>GNU General Public
    License</citetitle></ulink> is included with the GNOME
    documentation.  You also may obtain a copy from the Free Software
    Foundation by visiting <ulink type="http"
    url="http://www.fsf.org">their Web site</ulink> or by writing to
    <address>
     Free Software Foundation, Inc.
     <street>59 Temple Place</street> - Suite 330
     <city>Boston</city>, <state>MA</state> <postcode>02111-1307</postcode>
     <country>USA</country>
    </address>
   </para>
  </sect3>

--> 
 </sect2>