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

 <sect2 id="tickastat">
  <title>Tick-a-Stat Applet</title>

   <para>
   <application>Tick-a-Stat</application> applet, shown in <xref
   linkend="tickastat-applet-fig">, watches various aspects of your
   system and delivers information when certain events occur.  For
   example, it can watch the CPU load and warn you when the CPU is
   being overloaded with concurrent processes.  To add this
   applet to a <interface>Panel</interface>, 
   right-click on the <interface>Panel</interface> and choose
   <menuchoice>
    <guimenu>Panel</guimenu>
    <guisubmenu>Add to panel</guisubmenu>
    <guisubmenu>Applet</guisubmenu>
    <guisubmenu>Utility</guisubmenu>
    <guimenuitem>Tick-a-Stat</guimenuitem>
   </menuchoice>.
  </para>

  <figure id="tickastat-applet-fig">
   <title>Tick-a-Stat Applet</title>
   <screenshot>
    <screeninfo>Tick-a-Stat Applet</screeninfo>
    <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/tickastat_applet" 
    srccredit="muet">
    </graphic>
   </screenshot>
  </figure>

  <!-- ============= Usage  ================================ -->
  <sect3 id="tickastat-usage">
   <title>Usage</title>
   <para>
    After you have configured <application>Tick-a-Stat</application>,
    it will run continuously and does not require any input.
    General configuration of <application>Tick-a-Stat</application> is
    explained in <xref linkend="tickastat-prefs">.  There are several
    modules which can be used.  Their function and configuration is
    described in <xref linkend="tickastat-modules">.
   </para>

   <para>
    Right-clicking on the applet brings up a menu containing the
    following items:
    <itemizedlist>

     <listitem>
      <para>
       <guimenuitem>Properties&hellip;</guimenuitem> &mdash;
       opens the <link linkend="tickastat-prefs">
       <guilabel>Properties</guilabel></link> dialog.
      </para>
     </listitem>

     <listitem>
      <para>
       <guimenuitem>Event Log&hellip;</guimenuitem> &mdash;
       opens the <link linkend="tickastat-eventlog">
       <guilabel>Event Log</guilabel></link> dialog.
      </para>
     </listitem>

     <listitem>
      <para>
       <guimenuitem>Help</guimenuitem> &mdash;
       displays this document.
      </para>
     </listitem>

     <listitem>
      <para>
       <guimenuitem>About&hellip;</guimenuitem> &mdash;
       shows basic information about <application>Tick-a-Stat
       Applet</application>, including the applet's version and the
       author's name.
      </para>
     </listitem>

    </itemizedlist>
   </para>
  </sect3>


  <!-- ============= Customization ============================= -->
  <sect3 id="tickastat-prefs">
    <title>Customization</title>
    <para>
      You can customize <application>Tick-a-Stat</application>
      applet by right-clicking on it and choosing
      <guimenuitem>Properties&hellip;</guimenuitem>. This will open the
      <interface>Properties</interface> dialog(shown in <xref
      linkend="tickastat-settings-fig">), which allows you to
      change various settings.
    </para>

    <figure id="tickastat-settings-fig">
     <title>Properties dialog</title>
     <screenshot>
      <screeninfo>Properties dialog</screeninfo>
      <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/tickastat_settings"
      srccredit="muet">
      </graphic>
     </screenshot>
    </figure>

    <para>
     The <guilabel>Modules</guilabel> tab lists the various modules
     you can enable.  Select a module from <guilabel>Module</guilabel>
     list on the left to configure it in the pane on the right.  Each
     module and its configurable properties are described in <xref
     linkend="tickastat-modules">. 
    </para>

    <para>
     The properties in the <guilabel>General</guilabel> tab are:
     <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Enable logging of events &mdash; If this button is
        checked, a log of each event detected by an enabled module
        will be written to the file named in the <guilabel>Log
        path</guilabel> entry.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Log Path &mdash; This is name of the file which will be used
        to store the event log.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </itemizedlist>
    </para>

    <para>
     The properties in the <guilabel>Display</guilabel> tab are:
     <itemizedlist>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Smooth scroll &mdash; Selecting this button causes old events
        to slowly scroll upwards when new events occur, instead of
        quickly moving up to make room.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Smooth type &mdash; Selecting this button causes new text to
        be slowly typed across the applet as if somebody is typing it,
        instead of appearing very quickly.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Delay when wrapping text &mdash; This is the time delay (in
        tenths of a second) that it pauses when it wraps a message
        around the right edge of the applet (ie. for a carriage return).
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Scroll speed between lines (Smooth scroll) &mdash; This is the
        speed at which lines are scrolled upwards.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Width &mdash; This is the width(in pixels) of the applet.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Use all room on panel &mdash; Selecting this button expands
        the applet along the <interface>Panel</interface> to fill all
        space (up to any neighboring Panel objects if they exist.)
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Height &mdash; This is the height(in pixels) of the applet.
       </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
       <para>
        Use panel size hint &mdash; Selecting this button causes the
        applet to try to size itself to fit the
        <interface>Panel</interface> height.
       </para>
      </listitem>

     </itemizedlist>
    </para>


    <para> 
      After you have made all the changes you want, click on
      <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to apply the changes and close the
      <interface>Properties</interface> dialog. To cancel the changes
      and return to previous values, click the
      <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> button.
    </para>
  </sect3>

  <!-- ============= Modules ============================= -->
  <sect3 id="tickastat-modules">
    <title>Modules</title>
    <para>
     <application>Tick-a-Stat</application> has several modules.
     Each module watches a certain part of your system and responds
     to different evens. Multiple modules can be run enabled at once.
     The standard <application>Tick-a-Stat</application> modules are
     described below.
    </para>

    <sect4 id="tickastat-testmodule">
     <title>Test Module</title>
     <para>
      The Test module is a simple module that just prints
      <quote>Testing line from test module :)</quote> in the applet
      every few seconds.
     </para>
    </sect4>     

    <sect4 id="tickastat-coredumpmodule">
     <title>Core Dump Catcher Module</title>
     <para>
      The Dump Monitor module monitors a certain path for core dumps.
      If it finds one, it time stamps it and logs the backtrace. It also
      displays a core dump logo and message in the main applet, as
      shown in <xref linkend="tickastat-coredump-fig"> and optionally
      will open a dialog displaying the backtrace.
     </para>
     <figure id="tickastat-coredump-fig">
      <title>Tick-a-Stat Showing a Core Dump</title>
      <screenshot>
       <screeninfo>Tick-a-Stat Showing a Core Dump</screeninfo>
       <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/tickastat_coredump"
       srccredit="muet">
       </graphic>
      </screenshot>
     </figure> 

     <para>
      The Core Dump module settings are:
      <itemizedlist>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Enable this module &mdash; Selecting this button activates the
         module.
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Show backtrace dialog on new core files &mdash; Selecting this
         button will cause <application>Tick-a-Stat</application> to
         open a dialog showing the backtrace each time a new core dump
         is found.
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Path to monitor &mdash; Enter the name of the directory you
         would like the Core Dump module to monitor for core dumps. 
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
     </para>
    </sect4>

    <sect4 id="tickastat-loadmonitormodule">
     <title>Load Average Monitor Module</title>
     <para>
      The Load Average Monitor module monitors the systems CPU usage
      and warns you when the number of processes(programs) sharing the
      CPU is too high.  (This will cause poor performance of each
      process and can be indicative of an errant program or daemon.) 
      When the CPU load is high it will display a warning, as shown in
      <xref linkend="tickastat-loadmonitor-fig">. For even higher
      loads, an alert is displayed.
     </para>
     <figure id="tickastat-loadmonitor-fig">
      <title>Tick-a-Stat Showing a Load Warning</title>
      <screenshot>
       <screeninfo>Tick-a-Stat Showing a Load Warning</screeninfo>
       <graphic format="png" fileref="figures/tickastat_loadaverage"
       srccredit="muet">
       </graphic>
      </screenshot>
     </figure> 

     <para>
      The Load Average Monitor module settings are:
      <itemizedlist>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Enable this module &mdash; Selecting this button activates the
         module.
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Check every (Seconds) &mdash; Set this to the interval (in
         seconds) between checking the load.
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Show pop-up dialog for this event &mdash; Select this button
         to have a pop-up dialog open each time a warning (or alert)
         is issued.  (This option occurs in both the Warning and Alert
         sections.) 
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Load average threshold &mdash; Set this to the load (the
         average number of running programs which request use of the
         CPU at any instant in time). (This option occurs in both the
         Warning and Alert sections.) 
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Text to display &mdash; Enter the message which should be
         displayed when the load reaches the threshold level.
        </para>
       </listitem>

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

    <sect4 id="tickastat-filetailermodule">
     <title>File Tailer Module</title>
     <para>
      The File Tailer module shows any lines which are added to the
      end of a given file.  This is typically used to monitor the
      output log files created by many programs.
     </para>


     <para>
      The File Tailerr module settings are:
      <itemizedlist>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Enable this module &mdash; Selecting this button activates the
         module.
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Path to tail &mdash; Set this to the name of the file you
         wish to tail.  (The term "tail" refers to watching the tail,
         or end, of a file.  In a shell, one can do this using the
         <command>tail</command> command, typically with the "-f"
         flag.) 
        </para>
       </listitem>

       <listitem>
        <para>
         Show pop-up dialog for new line &mdash; Select this
         to have a pop-up dialog showing the new line open each time a
         new line is added to the file.
        </para>
       </listitem>

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

   </sect3>


  <!-- ============= Event Log ============================== -->
  <sect3 id="tickastat-eventlog">
   <title>The Event Log</title>
   <para>
    The event log is used to keep track of any events which register
    in <application>Tick-a-Stat</application>.  The file used for the
    event log and whether event logging is enabled are specified in
    the <guilabel>General</guilabel> tab of the <link
    linkend="tickastat-prefs"> <guilabel>Properties</guilabel></link>
    dialog. To view the event log, right click on the applet and
    select <guimenuitem>Event log&hellip;</guimenuitem>.
   </para>

  </sect3>


  <!-- ============= Bugs ================================== -->
  <!-- This section should describe known bugs and limitations of
       the program if there are any - please be frank and list all
       problems you know of -->
  <sect3 id="tickastatapplet-bugs">
   <title>Known Bugs and Limitations</title>
   <para>
    This applet has no known bugs.
   </para>
  </sect3>


  <!-- ============= Authors ================================ -->

  <sect3 id="tickastat-authors">
   <title>Authors</title>
   <para>
    <application>Tick-a-Stat Applet</application> was written by John Ellis
    (<email>johne@bellatlantic.net</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 Dan Mueth
    (<email>d-mueth@uchicago.edu</email>). Please send all comments and
    suggestions regarding this manual to the <ulink type="http"
    url="http://www.gnome.org/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://www.gnome.org/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="license">
   <title>License</title>
   <para>
    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    modify it under the terms of the <citetitle>GNU General Public
    License</citetitle> 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
    <citetitle>GNU General Public License</citetitle> for more details.
   </para>
   <para>
    A copy of the <citetitle>GNU General Public License</citetitle> is
    included as an appendix to the <citetitle>GNOME Users
    Guide</citetitle>.  You may also obtain a copy of the
    <citetitle>GNU General Public License</citetitle> 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>