path: root/gnome2-accessibility-guide/C/themes.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<chapter id="themes-0">
  <title>Customizing the Appearance of the Desktop</title>
  <para>This chapter describes the methods you can use to change the appearance
of the Desktop to enhance accessibility for users with
visual impairments.</para>
  <sect1 id="themes-1">
    <title>Customization Options</title>
    <para>There are a number of methods to enable you to customize the appearance
of the Desktop to suit your specific needs, as follows:</para>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Themes</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>Themes are the most effective
way to change the appearance of the Desktop in a consistent manner. See <xref linkend="themes-2"/> for more information about themes and how to use themes
to achieve the type of Desktop that you require.</para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Desktop and application-specific configuration settings</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>You can customize different components of the Desktop
individually to achieve the display settings that you require. You can configure
the Desktop and applications in addition to using themes or as an alternative
to using themes. See <xref linkend="themes-7"/> for more information.</para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
    <para>The following table summarizes the changes that you can
make to the Desktop and where you can make the changes. This manual does not
provide detailed instructions about how to customize the Desktop. For detailed
instructions about how to use the customization tools that the Desktop provides,
refer to the online help for each tool or to the <citetitle>GNOME 2.4 Desktop User Guide</citetitle>.</para>
    <table frame="topbot" id="themes-TBL-1">
      <title>Quick Reference to Customizing the Appearance of the Desktop</title>
      <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
        <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="33.04*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="14.50*"/>
        <thead>
          <row rowsep="1">
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>To change the...</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Use...</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Overall appearance of the Desktop to use high
contrast colors, low contrast colors, or large print.</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>The <application>Theme</application> preference tool.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Appearance of the desktop background only.</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>The <application>Background</application>
preference tool and the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager <guilabel>Backgrounds and Emblems</guilabel> menu item.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Font displayed on the Desktop and
in all Desktop applications.</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>The <application>Font</application> preference tool.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Default font settings of the <application> gedit</application> text editor or <application>Terminal</application> application.
By default, <application> gedit</application> and <application>Terminal</application>
use the default application font that is specified in the <application>Font</application> preference tool.</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>The <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog for the application.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>Appearance of icons and
tabs in the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager application.</para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>The <guilabel>View</guilabel> menu and the <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog in the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager  application.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="themes-2">
    <title>Using Themes to Customize the Desktop</title>
    <para>This section describes how to use themes to customize the appearance
of the Desktop.</para>
    <sect2 id="themes-3">
      <title>Introduction to Themes</title>
      <para>You can use themes to modify and control the appearance of the Desktop
in a consistent manner. A theme is a group of coordinated settings that specifies
how a Desktop component or a group of Desktop components appears. When you
apply a theme, the system modifies many Desktop components simultaneously
to achieve the desired effect. For example, if you apply a theme that increases
the font size across the Desktop, the theme also modifies the size of panels
and icons on the Desktop for optimum compatibility with the font size. </para>
      <para>The following types of themes affect different parts of the Desktop: </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>Desktop themes</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Desktop themes determine
the visual appearance of all windows, applications, dialogs, panels, and applets.
Desktop themes also determine the visual appearance of the GNOME-compliant
interface items that appear on windows, panels, and applets, such as menus,
icons, and buttons. Some of the Desktop themes that are available in the Desktop
are designed for special accessibility needs.</para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>Window frame themes</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Window frame
themes determine the appearance of the frames around windows only.</para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-4">
      <title>To Choose a Desktop Theme</title>
      <para>To open the <application>Theme</application> preference tool and view
the Desktop themes that are available, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Theme</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Theme Preferences</guilabel>
dialog is displayed. Click on the <guilabel>Widget Theme</guilabel> tab to
display the Desktop themes that are available. To choose a new theme for the
Desktop, click on a theme in the <guilabel>Widget Theme</guilabel> list box.
The system automatically applies the theme to the Desktop. </para>
      <para>There are several Desktop themes available that suit different accessibility
needs. These themes are described in the following table:</para>
      <table frame="topbot" id="themes-TBL-2">
        <title>Desktop Themes Designed for Accessibility Requirements</title>
        <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
          <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="50*"/>
          <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="50*"/>
          <thead>
            <row rowsep="1">
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>Theme Name</para>
              </entry>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>Description</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
          </thead>
          <tbody>
            <row>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>HighContrast</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>Provides dark text on a light background using high
contrast colors.</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>HighContrastInverse</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
                <para>Provides
light text on a dark background using high contrast colors.</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>LowContrast</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
                <para>Uses low contrast colors for
the background and foreground text. </para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>LargePrint</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
                <para>Increases the font size to 18pt.
The background and foreground colors are the same as those specified by the <guilabel>Default</guilabel> Desktop theme.</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>HighContrastLargePrint</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>Provides dark text on a light background using high
contrast colors and increases the font size to 18pt.</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>HighContrastLargePrintInverse</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry valign="top">
                <para>Provides light text on a dark background using high
contrast colors and increases the font size to 18pt.</para>
              </entry>
            </row>
            <row>
              <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
                <para>
                  <guilabel>LowContrastLargePrint</guilabel>
                </para>
              </entry>
              <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
                <para>Uses
low contrast colors for the background and foreground text and increases the
font size to 18pt. </para>
              </entry>
            </row>
          </tbody>
        </tgroup>
      </table>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-5">
      <title>To Choose a Window Frame Theme</title>
      <para>To open the <application>Theme</application> preference tool and view
the window frame themes that are available, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Theme</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Theme Preferences</guilabel>
dialog is displayed. Click on the <guilabel>Window Frames</guilabel> tab to
display the window frame themes that are available. The <guilabel>Atlanta</guilabel> theme is an accessible theme. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-6">
      <title>To Create Your Own Themes</title>
      <para>For information about how to create your own Desktop themes and window
frame themes, see the <citetitle>GNOME 2.4 Desktop System Administration Guide</citetitle>. </para>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="themes-7">
    <title>Customizing Specific Components of the Desktop</title>
    <para>This section describes how to customize specific components of the Desktop
individually.</para>
    <sect2 id="themes-8">
      <title>To Customize the Desktop Background</title>
      <para>The Desktop themes do not affect the desktop background. Therefore to
modify the desktop background to complement your Desktop, you must customize
the desktop background separately using the <application>Background</application>
preference tool. To start the <application>Background</application> preference
tool, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Background</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-9">
      <title>To Customize Desktop Background Objects</title>
      <para>The size of the icons that are displayed on the desktop background is
controlled by the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager. To change
the size of the icons, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Start the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Preferences.</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Select the <guilabel>Views</guilabel> tabbed section.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>In the <guilabel>Icon View Defaults</guilabel> group, select
the zoom level that you require in the <guilabel>Default zoom level</guilabel>
drop-down list.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-10">
      <title>To Customize Fonts</title>
      <para>This section describes how to customize the font settings for the Desktop
and frequently-used applications.</para>
      <para>If you have difficulty with the default font type and font size that
is used on the Desktop and desktop background, you can customize the font
settings to suit your needs. </para>
      <para>You can specify individual font settings for the following Desktop components
and applications: </para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Entire Desktop excluding the desktop background</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Desktop background only</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            <application>Terminal</application>
          </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para><application>gedit</application> text editor</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para><application>Nautilus</application> file manager</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <sect3 id="themes-11">
        <title>To Customize the Desktop Fonts</title>
        <para>The <application>Font</application> preference tool allows you to specify
the default fonts for the Desktop. </para>
        <para>To start the <application>Font</application> preference tool, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Font</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Font Preferences</guilabel> dialog contains the following options: </para>
        <variablelist>
          <varlistentry>
            <term>
              <guilabel>Application font</guilabel>
            </term>
            <listitem>
              <para>Click on this button to select a default font to use for the text that
is displayed on the Desktop, including the text displayed on the windows and
dialogs associated with GNOME-compliant applications and applets.</para>
              <note>
                <para>If you use the <application>Theme</application> preference tool
to select a theme that modifies the application font, the theme setting overrides
the font that you select using the <application>Font</application> preference
tool.</para>
              </note>
            </listitem>
          </varlistentry>
          <varlistentry>
            <term>
              <guilabel>Desktop font</guilabel>
            </term>
            <listitem>
              <para>Click on this button to select a font to use for the text that is displayed
on the desktop background only.</para>
            </listitem>
          </varlistentry>
        </variablelist>
        <note>
          <para>If you use large fonts, you may need to change the size of panes
in applications that use panes such as, <application>Nautilus</application>
file manager and <application>Yelp</application>. </para>
        </note>
      </sect3>
      <sect3 id="themes-12">
        <title>To Customize the Terminal Font</title>
        <para>By default, the <application>Terminal</application> application uses
the default font settings that are specified in the <application>Font</application>
preference tool to display the text in the <application>Terminal</application>
window components such as the titlebar, toolbar, menubar, and application
dialogs. However, <application>Terminal</application> uses fixed-width fonts
to display the contents of the <application>Terminal</application> window,
that is the text that is displayed at the command line. </para>
        <para>To change the font settings for the contents of the <application>Terminal</application> window, start the <application>Terminal</application> application,
then choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Current
Profile</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. In the <guilabel>General</guilabel> tabbed
section, specify a font for the window contents as follows:</para>
        <orderedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>Deselect the <guilabel>Use the same font as other applications</guilabel> option.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Click on the font selector button to select the font type
and font size to use for the contents of the <application>Terminal</application>
window.</para>
          </listitem>
        </orderedlist>
      </sect3>
      <sect3 id="themes-13">
        <title>To Customize the gedit Text Editor Font</title>
        <para>By default, the <application>gedit</application> application uses the
default font settings that are specified in the <application>Font</application>
preference tool to display the text in the <application>gedit</application>
window components such as the menubar, toolbar, and application dialogs. However,
you can customize the font that <application>gedit</application> uses to display
the text editor window contents. To customize the font settings for the <application>gedit</application> window contents, perform the following steps:</para>
        <orderedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>In the <application>gedit</application> application, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Preferences</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>In the <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog, select the <guilabel>Fonts &amp; Colors</guilabel> category.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Perform one of the following steps:</para>
            <itemizedlist>
              <listitem>
                <para>To use the default application font that is specified in the <application>Font</application> preference tool, select the <guilabel>Use default theme
font</guilabel> option.</para>
              </listitem>
              <listitem>
                <para>To specify a font, deselect the <guilabel>Use default theme
font</guilabel> option, then click on the <guibutton>Font used by the editor</guibutton> button to display the font selector dialog.</para>
              </listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
          </listitem>
        </orderedlist>
      </sect3>
      <sect3 id="themes-14">
        <title>To Customize the Nautilus File Manager Font</title>
        <para>By default, the <application>Nautilus</application> file manager uses
the default font settings that are specified in the <application>Font</application>
preference tool to display the text in the file manager window. However, you
can further customize the font that is used in the file manager view pane.
To customize the font that is used in the view pane, click on the <guimenu>View</guimenu> menu in the file manager, then select one of the following
menu items:</para>
        <itemizedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>To enlarge the text, select <guimenuitem>Zoom In</guimenuitem>.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>To reduce the text, select <guimenuitem>Zoom Out</guimenuitem>.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>To reset the text to the default font setting, select <guimenuitem>Normal Size</guimenuitem>.</para>
          </listitem>
        </itemizedlist>
      </sect3>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="themes-15">
    <title>Meeting Specific Accessibility Needs</title>
    <para>The following sections summarize the steps you need to take to improve
the accessibility of the Desktop in a particular area. </para>
    <sect2 id="themes-16">
      <title>To Achieve a High or Low Contrast Desktop</title>
      <para>To achieve a high or low contrast Desktop, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Theme</application> preference tool to
select the high contrast or low contrast Desktop theme that you require.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Theme</application> preference tool to
select a window frame theme. You should select the <guilabel>Atlanta</guilabel>
window frame theme for use with high contrast Desktop themes. The <guilabel>Atlanta</guilabel> window frame theme may also improve readability for some
users. However, you can choose the window frame theme that best suits your
needs. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Background</application> preference tool
to customize your desktop background as follows:</para>
          <itemizedlist>
            <listitem>
              <para>Set the <guilabel>Picture Options</guilabel> to <guilabel>No Picture</guilabel>.</para>
            </listitem>
            <listitem>
              <para>Set the <guilabel>Background Style</guilabel> to <guilabel>Solid color</guilabel>.</para>
            </listitem>
            <listitem>
              <para>Select a background color that suits your needs.</para>
            </listitem>
          </itemizedlist>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>In the <application>Terminal</application> application, ensure
that the <guilabel>Use colors from system theme</guilabel> option is selected
in the <guilabel>Edit Profile</guilabel> dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>In the <application>gedit</application> application, ensure
that the <guilabel>Use default theme colors</guilabel> option is selected
in the <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="themes-17">
      <title>To Achieve a Large Print Desktop</title>
      <para>To achieve a large print Desktop, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Theme</application> preference tool to
select the large print theme that you require.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Theme</application> preference tool to
select a window frame theme. You can use the <guilabel>Crux</guilabel>, <guilabel>Atlanta</guilabel>, or <guilabel>Bright</guilabel> window frame themes with
large print Desktop themes, depending on the contrast level that you prefer.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <application>Font</application> preference tool to
increase the font that is displayed on desktop background objects.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Increase the font size that is used to display
the contents of the <application>Terminal</application> application window.
See <xref linkend="themes-12"/> for more information.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>If the <guilabel>Use default theme font</guilabel> option
is selected in the <application>gedit</application><guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog, <application>gedit</application> uses the font size that
is specified in the large print theme that you selected. However, if the <guilabel>Use default theme font</guilabel> option is not selected, increase the font
size that is used to display the contents of the <application>gedit</application>
text editor window. See <xref linkend="themes-13"/> for more information.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>If you use applications that use panes, such as <application>Nautilus</application> file manager and the Help browser, you may need to
change the size of panes to accommodate the large print. See the online help
for the appropriate application for more information.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
</chapter>