path: root/gnome2-user-guide/C/gosdeskback.xml

<chapter id="gosdeskback-1">
  <title>Using Your Desktop</title>
  <highlights>
    <para>The <application>Nautilus</application> file manager manages
the desktop. This chapter describes how to use the <application>Nautilus</application>
desktop.</para>
  </highlights>
  <sect1 id="gosdeskback-21">
    <title>Introduction to the Desktop</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>desktop</primary>
      <secondary>introduction</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <para>The desktop lies behind all of the other components on your visible
desktop. The desktop is an active component of the user interface. You can
perform the following tasks from your desktop:</para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Start your applications, and open your files and folders. </para>
        <para>You can add desktop objects for convenient access to files, folders,
and applications that you use frequently. For example, you can add an application
launcher to the desktop. You can create a symbolic link to a file that you
use often, then add this link to your desktop. You can also store files and
folders on the desktop.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Open the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu.</para>
        <para>Right-click on the desktop to open the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu.
You can use the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu to perform actions on the
desktop.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Work with <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>.</para>
        <para>You can move objects to <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> and empty your <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Customize your desktop.</para>
        <para>You can customize the pattern or color of the desktop.</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para><xref linkend="gosdeskback-TBL-84"/>
describes the functions of the default objects on the desktop.</para>
    <table frame="topbot" id="gosdeskback-TBL-84">
      <title>Functions of Default Desktop Objects</title>
      <tgroup cols="3" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
        <colspec colname="colspec2" colwidth="64.77*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="25.66*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="45.51*"/>
        <thead>
          <row rowsep="1">
            <entry colname="colspec2">
              <para>Object</para>
            </entry>
            <entry>
              <para>Component</para>
            </entry>
            <entry>
              <para>Function </para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec2">
              <screenshot>
                <mediaobject>
                  <imageobject>
                    <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_computer_launcher.png" format="PNG"/>
                  </imageobject>
                  <textobject>
                    <phrase>Nautilus computer icon.</phrase>
                  </textobject>
                </mediaobject>
              </screenshot>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>
                <guilabel>Computer</guilabel>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1">
              <para>Opens a
file manager window, and displays your CD-ROM drive and floppy drives, file
system and network.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
              <screenshot>
                <mediaobject>
                  <imageobject>
                    <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_home_launcher.png" format="PNG"/>
                  </imageobject>
                  <textobject>
                    <phrase>Nautilus home location icon.</phrase>
                  </textobject>
                </mediaobject>
              </screenshot>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <guilabel>Home</guilabel>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Opens a file manager
window, and displays your home location in the view pane.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
              <screenshot>
                <mediaobject>
                  <imageobject>
                    <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_starthere_launcher.png" format="PNG"/>
                  </imageobject>
                  <textobject>
                    <phrase>Nautilus Start Here icon.</phrase>
                  </textobject>
                </mediaobject>
              </screenshot>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <guilabel>Start Here</guilabel>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Provides an access point to some of the key features of the GNOME Desktop. </para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
              <screenshot>
                <mediaobject>
                  <imageobject>
                    <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_trash_launcher.png" format="PNG"/>
                  </imageobject>
                  <textobject>
                    <phrase>Nautilus Trash icon.</phrase>
                  </textobject>
                </mediaobject>
              </screenshot>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Opens a file manager
window, and displays your <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> in the view pane.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosdeskback-2">
    <title>Desktop Objects</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>desktop</primary>
      <secondary>desktop objects</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <para>A desktop object is an icon on your desktop that you can
use to open your files, folders, and applications. By default, your desktop
contains four objects. You can also add objects to your desktop to provide
convenient access to files, folders, applications, and URIs that you use frequently.
For example, you can add a launcher to your desktop to enable you to open
a particular application that you use often. </para>
    <para><xref linkend="gosdeskback-TBL-86"/> describes the types of object that
you can add to your desktop.</para>
    <table frame="topbot" id="gosdeskback-TBL-86">
      <title>Types of Desktop Objects</title>
      <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
        <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="30.23*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="69.77*"/>
        <thead>
          <row rowsep="1">
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>Object Type</para>
            </entry>
            <entry>
              <para>Description</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>Symbolic link</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>A symbolic link is an object that points to another
file or folder. When you choose a symbolic link from the desktop, the file
or folder that the symbolic link points to is opened. You can move or copy
a symbolic link to the desktop.</para>
              <para>You can identify symbolic links
by the default arrow emblem that appears on all symbolic links.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>Launcher</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>You can add the following types of launcher to the
desktop:</para>
              <itemizedlist>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Application: Starts a particular application.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Link: Links to  a particular file, folder, or URI.</para>
                </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>File</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>You can add files to your desktop. Files on your desktop
reside in your desktop directory. </para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>Folder </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>You can move folders to your desktop,
and you can create folders on your desktop. Folders on your desktop reside
in your desktop directory.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
    <para>The following sections describe how to work with objects on the desktop.</para>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-30">
      <title>To Select Objects on the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>selecting objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>selecting</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To select an object on the desktop, click on
the object. To select multiple objects, press-and-hold <keycap>Ctrl</keycap>,
then click on the objects that you want to select.</para>
      <para>You can also select an area on the desktop to select all objects within
that area. Click-and-hold on the desktop, then drag over the area that contains
the objects that you want to select. When you click-and-hold then drag, a
rectangle appears to mark the area that you select.</para>
      <para>To select multiple areas, press-and-hold <keycap>Ctrl</keycap>, then
drag over the areas that you want to select. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-29">
      <title>To Open an Object from the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>opening objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>opening</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To open an object from the desktop, double-click
on the object. Alternatively, right-click on the object, then choose <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>. When you open an object, the default action for the object
executes. For example, if the object is a text file, the text file opens in
a file manager window. The default actions for file types are specified in
the <application>File Types and Programs</application> preference tool.</para>
      <para>To execute an action other than the default action for an object, right-click
on the object, then choose <guimenuitem>Open With</guimenuitem>. Choose an
action from the <guisubmenu>Open With</guisubmenu> submenu. </para>
      <para>The items in the <guimenuitem>Open With</guimenuitem> submenu correspond
to the contents of the following parts of the <application>File Types and Programs</application> preference tool:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para><guilabel>Default action</guilabel> drop-down list in the <guilabel>Edit file type</guilabel> dialog</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para><guilabel>Viewer Component</guilabel> drop-down list in the <guilabel>Edit file type</guilabel> dialog</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>You can set your preferences in a file manager window so that you click
once on a file to execute the default action.</para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-3">
      <title>To Add a Launcher to the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>adding launchers</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>launchers</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>A desktop launcher can start an application
or link to a particular file, folder, FTP site, or URI location. </para>
      <para>To add a launcher to your desktop, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the desktop, then choose  <guilabel>Create Launcher</guilabel>. A <guilabel>Create Launcher</guilabel> dialog
is displayed.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>For information on how to enter the properties of the launcher
in the <guilabel>Create Launcher</guilabel> dialog, see <emphasis>Working
With Panels</emphasis>. The command that you enter for the launcher is the
command that is executed when you use the desktop object.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
      <para>You can also drag an application launcher from a menu to the desktop.
For example, you can open a menu that contains a launcher for an application
that you use often, then drag the launcher to your desktop. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-20">
      <title>To Add a Symbolic Link to the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>adding symbolic links</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>symbolic
links</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>symbolic link</primary>
        <secondary>to desktop object, creating</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>You can create symbolic
links on your desktop to perform the following actions:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Open a particular file in a particular application.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Open a particular folder in a file manager window.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Run a binary file or a script.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>To create a symbolic link on the desktop, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Display the file or folder for which you want to create a
symbolic link in a file manager window.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Create a symbolic link to the file or folder. To create a
symbolic link to a file or folder, select the file or folder to which you
want to create a link. Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Make Link</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. A link to the file or folder
is added to the current folder. You can identify symbolic links by the default
arrow emblem that appears on all symbolic links. The following figure shows
a symbolic link to a file:</para>
          <screenshot>
            <mediaobject>
              <imageobject>
                <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_samplesymlink_icon.png" format="PNG"/>
              </imageobject>
              <textobject>
                <phrase>File icon with symbolic link emblem.</phrase>
              </textobject>
            </mediaobject>
          </screenshot>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Drag the symbolic link to the desktop. The icon for the object
is moved to the desktop. </para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-16">
      <title>Adding a File or Folder to the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>adding a file or folder to</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>files and folders</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>The following sections describe
how you can add file objects and folder objects to the desktop.</para>
      <sect3 id="gosdeskback-18">
        <title>To Move a File or Folder to the Desktop</title>
        <indexterm>
          <primary>desktop</primary>
          <secondary>moving a file or folder to</secondary>
        </indexterm>
        <para>You can move a file or folder from the file
manager to the desktop. To move a file or folder to the desktop, perform the
following steps:</para>
        <orderedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>Open a file manager window. </para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>In the view pane, display the file or folder that you want
to move.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Drag the file or folder to the desktop. The icon for the file
or folder is moved to the desktop. The file or folder is moved to your desktop
directory.</para>
            <para>Alternatively, select the file or folder, then choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Cut Files</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Right-click
on any desktop object, then choose <guimenuitem>Paste Files</guimenuitem>.</para>
          </listitem>
        </orderedlist>
      </sect3>
      <sect3 id="gosdeskback-17">
        <title>To Copy a File or Folder to the Desktop</title>
        <indexterm>
          <primary>desktop</primary>
          <secondary>copying a file or folder to</secondary>
        </indexterm>
        <para>You can copy a file or folder from the file
manager to the desktop. To copy a file or folder to the desktop, perform the
following steps:</para>
        <orderedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>Open a file manager window. </para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>In the view pane, display the file or folder that you want
to move.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Press-and-hold <keycap>Ctrl</keycap>, then drag the file or
folder to the desktop. An icon for the file or folder is added to the desktop.
The file or folder is copied to your desktop directory.</para>
            <para>Alternatively, select the file or folder, then choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Copy Files</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
Right-click on any desktop object, then choose <guimenuitem>Paste Files</guimenuitem>.</para>
          </listitem>
        </orderedlist>
      </sect3>
      <sect3 id="gosdeskback-19">
        <title>To Create a Folder Object on the Desktop</title>
        <indexterm>
          <primary>desktop</primary>
          <secondary>creating a folder on</secondary>
        </indexterm>
        <para>To create a folder object, right-click on the desktop to
open the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu. Choose <guimenuitem>Create Folder</guimenuitem>. An <guilabel>untitled</guilabel> folder is added
to the desktop. Type the name of the new folder, then press <keycap>Return</keycap>. The folder is displayed with the new name. The new folder resides
in your desktop directory.</para>
      </sect3>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-90">
      <title>To Rename a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>renaming object</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>renaming</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To rename a desktop object, right-click on the
object, then choose <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem>. The name of the desktop
object is highlighted. Type the new name for the object, then press <keycap>Return</keycap>.</para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-25">
      <title>To Remove an Object from the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>removing an object from</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>removing</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To remove an object from the desktop, right-click
on the object, then choose <guimenuitem>Move to Trash</guimenuitem>. Alternatively,
drag the object to <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>.</para>
      <note>
        <para>When you move a file or folder from a removable media to <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>, the file or folder is stored in a <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>
location on the removable media. To remove the file or folder permanently
from the removable media, you must empty <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-86">
      <title>To Delete an Object from the Desktop</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>deleting an object from</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>deleting</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>When you delete an object from the desktop,
the object is not moved to <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>, but is immediately
deleted from the desktop. The <guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem> menu item
is only available if you select the <guilabel>Include a Delete command that
bypasses Trash</guilabel> option in the <application>Nautilus</application><guilabel>File Management Preferences</guilabel> dialog. </para>
      <para>To delete an object from the desktop right-click on the object, then
choose <guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem>. </para>
      <note>
        <para>You cannot delete the <guilabel>Home</guilabel> or <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> desktop objects. </para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-89">
      <title>To View the Properties of a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>viewing properties of object</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>viewing properties</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To view the properties of
a desktop object, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the object whose properties you want to view,
then choose <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>. A properties dialog is
displayed. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the properties dialog to view the properties of the desktop
object. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the properties
dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-91">
      <title>To Change the Permissions of a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>changing permissions of object</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>changing permissions</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To change the permissions
of a desktop object, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the object whose permissions you want to change,
then choose <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>. A properties dialog is
displayed. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click on the <guilabel>Permissions</guilabel> tab to display
the <guilabel>Permissions</guilabel> tabbed section.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>In the <guilabel>Permissions</guilabel> tabbed section, use
the drop-down lists and check boxes to change the permissions for the file
or folder. For more information on the dialog elements in the <guilabel>Permissions</guilabel> tabbed section, see <citetitle>Nautilus File Manager</citetitle>.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the properties
dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-93">
      <title>To Add an Emblem to a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>adding emblems to objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>adding emblems</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>emblems</primary>
        <secondary>adding to desktop objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To add an
emblem to a desktop object, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the object to which you want to add an emblem,
then choose <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>. A properties dialog is
displayed. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click on the <guilabel>Emblems</guilabel> tab to display the <guilabel>Emblems</guilabel> tabbed section.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Select the emblem to add to the item.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the properties
dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-95">
      <title>To Add a Note to a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>adding notes to objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>adding
notes to</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>notes</primary>
        <secondary>adding to desktop objects</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To add a note to a
desktop object, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Select the object to which you want to add a note. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. A properties dialog is displayed.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click on the <guilabel>Notes</guilabel> tab. In the <guilabel>Notes</guilabel> tabbed section, type the note.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the properties
dialog. A note emblem is added to the desktop object.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
      <para>To delete a note, delete the note text from the <guilabel>Notes</guilabel>
tabbed section.</para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-92">
      <title>To Change the Icon for a Desktop Object</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>changing icon of a desktop
object</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>changing icons</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To change the icon
for desktop object, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the object whose permissions you want to change,
then choose <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>. A properties dialog is
displayed. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>On the <guilabel>Basic</guilabel> tabbed section, click on
the <guibutton>Select Custom Icon</guibutton> button. A <guilabel>Select an
icon</guilabel> dialog is displayed. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Use the <guilabel>Select an icon</guilabel> dialog to choose
the icon to represent the file or folder. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the properties
dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
      <para>To restore an icon from a custom icon to the default icon specified
in the <application>File Types and Programs</application> preference tool,
right-click on the icon then choose <guimenuitem>Remove Custom Icon</guimenuitem>.
Alternatively, click on the <guilabel>Remove Custom Icon</guilabel> button
on the <guilabel>Properties</guilabel> dialog.</para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-94">
      <title>To Resize a Desktop Object Icon</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop</primary>
        <secondary>resizing icons</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>desktop objects</primary>
        <secondary>resizing
icons</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>You can change the size of the icon that
represents a desktop object. To change the size of an icon on the desktop,
perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the desktop object whose icon you want to resize,
then choose <guimenuitem>Stretch Icon</guimenuitem>. A rectangle appears around
the icon, with a handle at each corner.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Grab one of the handles, then drag the icon to the size that
you want.</para>
          <para>To return the icon to the original size, right-click on the icon, then
choose <guimenuitem>Restore Icon's Original Size</guimenuitem>. </para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosdeskback-8">
    <title>Using Trash on the Desktop</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>desktop</primary>
      <secondary>using Trash</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>Trash</primary>
      <secondary>using on desktop</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <screenshot>
      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="figures/naut_trash_launcher.png" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
        <textobject>
          <phrase>Nautilus Trash icon.</phrase>
        </textobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </screenshot>
    <para>You can move the following items to <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>:</para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Files</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Folders</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Desktop objects</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para>If you need to retrieve a file from <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>, you
can view <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> and move the file out of <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>. When you empty <guilabel>Trash</guilabel>, you delete the items
in <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> permanently. </para>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-44">
      <title>To Display Trash</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>Trash</primary>
        <secondary>displaying</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>You can display the contents of <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> in the following
ways:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>From the desktop</para>
          <para>Double-click on the <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> object on the desktop.
The contents of <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> are displayed in a <application>Nautilus</application> window.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>From a file manager window</para>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Go</guimenu><guimenuitem>Trash</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The contents of <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> are displayed in
the window.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosdeskback-10">
      <title>To Empty Trash</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>Trash</primary>
        <secondary>emptying</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>You can empty the contents of <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> in the following
ways:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>From the desktop</para>
          <para>Right-click on the <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> object, then choose <guimenuitem>Empty Trash</guimenuitem>.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>From a file manager window</para>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Empty
Trash</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosdeskback-9">
    <title>Using the Desktop Menu</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>desktop </primary>
      <secondary>using Desktop menu</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>Desktop menu</primary>
      <secondary>description</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>menus</primary>
      <secondary>Desktop
menu</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <screenshot>
      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="figures/com_file_manager_menu.png" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
        <textobject>
          <phrase>Desktop menu. The context describes the graphic. </phrase>
        </textobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </screenshot>
    <para><indexterm><primary>Desktop menu</primary><secondary>illustration</secondary></indexterm>To open the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu, right-click on a
vacant space on the desktop. You can use the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu
to perform actions on the desktop.</para>
    <para><xref linkend="gosdeskback-TBL-90"/> describes the items in
the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu> menu.</para>
    <table frame="topbot" id="gosdeskback-TBL-90">
      <title>Items on the Desktop Menu</title>
      <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
        <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="35.94*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="64.06*"/>
        <thead>
          <row rowsep="1">
            <entry>
              <para>Menu Item</para>
            </entry>
            <entry>
              <para>Function </para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Open Terminal</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1">
              <para>Starts a <application>GNOME Terminal</application>.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Create Folder</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1">
              <para>Creates a new folder object.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Create Launcher</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1">
              <para>Creates a launcher on your desktop. For more
information, see <xref linkend="gosdeskback-3"/>.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Create Document</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Create a document. You can select to create an empty
document or select a document from a template.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Clean Up By
Name</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Arranges the objects on the desktop alphabetically by name.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Keep Aligned</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1">
              <para>Ensures that the left edges of the objects
on the desktop are aligned.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Paste Files</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Puts the file or files into the selected folder or the desktop.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Use Default
Background </guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Resets the desktop background to the last pattern that you chose from the <guilabel>Backgrounds and Emblems</guilabel> dialog. You can access the <guilabel>Backgrounds
and Emblems</guilabel> dialog from <application>Nautilus</application> windows.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <guimenuitem>Change Desktop
Background</guimenuitem>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Starts the <application>Background</application> preference tool to enable
you to change the desktop background.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosdeskback-12">
    <title>Changing the Pattern or Color of the Desktop</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>desktop</primary>
      <secondary>background, changing pattern
or color</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>backgrounds</primary>
      <secondary>changing desktop background</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <para>You can
change the pattern or color of the desktop background to suit your preferences.
The file manager includes background patterns and colors that you can use
to change the look-and-feel of the desktop background. </para>
    <para>You can change the pattern or color of the desktop background in any
of the following ways:</para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Drag a pattern or color from another window or dialog to the
desktop. </para>
        <para>If your desktop background is a color, you can create a gradient effect
from a color into the desktop background color. A gradient effect is a visual
effect where one color blends gradually into another color. To create a gradient
effect on your desktop background, drag a color to one of the edges of the
screen. The color blends from the edge to which you drag the color, to the
opposite edge of the screen.</para>
        <para>Before you drag a color to a screen edge, check if there is an edge
panel on the screen edge. If there is an edge panel on the screen edge, you
must hide the panel before you drag the color.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Use the <application>Desktop Background</application> preference tool. </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Choose a pattern or color for the background from the <guilabel>Background Preferences</guilabel> dialog. To change the pattern or color of
the desktop background, perform the following steps:</para>
        <orderedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>Open a file manager window.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Backgrounds and Emblems</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Backgrounds
and Emblems</guilabel> dialog is displayed. </para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>To display a list of patterns that you can use, click on the <guibutton>Patterns</guibutton> button. To display a list of the colors that you can
use, click on the <guibutton>Colors</guibutton> button.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>To change the desktop background to a pattern, drag the pattern
to the desktop background. To change the desktop background to a color, drag
the color to the desktop background.</para>
          </listitem>
          <listitem>
            <para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the dialog.</para>
          </listitem>
        </orderedlist>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </sect1>
</chapter>