Using Your Desktop
The
Nautilus
file manager manages
the desktop. This chapter describes how to use the
Nautilus
desktop.
Introduction to the Desktop
desktop
introduction
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:
Start your applications, and open your files and folders.
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.
Open the
Desktop
menu.
Right-click on the desktop to open the
Desktop
menu.
You can use the
Desktop
menu to perform actions on the
desktop.
Work with
Trash
.
You can move objects to
Trash
and empty your
Trash
.
Customize your desktop.
You can customize the pattern or color of the desktop.
describes the functions of the default objects on the desktop.
Functions of Default Desktop Objects
Object
Component
Function
Nautilus computer icon.
Computer
Opens a
file manager window, and displays your CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, file system,
and network.
Nautilus home location icon.
Home
Opens a file manager
window, and displays your home location in the view pane.
Nautilus Start Here icon.
Start Here
Provides an access point to some of the key features of the GNOME Desktop.
Nautilus Trash icon.
Trash
Opens a file manager
window, and displays your
Trash
in the view pane.
Desktop Objects
desktop
desktop objects
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.
describes the types of object that
you can add to your desktop.
Types of Desktop Objects
Object Type
Description
Symbolic link
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.
You can identify symbolic links
by the default arrow emblem that appears on all symbolic links.
Launcher
You can add the following types of launcher to the
desktop:
Application: Starts a particular application.
Link: Links to  a particular file, folder, or URI.
File
You can add files to your desktop. Files on your desktop
reside in your desktop directory.
Folder
You can move folders to your desktop,
and you can create folders on your desktop. Folders on your desktop reside
in your desktop directory.
The following sections describe how to work with objects on the desktop.
To Select Objects on the Desktop
desktop
selecting objects
desktop objects
selecting
To select an object on the desktop, click on
the object. To select multiple objects, press-and-hold
Ctrl
,
then click on the objects that you want to select.
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.
To select multiple areas, press-and-hold
Ctrl
, then
drag over the areas that you want to select.
To Open an Object from the Desktop
desktop
opening objects
desktop objects
opening
To open an object from the desktop, double-click
on the object. Alternatively, right-click on the object, then choose
Open
. 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
File Types and Programs
preference tool.
To execute an action other than the default action for an object, right-click
on the object, then choose
Open With
. Choose an
action from the
Open With
submenu.
The items in the
Open With
submenu correspond
to the contents of the following parts of the
File Types and Programs
preference tool:
Default action
drop-down list in the
Edit file type
dialog
Viewer Component
drop-down list in the
Edit file type
dialog
You can set your preferences in a file manager window so that you click
once on a file to execute the default action.
To Add a Launcher to the Desktop
desktop
adding launchers
desktop objects
launchers
A desktop launcher can start an application
or link to a particular file, folder, FTP site, or URI location.
To add a launcher to your desktop, perform the following steps:
Right-click on the desktop, then choose
Create Launcher
. A
Create Launcher
dialog
is displayed.
For information on how to enter the properties of the launcher
in the
Create Launcher
dialog, see
Working
With Panels
. The command that you enter for the launcher is the
command that is executed when you use the desktop object.
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.
To Add a Symbolic Link to the Desktop
desktop
adding symbolic links
desktop objects
symbolic
links
symbolic link
to desktop object, creating
You can create symbolic
links on your desktop to perform the following actions:
Open a particular file in a particular application.
Open a particular folder in a file manager window.
Run a binary file or a script.
To create a symbolic link on the desktop, perform the following steps:
Display the file or folder for which you want to create a
symbolic link in a file manager window.
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
Edit
Make Link
. 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:
File icon with symbolic link emblem.
Drag the symbolic link to the desktop. The icon for the object
is moved to the desktop.
Adding a File or Folder to the Desktop
desktop
adding a file or folder to
desktop objects
files and folders
The following sections describe
how you can add file objects and folder objects to the desktop.
To Move a File or Folder to the Desktop
desktop
moving a file or folder to
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:
Open a file manager window.
In the view pane, display the file or folder that you want
to move.
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.
Alternatively, select the file or folder, then choose
Edit
Cut Files
. Right-click
on any desktop object, then choose
Paste Files
.
To Copy a File or Folder to the Desktop
desktop
copying a file or folder to
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:
Open a file manager window.
In the view pane, display the file or folder that you want
to move.
Press-and-hold
Ctrl
, 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.
Alternatively, select the file or folder, then choose
Edit
Copy Files
.
Right-click on any desktop object, then choose
Paste Files
.
To Create a Folder Object on the Desktop
desktop
creating a folder on
To create a folder object, right-click on the desktop to
open the
Desktop
menu. Choose
Create Folder
. An
untitled
folder is added
to the desktop. Type the name of the new folder, then press
Return
. The folder is displayed with the new name. The new folder resides
in your desktop directory.
To Rename a Desktop Object
desktop
renaming object
desktop objects
renaming
To rename a desktop object, right-click on the
object, then choose
Rename
. The name of the desktop
object is highlighted. Type the new name for the object, then press
Return
.
To Remove an Object from the Desktop
desktop
removing an object from
desktop objects
removing
To remove an object from the desktop, right-click
on the object, then choose
Move to Trash
. Alternatively,
drag the object to
Trash
.
When you move a file or folder from a removable media to
Trash
, the file or folder is stored in a
Trash
location on the removable media. To remove the file or folder permanently
from the removable media, you must empty
Trash
.
To Delete an Object from the Desktop
desktop
deleting an object from
desktop objects
deleting
When you delete an object from the desktop,
the object is not moved to
Trash
, but is immediately
deleted from the desktop. The
Delete
menu item
is only available if you select the
Include a Delete command that
bypasses Trash
option in the
Nautilus
File Management Preferences
dialog.
To delete an object from the desktop right-click on the object, then
choose
Delete
.
You cannot delete the
Home
or
Trash
desktop objects.
To View the Properties of a Desktop Object
desktop
viewing properties of object
desktop objects
viewing properties
To view the properties of
a desktop object, perform the following steps:
Right-click on the object whose properties you want to view,
then choose
Properties
. A properties dialog is
displayed.
Use the properties dialog to view the properties of the desktop
object.
Click
Close
to close the properties
dialog.
To Change the Permissions of a Desktop Object
desktop
changing permissions of object
desktop objects
changing permissions
To change the permissions
of a desktop object, perform the following steps:
Right-click on the object whose permissions you want to change,
then choose
Properties
. A properties dialog is
displayed.
Click on the
Permissions
tab to display
the
Permissions
tabbed section.
In the
Permissions
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
Permissions
tabbed section, see
Nautilus File Manager
.
Click
Close
to close the properties
dialog.
To Add an Emblem to a Desktop Object
desktop
adding emblems to objects
desktop objects
adding emblems
emblems
adding to desktop objects
To add an
emblem to a desktop object, perform the following steps:
Right-click on the object to which you want to add an emblem,
then choose
Properties
. A properties dialog is
displayed.
Click on the
Emblems
tab to display the
Emblems
tabbed section.
Select the emblem to add to the item.
Click
Close
to close the properties
dialog.
To Add a Note to a Desktop Object
desktop
adding notes to objects
desktop objects
adding
notes to
notes
adding to desktop objects
To add a note to a
desktop object, perform the following steps:
Select the object to which you want to add a note.
Choose
File
Properties
. A properties dialog is displayed.
Click on the
Notes
tab. In the
Notes
tabbed section, type the note.
Click
Close
to close the properties
dialog. A note emblem is added to the desktop object.
To delete a note, delete the note text from the
Notes
tabbed section.
To Change the Icon for a Desktop Object
desktop
changing icon of a desktop
object
desktop objects
changing icons
To change the icon
for desktop object, perform the following steps:
Right-click on the object whose permissions you want to change,
then choose
Properties
. A properties dialog is
displayed.
On the
Basic
tabbed section, click on
the
Select Custom Icon
button. A
Select an
icon
dialog is displayed.
Use the
Select an icon
dialog to choose
the icon to represent the file or folder.
Click
Close
to close the properties
dialog.
To restore an icon from a custom icon to the default icon specified
in the
File Types and Programs
preference tool,
right-click on the icon then choose
Remove Custom Icon
.
Alternatively, click on the
Remove Custom Icon
button
on the
Properties
dialog.
To Resize a Desktop Object Icon
desktop
resizing icons
desktop objects
resizing
icons
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:
Right-click on the desktop object whose icon you want to resize,
then choose
Stretch Icon
. A rectangle appears around
the icon, with a handle at each corner.
Grab one of the handles, then drag the icon to the size that
you want.
To return the icon to the original size, right-click on the icon, then
choose
Restore Icon's Original Size
.
Using Trash on the Desktop
desktop
using Trash
Trash
using on desktop
Nautilus Trash icon.
You can move the following items to
Trash
:
Files
Folders
Desktop objects
If you need to retrieve a file from
Trash
, you
can view
Trash
and move the file out of
Trash
. When you empty
Trash
, you delete the items
in
Trash
permanently.
To Display Trash
Trash
displaying
You can display the contents of
Trash
in the following
ways:
From the desktop
Double-click on the
Trash
object on the desktop.
The contents of
Trash
are displayed in a
Nautilus
window.
From a file browser window
Choose
Go
Trash
. The contents of
Trash
are displayed in
the window.
From a file object window
Choose
Places
Trash
. The contents of
Trash
are
displayed in the window.
To Empty Trash
Trash
emptying
You can empty the contents of
Trash
in the following
ways:
From the desktop
Right-click on the
Trash
object, then choose
Empty Trash
.
From a file browser window
Choose
File
Empty
Trash
.
Using the Desktop Menu
desktop
using Desktop menu
Desktop menu
description
menus
Desktop
menu
Desktop menu. The context describes the graphic.
Desktop menu
illustration
To open the
Desktop
menu, right-click on a
vacant space on the desktop. You can use the
Desktop
menu
to perform actions on the desktop.
describes the items in
the
Desktop
menu.
Items on the Desktop Menu
Menu Item
Function
Open Terminal
Starts a
GNOME Terminal
.
Create Folder
Creates a new folder object.
Create Launcher
Creates a launcher on your desktop. For more
information, see
.
Create Document
Creates a document. You can create templates from
documents that you frequently create. For example, if you often create invoices,
you can create an empty invoice document and save the document as
invoice.doc
in the
$HOME/Templates
folder.
Clean Up By
Name
Arranges the objects on the desktop alphabetically by name.
Keep Aligned
Ensures that the left edges of the objects
on the desktop are aligned.
Paste Files
Puts file or files into a selected folder or the desktop.
Use Default
Background
Resets the desktop background to the last pattern that you chose from the
Backgrounds and Emblems
dialog. You can access the
Backgrounds
and Emblems
dialog from
Nautilus
windows.
Change Desktop
Background
Starts the
Background
preference tool to enable
you to change the desktop background.
Changing the Pattern or Color of the Desktop
desktop
background, changing pattern
or color
backgrounds
changing desktop background
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.
You can change the pattern or color of the desktop background in any
of the following ways:
Drag a pattern or color from another window or dialog to the
desktop.
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.
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.
Use the
Desktop Background
preference tool.
Choose a pattern or color for the background from the
Background Preferences
dialog. To change the pattern or color of
the desktop background, perform the following steps:
Open a file manager window.
Choose
Edit
Backgrounds and Emblems
. The
Backgrounds
and Emblems
dialog is displayed.
To display a list of patterns that you can use, click on the
Patterns
button. To display a list of the colors that you can
use, click on the
Colors
button.
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.
Click
Close
to close the dialog.
