Working With Windows
The information in this chapter describes how to use windows
in the GNOME Desktop. You can use several types of window manager with the
GNOME Desktop, for example,
Metacity
and
Sawfish
.  Many of the functions in
Metacity
are also available in
Sawfish
. This chapter describes
the functions that are associated with the
Metacity
window manager.
Windows and Workspaces
windows
introduction
workspaces
introduction
You can display many windows at the same time in the GNOME
Desktop. Your windows are displayed in subdivisions of the GNOME Desktop that
are called workspaces. A workspace is a discrete area in which you can work.
Every workspace contains the same desktop, the same panels, and the same menus.
However, you can run different applications, and open different windows in
each workspace. You can display only one workspace at a time, but you can
have windows open in other workspaces.
The
Workspace Switcher
applet displays a
visual representation of your windows and workspaces, as show in
.
Workspace Switcher Applet
Workspace Switcher applet. The context describes the graphic.
You can add workspaces at any time. To add workspaces to the GNOME Desktop,
right-click on the
Workspace Switcher
applet, then
choose
Preferences
. The
Workspace Switcher
Preferences
dialog is displayed. Use the
Number of workspaces
spin box to specify the number of workspaces you require.
Window Manager Behavior
windows
window managers
A window manager controls how windows appear and behave.
The window manager manages where your windows are located, and which window
has focus. The window frame contains buttons that enable you to perform standard
actions such as moving, closing, and resizing windows.
You can set some window manager preferences in the
Windows
preference tool. This manual describes the functions that are
associated with the default configuration of the
Metacity
window manager. The default configuration is specified in the
Windows
preference tool.
Types of Window
windows
types of
The GNOME Desktop features the following types of windows:
Application windows
When you start an application, an application window opens. The window
manager applies a frame to the application window. By default, the top edge
of the application window contains a titlebar. The titlebar contains buttons
that you can use to work with the window. The buttons in an application window
frame enable you to perform actions such as open the
Window Menu
, or close the window. The
Window Menu
provides
a number of actions that you can perform on the window.
The following figure shows a typical application window.
Application window in Simple theme.
Dialog windows
A dialog window is a popup window in which you enter information or
commands. The dialog appears within a window frame.
You can use the top edge of the frame to work with the window. For example,
you can use the titlebar to move the dialog. The frame also contains buttons
that enable you to do the following:
Open the
Window Menu
Close the dialog window
Typically, you open a dialog window from an application window. When
you open a dialog window, the window is usually raised and has focus. Some
dialog windows do not allow you to use the application until you close the
dialog.
Window Frames
windows
frames
A window frame is a border around a window. The window frame contains
a titlebar. The titlebar contains buttons that you can use to work with the
window.
Themes
windows
themes
You can apply several themes to your window frames. The theme determines
how the frame looks. To choose a theme for all your window frames, use the
Theme
preference tool.
Control Elements
windows
frame control elements
You can use the window frame to perform various actions
with the window. In particular, the titlebar contains various buttons. The
following figure shows the titlebar of an application window:
Window titlebar. Callouts: Window Menu button, Titlebar, Minimize, Maximize, Close Window buttons.
Dialog windows also contain some of the window frame control elements.
describes the active control elements on window
frames, from left to right.
Window Frame Control Elements
Control Element
Description
Window Menu
button
Click on
the button to open the
Window Menu
.
Titlebar
You can use the titlebar to perform the following actions:
To give focus to the window click on the titlebar.
To move the window grab the titlebar and drag the window to
the new location.
To maximize the window, double-click on the titlebar. To restore
the window to the  previous size, double-click on the titlebar again.
Minimize
button
Click on the
Minimize
button
to minimize the window.
Maximize
button
Click on the
Maximize
button
to maximize the window.
Close Window
button
Click on the
Close
Window
button to close the window.
Border
The border around the window. Use the border to perform the following actions:
To resize the window grab the border and drag the border to
the new size.
To open the
Window Menu
, right-click on
the border.
Window contents
The area inside the window frame. Use the
window contents to perform the following actions:
To move a window, press-and-hold
Alt
,  click
in the window contents, then drag the window to the new location.
To resize a window, press-and-hold
Alt
,
then middle-click near the corner you want to resize. To resize the window,
drag from the corner on which you middle-clicked.
To open the
Window Menu
, press-and-hold
Alt
, then right-click in the window contents.
Menus and Applets for Working With Windows and Workspaces
windows
applets and menus for working
with
This section describes the menus and applets
that you can use to work with windows and workspaces.
Window Menu
windows
Window Menu
menus
Window Menu
The
Window Menu
is a menu of commands
that you can use to perform actions on your windows. To open the
Window Menu
perform one of the following actions:
Click on the
Window Menu
button on
the window that you want to work with.
Press
Alt
spacebar
.
Press-and-hold
Alt
, then right-click on any
part of the window that you want to work with.
describes the commands and submenus
in the
Window Menu
.
Window Menu Commands and Submenus
Menu Item
Function
Minimize
Minimizes the window.
Maximize
or
Unmaximize
Maximizes
the window. If the window is already maximized, choose
Unmaximize
to restore the window to its previous size.
On Top
Places
the window above any other open windows on the desktop.
Move
Enables you to use the arrow
keys to move the window.
Resize
Enables you to use the arrow
keys to resize the window.
Close
Closes the window.
Put on All
Workspaces
or
Only on This Workspace
Puts the window on all of your
workspaces. If the window is already on all of your workspaces, choose
Only on This Workspace
to put the window on the current workspace
only.
Move
to Workspace Right
or
Move to Workspace Left
Move the window to the
workspace to the right of the current workspace. If the window is already
in the last workspace at the right of the Workspace Switcher, choose
Move to Workspace Left
to move the window to the workspace to
the left of the current workspace.
Move
to Another Workspace
Moves the window to another workspace. Select the workspace to which you want
to move the window from the submenu.
Window List Applet
windows
Window List applet
Window List applet
Window List applet
introduction
window lists
Window List applet
applets
Window List
Window List
displays a button for each application
window that is open. You can use the
Window List
to perform the following tasks:
To minimize a window
Click on the button that represents the window.
To restore a minimized window
Click on the button that represents the window.
To give focus to a window
Click on the button that represents the window.
When you open an application window,
Window List
displays a button that represents the window. The window list buttons show
which application windows are open. You can view which windows are open even
if some windows are minimized, or other windows overlap a window.
Window List
can display buttons for the windows in your current
workspace, or in all workspaces. To select this option, you must change the
preferences of
Window List
.
You can also right-click on a window list button to open the
Window Menu
for the window that the button represents.
For more information on the
Window Menu
commands, see
.
shows
Window List
when the following windows are open:
gedit
Dictionary
GHex
GNOME Terminal
Window List Applet
Window List applet. The context describes the graphic.
The buttons in the applet show the status of your windows.
explains the information that the window list buttons provide about the window.
The examples in
refer to
.
Window Status Information on Window List Buttons
Window List applet
window status information
State
Indicates
Example
Button is pressed in.
The window has focus.
gedit
Square brackets around window title.
The window is minimized.
[Dictionary]
Button is not pressed in, no square brackets
around title.
The window is displayed,
and is not minimized.
ghex
Numeral on button, in parentheses.
The button represents
a group of buttons.
Gnome-terminal (3)
Grouping Buttons
Window List applet
grouping buttons
Window List
can group
the buttons that represent windows in the same class under one window list
button. The
Gnome-terminal
button in
is an example of a button that represents a group of buttons. The following
figure shows an example of
Window List
with a button
group open:
Window List applet with button group open.
To open a list of the windows in a group, click on the window list button
that represents the group. You can click on the items in the list to give
focus to windows, minimize windows, and restore windows.
To open the
Window Menu
for a window in a button
group, right-click on the window list button that represents the group. A
list of the windows in the group is displayed. To open the
Window
Menu
for a window in the group, point to the item in the list.
For more information on the
Window Menu
commands, see
.
Workspace Switcher Applet
workspaces
Workspace Switcher applet
applets
Workspace
Switcher
Workspace Switcher applet
Workspace Switcher
displays a visual representation of your workspaces, as shown in
.
shows the applet when the GNOME session contains
four workspaces. Your workspaces appear as buttons on the applet. The background
of the button in the applet that represents the current workspace is highlighted.
The current workspace in
is the workspace
at the left of the applet. To switch to another workspace, click on the workspace
in the applet.
Workspace Switcher Applet
Workspace Switcher applet. The context describes the graphic.
Workspace Switcher
also displays the application
windows and dialogs that are open in your workspaces.
The applet displays the workspaces in order from left to right across
the rows of the applet. In
, the applet
is set up to display the workspaces in one row. You can specify the number
of rows in which your workspaces are displayed in
Workspace Switcher
. You can also change the default behavior of the applet to
display the names of your workspaces in the applet.
Window Selector Applet
top edge panel
window selector icon
window selector
top edge panel
You can view a list of all windows
that are currently open. You can also choose a window to give focus to. To
view the window list, click on the
Window Selector
applet. The following figure shows an example of the
Window Selector
applet:
Window selector applet displayed from the top edge panel.
To give focus to a window, select the window from the
Window Selector
applet.
The
Window Selector
lists the windows in
all workspaces. The windows in all workspaces other than the current workspace,
are listed under a separator line.
Manipulating Windows
windows
manipulating
This section describes how to manipulate windows.
To Give Focus to a Window
windows
giving focus to
focus, giving to a window
A window that has focus can receive input from the mouse and the keyboard.
Only one window can have focus at a time. The window that has focus has a
different appearance than other windows.
You can use the following elements to give focus to a window:
Element
Action
Mouse
Click on the window, if the window is visible.
Shortcut keys
Use shortcut keys to switch between
the windows that are open. To give focus to a window, release the keys. The
default shortcut keys to switch between windows are
Alt
Tab
.
Window List
Click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
.
Window Selector
Click on the
Window Selector
icon. A list of your open windows is displayed. Select the
window from the list.
Workspace Switcher
Click on the window that you want to give focus to in the
Workspace
Switcher
display. If you click on a window in another workspace,
Workspace Switcher
switches to the new workspace, and gives
focus to the window.
To Minimize a Window
windows
minimizing
minimizing
windows
To minimize a window, perform one of the following actions:
Click on the
Minimize
button on the
window frame.
Open the
Window Menu
, then choose
Minimize
.
If the window has focus, click on the button that represents
the window in
Window List
. If the window does not
have focus, click twice on the button that represents the window.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
, then choose
Minimize
from the popup menu.
To Maximize a Window
windows
maximizing
maximizing windows
When you
maximize a window, the window expands as much as possible. To maximize a window,
perform one of the following actions:
To maximize the window, click on the
Maximize
button on the window frame. Alternatively, open the
Window Menu
,
then choose
Maximize
.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
, then choose
Maximize
from the
Window Menu
.
To Restore a Window
windows
restoring
restoring
windows
To restore a maximized window, perform one of the following actions:
Click on the
Maximize
button on the
window frame.
Open the
Window Menu
. Choose
Unmaximize
.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
to open the
Window Menu
. Choose
Unmaximize
.
To restore a minimized window, click on the button that represents the
window in
Window List
.
To Place a Window on Top of Other Windows
To place a window on top of other windows, open the
Window
Menu
, then choose
On Top
.
To Close a Window
windows
closing
closing windows
To close a
window perform one of the following actions:
Click on the
Close Window
button on
the window frame.
Open the
Window Menu
. Choose
Close
.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
, then choose
Close
from
the
Window Menu
.
If you have unsaved data in the window, you are prompted to save your
data.
To Resize a Window
windows
resizing
resizing windows
To resize
a window perform one of the following actions:
Point to a corner of the window. The mouse pointer changes
to indicate that you can resize the window. Grab the corner and drag the window
to the new size.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
. Choose
Resize
from the
Window Menu
. Use the arrow keys to resize the window.
Press-and-hold
Alt
, then middle-click near
the corner that you want to resize. The mouse pointer changes to indicate
that you can resize from the corner. To resize the window, drag from the corner
on which you middle-clicked.
To resize a window horizontally point to one of the vertical
edges of the window. The mouse pointer changes to indicate that you can resize
the window. Grab the edge and drag the window to the new size.
To resize a window vertically point to the bottom edge of
the window. The mouse pointer changes to indicate that you can resize the
window. Grab the edge and drag the window to the new size.
You cannot resize some dialog windows. Also, some application
windows have a minimum size below which you cannot reduce the window.
To Move a Window
windows
moving
moving windows
To move a window
perform one of the following actions:
Grab the titlebar of the window and drag the window to the
new location.
Press-and-hold
Alt
, then drag the window
to the new location.
Open the
Window Menu
, then choose
Move
. Use the arrow keys to move the window to the new location.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
, then choose
Move
from
the
Window Menu
. Use the arrow keys to move the window
to the new location.
To Roll Up a Window
windows
rolling up
rolling up windows
shading windows
rolling up windows
You
can roll up and roll down windows, as follows:
Roll up
Reduce the window so that
only the titlebar is visible.
Roll down
Switch a window from a
rolled-up state so that the full window is displayed.
To roll up a window perform one of the following actions:
Double-click on the titlebar of the window. To roll down the
window, double-click on the titlebar again. You must select
Roll
up
in the
Windows
preferences tool to
perform this action.
Right-click on the button that represents the window in
Window List
, then choose
Roll Up
from the
Window Menu
. To roll down the window, choose
Unroll
.
To Put a Window on All Workspaces
windows
putting on all workspaces
To put a window in all workspaces, open the
Window Menu
. Choose
Put on All Workspaces
.
To set the window to appear only in the current workspace, choose
Only on This Workspace
.
To Move a Window to Another Workspace
windows
moving to another workspace
workspaces
moving windows to
You can move a window to another
workspace in either of the following ways:
Use
Workspace Switcher
In the
Workspace Switcher
display, drag the
window to the workspace you require.
Use the
Window Menu
Open the
Window Menu
. To move the window to another
workspace, choose
Move to Workspace Right
or
Move to Workspace Left
. Alternatively,
Move to
Another Workspace
workspace-name
.
Manipulating Workspaces
workspaces
manipulating
This section describes how to manipulate workspaces.
To Switch Between Workspaces
workspaces
switching between
You can switch between workspaces in any of the following
ways:
Use
Workspace Switcher
Click on the workspace that you want to switch to in
Workspace
Switcher
.
Use shortcut keys
The default shortcut keys to switch between the workspaces are as follows:
Default Shortcut Keys
Function
Ctrl
Alt
right arrow
Selects the workspace to the
right.
Ctrl
Alt
left arrow
Selects the workspace to the
left.
To Add Workspaces
workspaces
adding
To add workspaces to the GNOME Desktop, right-click on
Workspace Switcher
, then choose
Preferences
.
The
Workspace Switcher Preferences
dialog is displayed.
Use the
Number of workspaces
spin box to specify the
number of workspaces you require.
Workspace Switcher
adds new workspaces at the end of the workspace list.
To Name Workspaces
workspaces
naming
The default names of your workspaces are
Workspace 1
,
Workspace 2
,
Workspace 3
, and so on. To assign
names to your workspaces, right-click on
Workspace Switcher
,
then choose
Preferences
. The
Workspace
Switcher Preferences
dialog is displayed. Use the
Workspaces
names
list box to specify the names of your workspaces. Select
a workspace, then type the new name for the workspace.
To Delete Workspaces
workspaces
deleting
When you delete a workspace the windows in the workspace are moved to
another workspace, and the empty workspace is deleted.
To delete workspaces from the GNOME Desktop, right-click on
Workspace Switcher
, then choose
Preferences
.
The
Workspace Switcher Preferences
dialog is displayed.
Use the
Number of workspaces
spin box to specify the
number of workspaces you require.
Workspace Switcher
deletes workspaces from the end of the workspace list.
