Chapter 2. Customizing Your Settings / 2.3. Look and Feel | ||||
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 | 2.2. Configuring Hardware Settings | 2.4. Personal |  | |
Chapter 2. Customizing Your Settings / 2.3. Look and Feel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2. Configuring Hardware Settings | 2.4. Personal | | |
In the following sections, find examples of how to configure some look and feel aspects of your GNOME desktop, like desktop background and screens saver, 3D desktop effects, themes, window behavior, or menus.
The desktop background is the image or color that is applied to your desktop. You can customize the desktop background in the following ways:
Select an image for the desktop background. The image is superimposed on the desktop background color. The desktop background color is visible if you select a transparent image or if the image does not cover the entire desktop.
Select a color for the desktop background. You can select a solid color or create a gradient effect with two colors. A gradient effect is a visual effect where one color blends gradually into another color.
To change the desktop preferences:
Click +++.
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To change the picture on the background, select one of the from the list and select the style in which to arrange the image on the desktop.
To use a custom picture, click and select an image file from the file system.
If you do not want a picture on the background, specify a color scheme using the options in the drop-down list and the color selector buttons.
When you are satisfied with your choices, click .
Your desktop immediately changes to show the new settings.
Xgl is an X server architecture that lets you turn your desktop into a rotating 3-D cube, tile windows so they do not overlap, and switch tasks while viewing live thumbnails. You can enable translucent or transparent windows, zoom in and out of the desktop screen, and use other window effects such as shadows, fading, and transformations. You can also configure windows to snap to other windows and screen edges when they are moved.
To enable Xgl, you need a graphics adapter capable of providing 3-D
support, and you also need the graphics driver that Linux uses to operate
the graphics adapter. This driver must be able to handle OpenGL (or 3-D)
requests from the Linux kernel. For a list of supported adapters, see the
/etc/X11/xgl-hardware-list file that is included with
the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop installation. This file tells you which graphics cards are
known to work with Xgl, which cards do not work with Xgl, and which cards
might work with Xgl but are not supported because they are either too slow
or contain too many known defects.
Your screen resolution must be within the 1024x768 to 1920x2000 range, and your color depth must be set at 24-bit. 3-D acceleration must also be enabled. Use SaX2 to change your graphic card and monitor properties if necessary.
To enable desktop effects:
Click +.
Click in the group.
The Desktop Effects tool analyzes your system and tries to determine whether or not you can run Xgl. If it finds anything wrong, it advises you on what actions you can take. For example, you might be advised to change your screen resolution or color depth, or to activate 3-D acceleration. Follow the on-screen prompts to configure your system for Xgl.
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After your system is configured for Xgl, click .
Type the root password, then click
.
Click to log out of your session, then type your username and password to log back in.
The default desktop effects are now enabled. For example, windows “wobble” when they first appear and when you move them, they fade away when you close them, and dragging a window to the far right of the screen rotates the desktop cube. To change any of these effects, see Section 2.3.2.2, “Modifying Desktop Effects”.
You can also enable Xgl by running the following command as
root:
gnome-xgl-switch --enable-xgl
To disable Xgl, click in
the dialog box, or run the
following command as root:
gnome-xgl-switch --disable-xgl
Use the tool to enable or disable specific desktop effects, or to change the keystrokes or mouse actions used to control those effects.
Click +.
Click in the group.
Choose from the following options:
When you finish making changes, click .
You can also use gconf-editor to change Xgl settings.
Click +++ or press Alt+F2 and enter gconf-editor.
Navigate to the apps/compiz/general and
apps/compiz/plugins registry folders and make the
changes you want.
Click + to close the .
Use the options on this tabbed page to specify what happens when you move windows, how window transitions appear, and to change window opacity.
By default, windows appear transparent when you move them. If you want window edges to stick (snap) to other windows and workspace edges when you hold down the Shift key while moving the window, both the and options must be selected.
You can also choose to make windows appear distorted (wobbly) as you move or resize them, giving the impression that the window is more fluid than rigid.
These options lets you add a fade-in and fade-out effect to windows and menus when you open and close them. Windows will also shrink smoothly onto the task bar when they are minimized and will grow smoothly back to their normal size when they are reopened.
This option lets you use the scroll wheel to change how transparent a window appears on-screen. Select , then select the button or combination of buttons you want to use. Select a window, hold down the button or buttons you selected, then scroll the mouse wheel up or down to change the transparency of the window.
Use the options on this tabbed page to specify how many sides your desktop cube has, which keystroke and mouse button combination you can use to drag the cube, and to configure edge flipping.
By default, this option gives you four desktops on the faces of a virtual cube that you can rotate to access each desktop. This provides extra space in which to arrange open applications and windows. For example, you can put an editor on one desktop, some shells on another, and your e-mail application and Web browser on the third desktop. Using Ctrl+Alt+← and Ctrl+Alt+→, you can rotate the cube to access the programs running in the selected desktop and avoid windows piled on top of each other on one desktop.
Dragging a window to the edge of the screen rotates the cube and places the window on the new desktop. To rotate the cube manually in 3-D, press Ctrl+Alt, left-click the desktop, then drag the mouse pointer. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+← or → lets you rotate the cube while taking the currently selected window with you.
Use the options under to change the default keystrokes used to rotate the cube.
For information on how to add an image behind your cube, see Section 2.3.2.4.3, “Displaying a Skydome Image Behind the Cube ”.
When edge flipping is enabled, the desktop cube rotates to the next face when you bump the mouse pointer to the edge of the screen. You can choose to always enable edge flipping or to enable edge flipping only when you drag a window or icon to the edge of the desktop.
Use the slider bar at the bottom of the tabbed window to specify how long (in microseconds) it takes to rotate the cube after you bump the edge of the desktop with a window or the mouse pointer.
Use the options on this tabbed page to configure window tiling, zooming, and water effects.
This option lets you tile (or scale) the windows on your desktop so that you can see what windows you have open and select a specific one. This also provides you with a snapshot of all applications open on your desktop. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+↑ shrinks all windows and rearranges them on the screen so that they do not overlap. Selecting a window with the mouse causes all windows to return to their original size and position, with the selected window on top.
To change the keystrokes used to tile windows, click the box to the right of until appears. Then press the keystrokes you want to use. The new keystrokes appear in the box.
You can also choose to tile windows by moving the mouse pointer to the top left (default), top right, bottom left, or bottom right of the screen.
These options give you the ability to zoom in and out of areas on your screen, which significantly improves desktop accessibility for visually impaired users or for anyone who wants to see a part of the screen displayed in a larger size.
By default, pressing the Super key (the Windows key)+Button 3 zooms in on part to the desktop (if you have a two-button mouse, press the Super key then press the left and right buttons simultaneously). You can move the mouse while holding those buttons down to see other parts of the screen. You can also press the Super key and use the scroll wheel on the mouse to manually zoom in and out of the desktop.
You can choose to deactivate any of these options, or to change the zoom keystrokes.
This option creates a ripple effect on your screen when you hold down the specified key or key combination (Ctrl+Alt+Super by default) and move the mouse pointer. You can also enable or disable a rain effect when you press Shift+F9. To change the keystrokes used to enable and disable the rain effect, click the box to the right of until appears. Then press the keystrokes you want to use. These new keystrokes will appear in the box.
Use the slider bar at the bottom of the tabbed window to specify the intensity of the rain effect.
The following table contains a list of the default keystrokes and mouse movements you can use to perform desktop effects. To change any of these shortcuts, see Section 2.3.2.2, “Modifying Desktop Effects”.
Table 2.1. Desktop Effects Shortcuts
Here are some other things you can do with Xgl.
Press Alt+→| to display a thumbnail view of all windows open on your desktop. While holding the the Alt key down, press Tab to cycle through the list of windows. The currently highlighted window will appear in focus. Release the keys to access that window.
Press Ctrl+Alt+↓ to unfold the desktop cube, opening a panoramic view of all your desktops. Your desktop cube is laid out like a film strip on your screen, and you can use ← and → to select a different screen. This is similar to the switcher feature (Alt+→|), but lets you view a thumbnail of your entire desktop instead of only your active windows.
You can add background wallpaper (also known as a skydome image) that is visible when you rotate or unfold the desktop cube.
Click +++ or press Alt+F2 and enter gconf-editor.
Navigate to the
apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options registry
folder.
Scroll down the list on the right side of the and select .
Double-click and specify the path to the skydome image you want to display behind the cube.
Skydome images must be in .png format. The
suggested image sizes for skydome images are 1024 x 1024, 1024 x 2048,
1024 x 4096, 2048 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 2048 x 4096, 4096 x 1024, 4096 x
2048, and 4096 x 4096.
(Optional) Select to make it look like you are moving around the cube when you use your mouse to rotate the cube.
Click .
Click + to close the .
To select the fonts to use in your applications, windows, terminals, and desktop, click +++.
The upper part of the dialog shows the fonts selected for applications, documents, the desktop, window titles, and a fixed-width font for terminals. Click one of the buttons to open a selection dialog where you can set the font family, style, and size. For more information on the individual options, click .
You can configure the appearance and behavior of menus and toolbars. Click +++.
If you want icons to appear in menus, select . Not all menu items have icons.
If you want to be able to define new keyboard shortcuts for menu items, select . When this option is enabled, you can change an application shortcut key by placing the mouse pointer over the menu item you want to change, then pressing the new key combination. To remove a shortcut key combination, place the mouse pointer over the menu item, then press <— or Del.
![[Important]](admon/important.png) | New Keyboard Combinations Can Change Defaults |
|---|---|
If you assign a new keyboard combination, you are not warned if you select a combination that was previously assigned to something else. The previous assignment is removed and replaced by the new one. There is no automatic way to restore the original, default keyboard shortcut for a command. You must manually reassign the keyboard shortcut. This feature does not maintain shortcuts that are normally assigned to all applications, such as Ctrl+C for copy. This might lead to inconsistencies in your GNOME applications. | |
If you want to be able to move toolbars to other locations on the screen, click . When this option is enabled, a handle displays on the left side of the toolbars in your applications. To move a toolbar, click and hold on the handle, then drag the toolbar to the new location.
Select one of the following options to specify how toolbar button labels display in your GNOME-compliant applications:
Displays icon labels below the icons for each button.
Displays icons on the toolbar, with text beside the most important icons.
Displays icons only, without any text labels.
Displays text labels on each button, without icons.
A preview of the selected option appears in the dialog.
A screen saver is a program that blanks the screen or displays graphics when the computer is not used for a specified amount of time. Originally, screen savers protected monitors from having images burned into them. Now they are used primarily for entertainment or security.
To configure a screen saver, click +++.
You can select from (random selection of screen savers from a custom-defined list), , or a selection of installed screen savers.
Select a screen saver from the list to choose it. The currently selected screen saver is displayed in the small preview window. Specify the amount of time that the screen is to be idle before the screen saver is activated, and whether the screen is locked when the screen saver is activated.
A theme is a group of coordinated settings that specifies the visual appearance of a part of the desktop. You can choose themes to change the appearance of the desktop. Use the tool to select from a list of preinstalled themes. The list of available themes includes several themes for users with accessibility requirements.
To choose a theme, click +++.
A theme contains settings that affect different parts of the desktop, as follows:
The controls setting for a theme determines the visual appearance of windows, panels, and applets. It also determines 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 controls setting options that are available are designed for special accessibility needs. You can select an option for the controls setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
The window frame setting for a theme determines the appearance of the frames around windows only. You can select an option for the window frame setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
The icon setting for a theme determines the appearance of the icons on panels and the desktop background. You can select an option for the icon setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
The color settings for the desktop and applications are controlled
using themes. You can choose from a variety of preinstalled themes.
Selecting a style from the list overview applies it automatically.
opens another dialog where you can customize the
style of single desktop elements, like window content, window borders, and
icons. Making changes and leaving the dialog by clicking
switches the theme to . Click to save your modified
theme under a custom name. The Internet and other sources provide many
additional themes for GNOME as .tar.gz files. Install
these with .
Procedure 2.1. Creating a Custom Theme
The themes that are listed in the tool are different combinations of controls options, window frame options, and icon options. You can create a custom theme that uses different combinations of options.
Click +++.
Select a theme from the list of themes, then click .
Select the controls option that you want to use in the custom theme from the list in the tabbed page.
Click the tab, then select the window frame option that you want to use in the custom theme.
Click the tab, then select the icons option that you want to use in the custom theme.
Click +.
A dialog is displayed.
Type a name and a short description for the custom theme in the dialog, then click .
The custom theme now appears in your list of available themes.
Procedure 2.2. Installing a New Theme
You can add a theme to the list of available themes. The new theme
must be an archive file that is tarred and zipped (a
.tar.gz file).
Click +++.
Click .
Specify the location of the theme archive file in the field, then click .
You can also click to browse for the file.
Click to install the new theme.
Procedure 2.3. Installing a New Theme Option
You can install new controls options, window frame options, or icons options. You can find many controls options on the Internet.
Click +++.
Click , then click the tab for the type of theme you want to install.
For example, to install an icons option, click the tab.
Click .
Specify the location of the theme archive file in the field, then click .
Click to install the new theme option.
Procedure 2.4. Deleting a Theme Option
You can delete controls options, window frame options, or icons options.
Click +++.
Click , then click the tab for the type of option you want to delete.
Click .
A file manager window opens on the default option folder.
Use the file manager window to delete the option.
Use the tool to customize window behavior for the desktop. You can determine how a window reacts to contact with the mouse pointer or to double-clicks on its title bar, and you can define which key to hold for moving an application window.
To customize window behavior, click +++.
When several application windows populate the desktop, the active one by default is the one last clicked. Change this behavior by activating . If desired, activate and adjust the latency time with the slider. This raises a windows a short time after the window receives focus.
Application windows can be shaded (rolled up) by double-clicking the title bar, leaving only the title bar visible. This saves space on the desktop and is the default behavior. It is also possible to set windows to maximize when the title bar is double-clicked.
Using the radio buttons, select a modifier key to press for moving a window (Ctrl, Alt, Hyper, or the Windows key).
