4 Using the Front Panel

Front Panel Elements

Main Panel

Subpanels

The Workspace Switch

Basic Front Panel Skills

To Activate a Front Panel Control

To Open a Subpanel

To Close a Subpanel

Front Panel Pop-Up Menus

To Display a Front Panel Pop-Up Menu

Front Panel Help

To Get On Item Help on a Front Panel Control

To Get Help on Using and Configuring the Front Panel

To Move the Front Panel or a Subpanel

To Minimize the Front Panel

A Tour of the Front Panel

The Main Panel

Personal Applications Subpanel

Personal Printers Subpanel

Help Subpanel

Customizing the Front Panel

To Put a Subpanel Control in the Main Panel

To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel

Adding and Removing Subpanels

To Add a Subpanel

To Remove a Subpanel

To Replace a Control in the Main Panel

To Remove All User Customizations

Customizing Workspaces

To Rename a Workspace

To Add Workspaces

To Remove Workspaces

To Customize the Controls in the Workspace Switch

Front Panel Elements

Main Panel

It contains a number of controls you use often, including the workspace switch, which contains buttons for changing to other workspaces.

Many of the controls in the Front Panel start applications when you click them--for example, the File Manager and Style Manager controls.

Some controls are drop zones--for example, the Printer and Trash Can controls. You can drag a file from File Manager or Application Manager to the control.

Certain controls, such as the clock and busy light, are indicators that tell you something about the state of your system. Other controls have a dual purpose; for example, the Calendar and Mailer controls are both indicators (showing today's date and the arrival of new mail, respectively) and buttons for starting applications.

Subpanels

Subpanels always contain:

• An Install Icon control. Use this control to customize the subpanel.
• A labelled copy of the control in the Main Panel.

The Workspace Switch

Each workspace occupies the entire display, as though your display has several layers. Workspaces multiply the amount of display area available for windows.

Basic Front Panel Skills

To Activate a Front Panel Control

Some controls do not have a click action--for example, the Clock control and the busy light.

To Open a Subpanel

Click the arrow button above the control.

To Close a Subpanel

• Click the arrow control for the subpanel.

• Or, double-click the window button in the upper left corner of the subpanel

  
  

Front Panel Pop-Up Menus

To Display a Front Panel Pop-Up Menu

1. Point to the control.

2. Press and hold down mouse button 3.

Contents of the Pop-Up Menus

Main Panel Controls

In addition, the pop-up menu may contain these items:

Add Subpanel

Adds a subpanel to the control

Delete Subpanel

Removes the subpanel and its contents

Help

Displays On Item help for the control

Switch Area

The switch area pop-up menu contains these items:

Add Workspace

Adds a workspace and creates a workspace button in the workspace switch

Help

Displays help for the workspace switch

Workspace Buttons

The workspace button pop-up menu includes these items:

Add Workspace

Adds a workspace to your list of workspaces

Delete

Deletes the workspace

Rename

Changes the button into a text field for editing the name

Help

Displays help for the workspace switch

Subpanel Controls

The pop-up menu for subpanel controls includes these items:

Copy to Main Panel

Duplicates the control in the Main Panel, replacing the current Main Panel control

Delete

Deletes the control from the subpanel

Help

Displays On Item help for the control

Front Panel Help

• Individual controls
• Using and configuring the Front Panel

To Get On Item Help on a Front Panel Control

Or:

1. Display the Help subpanel.

2. Click the On Item Help control.

   The pointer changes shape.

3. Click the control on which you want help.

To Get Help on Using and Configuring the Front Panel

1. Display the Help subpanel.

2. Click the Front Panel Help control.

   This displays the Help Viewer and Front Panel help volume.

To Move the Front Panel or a Subpanel

The Main Panel is moved using its move handles.

To Minimize the Front Panel

Click the Front Panel's minimize button.

The Front Panel window icon is labeled with the workspace name.

A Tour of the Front Panel

• Personal Applications subpanel
• Personal Printers subpanel
• Help subpanel

The Main Panel

Table 4-1 describes the Main Panel controls.

Table 4-1 Main Panel Contols

Personal Applications Subpanel

Table 4-2 describes the Personal Applications subpanel controls..

Table 4-2 Personal Applications Subpanel Controls

Personal Printers Subpanel

Table 4-3 describes the Personal Printers subpanel controls.

Table 4-3 Personal Printers Subpanel Controls

Help Subpanel

Table 4-4 describes the Help subpanel controls.

Table 4-4 Help Subpanel Controls

Customizing the Front Panel

• Easy customization

  This is customization you can do using the desktop's interface, including:

  • Adding controls to subpanels
  • Interchanging Main Panel and subpanel controls
  • Adding subpanels
  • Adding and deleting workspaces
  • Renaming workspaces

• Advanced customization

  This is customization that requires you to create or edit a Front Panel configuration file. For more information, see the CDE Advanced User's and System Administrator's Guide.

To Put a Subpanel Control in the Main Panel

1. Point to the subpanel control you want to put in the Main Panel.

2. Choose Copy to Main Panel from the control's pop-up menu.

   
   

To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel

1. Display the object's icon in File Manager or Application Manager.

2. Display the subpanel to which the object is to be added.

3. Drag the object to the Install Icon control and drop it on the control.

How Installed Icons Work

Type of Icon Installed

Behavior

File

The same behavior as the file's icon in File Manager

Folder

Opens a File Manager view of the folder

Application group

Opens an Application Manager view of the application group

Application icon

The same behavior as the application's icon in File Manager or Application Manager

Adding and Removing Subpanels

To Add a Subpanel

1. Point to a control in the Main Panel that does not have a subpanel.

2. Choose Add Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

To Remove a Subpanel

1. Point to the control whose subpanel you want to remove.

2. Choose Delete Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

To Replace a Control in the Main Panel

1. If the control you want to replace does not have a subpanel, create one by choosing Add Subpanel from the control's pop-up menu.

2. Display the new subpanel.

3. If the control you want to put in the Main Panel is not already in the subpanel, add it to the subpanel.

   See "To Add an Application or Other Icon to a Subpanel".

4. Choose Copy to Main Panel from the subpanel control's pop-up menu.

To Remove All User Customizations

1. Open Application Manager and double-click the Desktop_Tools application group icon.

2. Double-click Restore Front Panel.

   The screen will go blank for several seconds while the Workspace Manager is restarted.

• The Install Icon control
• The Front Panel's pop-up menus

Customizing Workspaces

To Rename a Workspace

1. Point to the workspace button of the workspace you want to rename.

2. Choose Rename from the button's pop-up menu (displayed by presssing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).

   The workspace button turns into a text field.

3. Edit the text field.

4. Press Return.

To Add Workspaces

1. Point to any area in the workspace switch and press mouse button 3 to display the pop-up menu.

2. Choose Add Workspace from the pop-up menu.

   The new workspace, named New, is placed at the end of the set of workspaces.

3. Rename the workspace (see "To Rename a Workspace" above).

To Remove Workspaces

1. Point to the workspace button of the workspace you want to remove.

2. Choose Delete from the button's pop-up menu (displayed by presssing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).

To Customize the Controls in the Workspace Switch

Initially, the workspace switch has these four positions.

Use this procedure to replace one of these controls. (Blank is also a control.)

1. Install the application you want placed in the switch into the Personal Applications subpanel.

   For example, if you want to add a Display System Load control to the switch, drag it from the Desktop_Tools application group to the Personal Applications subpanel.

2. Locate the Front Panel configuration file created automatically when you installed the control in the Personal Applications subpanel. The definition is located in the directory HomeDirectory/.dt/types/fp_dynamic.

   For example, when Display System Load is added to the Personal Applications subpanel, it creates the file Xload1.fp.

3. Move the file from the HomeDirectory/.dt/types/fp_dynamic directory to the HomeDirectory/.dt/types directory.

4. Open the file in the HomeDirectory/.dt/types directory for editing.

   Edit the lines that define the CONTAINER_TYPE and CONTAINER_NAME to the following:

   CONTAINER_TYPE       SWITCH
   CONTAINER_NAME       Switch
   
   

5. Edit the line that defines the position (POSITION_HINTS). For example, to put the control in the Blank location, set:

   POSITION_HINTS					3
   
   

6. Save the configuration file.

7. Create another file in the HomeDirectory/.dt/types directory.

   The file name must end with .fp. For example. you might create a new file HomeDirectory/.dt/types/DeleteBlank.fp.

8. Open the file for editing.

9. Open the file /usr/dt/appconfig/types/language/dtwm.fp in another editor window.

   This file is read-only. You will not have to write to it.

10. In /usr/dt/appconfig/types/language/dtwm.fp, find the definition for the switch control you are replacing.

    For example, this is the definition for the Blank control:

    CONTROL Blank
    {
     TYPE               blank
     CONTAINER_NAME     Switch
     CONTAINER_TYPE     SWITCH
     POSITION_HINTS     3
     ICON               FpblnkS
     HELP_TOPIC         FPOnItemSwitch
     HELP_VOLUME        FPanel
    }
    
    

11. Copy the definition for the control you are replacing from /usr/dt/appconfig/types/language/dtwm.fp to the new configuration file.

    For example, you would copy the definition for the Blank control to the new file HomeDirectory/.dt/types/DeleteBlank.fp.

12. Add the line DELETE True to the end of the definition, within the curly braces:

    CONTROL Blank
    {
     ... 
     HELP_VOLUME     FPanel
     DELETE          True
    }
    
    

13. Save the file.

14. Choose Restart Workspace Manager from the Workspace menu.

    You will see the new control in the switch.