This section describes how to manipulate windows.
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. |
|
Click on the button that represents the window in |
|
Click on the window that you want to give focus to in the |
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.
When you maximize a window, the window expands as much as possible. To maximize a window perform one of the following actions:
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 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, open the Window Menu, then choose On Top.
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 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 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.
You can roll up and roll down windows, as follows:
Reduce the window so that only the titlebar is visible.
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.
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 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.
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 the next workspace choose Move to workspace-name.
Some windows contain more than one pane. A pane is a subdivision of a window. For example, the file manager window contains a side pane and a view pane. A window that contains panes has a resize handle on the edge between the panes. To resize the pane, grab the resize handle, then drag the edge to the size you require.
Some windows contain information that is organized in a table. This section describes how to work with tables in windows.
To change the width of a column, drag one of the vertical edges of the column.
In some tables, you can sort the information by a particular column. To sort information in a table, click on the heading on top of the column by which you want to sort the information. An up arrow is displayed in the column heading by which the table is sorted. The following figure shows the up arrow.
To reverse the sort order, click on the column heading again. The up arrow changes to a down arrow. The down arrow indicates that the information in the column is sorted in reverse order.
In some tables, you can select multiple items. The following table describes how to select items in tables.
Task |
Action |
---|---|
Select an item |
Click on the item. |
Select a group of contiguous items |
Press-and-hold Shift. Click on the first item in the group, then click on the last item in the group. |
Select multiple items |
Press-and-hold Ctrl. Click on the items that you want to select. |