Customizing the Front Panel

There are two types of Front Panel customization:

• 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 Advanced User's and System Administration 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

You can add any type of File Manager or Application Manager icon to the Front Panel. However, the most convenient use for this feature is adding application icons.

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

The behavior of controls added to the Front Panel using the Install Icon control depend on the type of icon that was dropped.

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

Any control in the Main Panel can have a subpanel.

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

The easiest way to replace a control in the Main Panel is to exchange it with a subpanel control. If the control does not have a subpanel, you can create one temporarily or permanently.

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

This procedure does not affect advanced customizations made by manually editing Front Panel configuration files.

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 Restore Front Panel action removes all customization made using:

   • The Install Icon control

   • The Front Panel's pop-up menus