Menus and Applets for Working With Windows and Workspaces

This section describes the menus and applets that you can use to work with windows and workspaces.

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.

Table 6–2 describes the commands and submenus in the Window Menu.

Table 6–2 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.
Shade or Unshade	Shades the window. If the window is already shaded, choose Unshade to restore the window to its previous size.
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-name or Only on workspace-name	Moves the window to the workspace that you choose. If the window is on all of your workspaces, choose Only on workspace-name to put the window on the workspace that you want.

Window List Applet

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. When you open the Window Menu from Window List, the Window Menu does not contain the workspace commands. For more information on the Window Menu commands, see Window Menu.

Figure 6–2 shows Window List when the following windows are open:

• gedit

• Dictionary

• GHex

• GNOME Terminal

Figure 6–2 Window List Applet

The buttons in the applet show the status of your windows. Table 6–3 explains the information that the window list buttons provide about the window. The examples in Table 6–3 refer to Figure 6–2.

Table 6–3 Window Status Information on Window List Buttons

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 can group the buttons that represent windows in the same class under one window list button. The Gnome-terminal button in Figure 6–2 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:

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, click on the item in the list. When you open the Window Menu from the Window List, the Window Menu does not contain the workspace commands. For more information on the Window Menu commands, see Window Menu.

Workspace Switcher Applet

Workspace Switcher displays a visual representation of your workspaces, as shown in Figure 6–3. Figure 6–3 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 Figure 6–3 is the workspace at the left of the applet. To switch to another workspace, click on the workspace in the applet.

Figure 6–3 Workspace Switcher Applet

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 Figure 6–3, 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.

Using the Menu Panel to Work With Windows

From the Menu 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 icon at the extreme right of the Menu Panel. The following figure shows an example of the window list that is displayed from the Menu Panel:

When the focus changes, the icon that you click on to display the window list changes. The icon represents the window that currently has focus. To give focus to a window, choose that window from the window list.

The window list lists the windows in all workspaces. The windows in all workspaces other than the current workspace, are listed under a separator line.

You cannot move the icon at the extreme right of the Menu Panel.