Working With Windows

You can change the size and position of the window on the screen. This allows you to see more than one application and do different tasks at the same time. For example, you might want to read text on a web page while writing with a word processor, or to change to another application to do a different task or check its progress.

Most of these actions are carried out by using the mouse on different parts of the window's frame. The top edge of the window frame, called the titlebar, contains several buttons that change the way the window is displayed.

The following figure displays the titlebar for a typical application window. From left to right, this contains the window menu button, the window title, and the minimize, maximize, and close buttons.

Figure 2-1  Titlebar of an Application Window

All actions can also be carried out from the Window menu. Common actions can also be carried out using keyboard shortcuts. For a sample list of shortcut keys, see Window Shortcut Keys. The below sections list the actions you can carry out on a window, using the mouse or the keyboard.