Looking at the Graphical Environment

To clarify which configuration files you should use to customize the various aspects of the Graphical Environment, it is useful to look at an active Graphical Environment session. Figure 1-1, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 1'' and Figure 1-2, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 2'' show possible screen displays, with annotations that discuss each characteristic and how it is customized.

Figure 1-1 Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 1

Figure 1-1, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 1'' illustrates a number of configurable characteristics, most of which are controlled by the Desktop's various rules.

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  The desktop_layout section of a rule file designates the icons that are displayed on the Desktop and the order in which they are displayed (#1). The locked_on_desktop section of a rule file specifies icons that cannot be removed from the Desktop, such as the icon for your home directory. See Chapter 16, ``Customizing the Desktop with rules'' and Chapter 22, ``Configuring Desktop windows'' for more information.

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  Objects (#2) determine the pictures that are used for object icons (#4), the label displayed for the icon (#3), the action when you click or double-click on an icon, and the action when you drag one icon onto another (#5). See Chapter 20, ``Creating objects for the Desktop'' for more information.

  
  
  Files and directories on your system are represented through icons that are created with icon_rules (#8). Like objects, the icon_rules section of a rule file determines an icon's picture, title, and behavior. See Chapter 21, ``Configuring icons'' for more information.

• You can also use icon_rules in rule files to define the action when you drag an icon into a directory window (#7). See Chapter 23, ``Configuring directory windows'' for more information.

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  The menu section of a rule file defines the contents of desktop and directory menu bars and the contents of the menus on these menu bars (#6). Note that window manager menus are defined in the window manager configuration file rather than in rule files; see Figure 1-2, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 2''. See Chapter 24, ``Configuring Desktop menus'' for more information.

Figure 1-2 Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 2

Figure 1-2, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 2'' illustrates configurable characteristics that are controlled by the window manager or by X resources.

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  The color of active window frames (#4), and of window foregrounds (#3) and window backgrounds (#2) are controlled by X resources, specified in system-wide resource files or in local .Xdefaults-hostname files. See Chapter 6, ``Changing colors'' for more information.

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  The font used for display text for clients is also controlled by X resources (#1). See Chapter 7, ``Changing fonts'', for more information.

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  The font used to display icon titles is defined by a Desktop resource (#5). See Appendix B, ``Desktop resources'' for more information.

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  The window manager configuration file defines the contents of window manager menus (#6). Local window manager configuration files can override these menus. Note that Desktop menus are defined in rule files rather than in the window manager configuration file; see Figure 1-1, ``Configurable Graphical Environment characteristics - View 1''. See Chapter 13, ``Customizing window manager menus'' for more information.

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  When a client is iconified, the picture that is used for the client's window manager icon is defined either by the client or by the window manager, depending on X resource specifications you make (#7). See Appendix A, ``OSF/Motif window manager resources'' for more information.

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  Keyboard actions and mouse actions are controlled by X resources and the window manager configuration file. For more information, see: Chapter 14, ``Configuring window manager button bindings'', Chapter 15, ``Configuring window manager key bindings'', Chapter 11, ``Configuring the keyboard for the server''. and Chapter 26, ``Mapping mouse triggers for the Desktop'',