Chapter 6: Using windows

Table of contents

• Chapter 6: Using windows
  • Iconifying and closing windows
  • Selecting and moving windows

Chapter 6

Using windows

Window menu

which you open by clicking on the Window menu button in the upper-left corner of the window's frame; use these menu items for such tasks as restoring, moving, resizing, minimizing, maximizing, lowering, and closing windows.

status bar

which shows the desktop or directory pathname. The status bar also indicates the number of icons shown and the number of icons hidden. If it is a directory window, it contains mini-icons representing the current and parent directories. Double-clicking on the mini-icon displaying two dots (..) moves you up the directory structure. Double-clicking on the blank icon returns you to your original directory.

scroll bar

which is used if a window contains more information than can be displayed. To view more of the window's contents, use the mouse pointer on the scroll bar. Drag the scroll bar slider to move slowly. To move in intervals, click on the arrow at the end of the scroll bar. To move to the next full window, by click on the scroll bar between the slider and one of the arrows.

refresher indicator

which appears when the window needs refreshing to show a new object, such as a file or object directory, that has just been added. The refresher indicator looks like a small red box. When you click on this box, the window is refreshed, and the new object's icon then appears.

• ``Iconifying and closing windows''

• ``Selecting and moving windows''

If you are temporarily finished working in a window but want to return to it later, you can use a process known as iconifying the window. This process reduces the window to a icon, which provides more room on the screen.

To iconify a window, click on the window's Minimize button, or click on the Window menu button and select Minimize from the Window menu.

Figure 6-1 Window Components

The window becomes an icon. To re-open the window, double-click on its icon.

You can also expand a window by clicking on the Maximize button in the upper right corner of the window frame. To return it to normal size, select Restore from the Window menu.

To close a window, use one of the following methods:

• select Close from the Window menu.

• double-click on the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window frame.

See Chapter 6, ``Using windows''.

Selecting and moving windows

Select a window to work in by clicking on it. That window's frame changes color to identify it as the active window. If the window is partially covered by other windows, it moves in front of them when selected and becomes the active window.

To move a window, drag it by its title bar. If the window is hidden under a stack of windows, select Raise from the Window menu. To move a window from the top to the bottom of a stack, select Lower from the Window menu.

To change the size of a window, drag a side or corner of its frame. For information on using the resize command, see resize(XC).

To completely fill the screen with a single window, click the Maximize button at the upper right corner of the window frame. Click on the button again to reduce it to its original size.

See Chapter 6, ``Using windows''.