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| ====== Using xfdesktop ====== | ~~NOTOC~~ |
| | {{ :xfce:xfce.xfdesktop.png?no link|}} |
| | ====== xfdesktop - Usage ====== |
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| ===== Backdrop ===== | * **[[#Background|Background]]** |
| | * **[[#Icons|Icons]]** |
| | * **[[#Menus|Menus]]** |
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| //Xfdesktop// is responsible for drawing the desktop's backdrop (sometimes called "wallpaper") image. There are various options for setting a backdrop image. The final picture seen on the monitor is composed of a solid color or gradient, with an image or photo (with optional transparency) composited on top of the color or gradient. This allows for some interesting effects using semi-transparent images on top of various color arrangements. | ---- |
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| ===== Icons ===== | ''xfdesktop'' is responsible for drawing the desktop's background, or "wallpaper", as well as icons on the desktop. |
| | <figure "Desktop with icons">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:xfdesktop_wicons_nopanel4.png?600nolink|}}</figure> |
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| In addition to drawing the backdrop image, //xfdesktop// can draw icons on the desktop. | ---- |
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| ==== Minimized Window Icons ==== | ===== Background ===== |
| | There are various options for setting a background image - the final background is composed of a solid color or gradient, with an image (with optional transparency) composited on top. Images can be manipulated in various ways to fill the screen, such as being stretched, zoomed, scaled, centered or tiled. |
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| One mode of operation displays minimized applications as icons on the desktop, which can be rearranged, and will remember their positions when the window is unhidden and then later minimized again. The icons also provide a right-click menu similar to the window's control menu accessed by clicking the button in the top-left corner of the window. | <figure "Tiled background image">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:xfdesktop_tiled2.png?600nolink|}}</figure> |
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| | Rather than an image, a color or gradient of two colors can also be used as the desktop background. Gradients can be either horizontal or vertical. |
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| | <figure "Vertical gradient background">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:xfdesktop_vertgradient2.png?600nolink|}}</figure> |
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| | As the final background can be composed of a color and an image on top, you can mix the two to produce some interesting effects using semi-transparent images on top of various colors. When an image is centered or scaled and doesn't fill the exact dimensions, the background color is shown on either side of the image. |
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| | <figure "Horizontal gradient background with semi-transparent image on top">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:semitrans.png?600nolink|}}</figure> |
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| | <note tip>If the image style is set to **None** and a transparent color is chosen, then the desktop background defaults to plain white.</note> |
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| | [[|Back to Top]] |
| | ---- |
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| | ===== Icons ===== |
| | Icons drawn on the desktop can either be file/launcher icons or minimised application windows. These can be customized to be different sizes, with a custom font and tooltip size, with the option to turn off tooltips altogether. The **File/launcher** option displays files, folders, and launchers as icons on your desktop that can be freely arranged, named, copied and moved, modelled to have a similar look and feel as a regular file manager. Launchers can be edited via right-clicking and selecting **Edit Launcher**. |
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| ==== File/Launcher Icons ==== | Note: Optionally you can use a [[:xfce:tumbler:available_plugins#customized_thumbnailer_for_folders|customized thumbnailer for folder]], to use foreign images for folder desktop icons. |
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| //Xfdesktop// can also display on the desktop the contents of the $XDG_DESKTOP_DIR folder, which can be set in the ''$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/user-dirs.dirs'' file (if you do not have this file, it will use ''$HOME/Desktop''). Files can be arranged, copied, moved, and linked to and from a file manager, and opened using preferred applications. Application and URL launchers can also be created on the desktop. The file icon view is modeled to have a similar look and feel as the Thunar file manager. | <figure "Large file/launcher icons">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:large_icons.png?600nolink|}}</figure> |
| | <figure "Edit launcher from context menu">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:edit_launcher.png?nolink|}}</figure> |
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| ===== The Desktop Menu ===== | The **Minimised application icons** option displays minimised windows as icons on your desktop which also can be freely arranged, and offer window controls similar to the drop-down menu when clicking on the application's icon on the left of the title bar upon right-click. |
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| A right-click on the desktop backdrop opens a menu that allows you to open a Thunar window in the Desktop directory, to create launchers, URL links, folders and files from templates. It is also possible to open the Desktop Settings and the Properties window of the Desktop directory and to start many of the applications found on your system. | All icons can be found in the ''~/Desktop'' directory, and can be accessed via a file manager. Launchers are ''.desktop'' files that can be edited using a text editor, or created and placed in the ''~/Desktop'' directory to create application icons the desktop. |
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| <figure "Applications Menu"> | <figure ".desktop files in Thunar">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:thunar_desktop.png?nolink|}}</figure> |
| {{:xfce:xfdesktop:xfdesktop-applicationsmenu.png?nolink&|}} | |
| </figure> | |
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| The menu's configuration file, xfce-applications.menu, can be found under the path ''$sysconfdir/xdg/menus/xfce-applications.menu''. For binary packages, ''$sysconfdir'' is often ''/etc'' and for source compiles, it defaults to ''/usr/local/etc''. | |
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| The previous menu editor is not available anymore. However you can customize your menu by copying ''xfce-applications.menu'' to ''$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/menus'' and by modifying it with a text editor such as mousepad or gedit. Please remember that the file should be UTF-8 encoded. For more information on menu editing, please see the [[http://wiki.xfce.org/howto/customize-menu|Xfce Wiki]]. | [[|Back to Top]] |
| | ---- |
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| Further customization can be achieved by creating desktop entries in ''$XDG_DATA_HOME/applications'' to hide, modify or add entries in the menu. | ===== Menus ===== |
| | ''xfdesktop'' offers right and middle-clicking menu options; right-clicking on the desktop opens up a menu with shortcuts to different actions. Examples of these include opening up a file manager or terminal window in the ''~/Desktop'' directory, creating launchers, URL links, folders and files from templates and offering clipboard actions. You can also open the Desktop settings and access the desktop properties from this menu, as well as providing a shortcut to arrange the desktop icons. |
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| ===== The Window List Menu ===== | <figure "Accessing applications from the desktop menu">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:app_menu3.png?nolink|}}</figure> |
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| A middle-click on the desktop backdrop shows a list of all opened windows ordered by workspace. It also allows you to add or remove a workspace. | The window list menu can be displayed by middle-clicking on the desktop if the option is enabled in the [[https://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/preferences#window_list_menu|settings]]. Depending on the preferences, middle-clicking on the desktop will show a list of all opened windows ordered by workspace (optionally grouped into drop-down lists), with options to also allow you to quickly add or remove a workspace from the menu itself. |
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| <figure "Window List Menu"> | <figure "Window list menu">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:window_list.png?nolink|}}</figure> |
| {{:xfce:xfdesktop:xfdesktop-windowsmenu.png?nolink&|}} | <figure "Grouped workspace entries">{{:xfce:xfdesktop:grouped_list2.png?nolink|}}</figure> |
| </figure> | |
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| | [[|Back To Top]] |
| | ---- |
| | [[ :xfce:xfdesktop:start:|Return to Main xfdesktop page]] |