# Icon Editor Concepts

- UsingIconEditorSI

- IconDesignRecommendationsSI

- IconFileNameConventionsSI

## Getting Started with Icon Editor

Icon Editor enables you to create and edit images in two formats:

- X pixmap (XPM format) -- Multicolor images that include static and dynamic colors. Pixmap files are normally identified by a `.pm` file-name extension.

- X bitmap (XBM format) -- Black-and-white images. Bitmap files are normally identified by a `.bm` file-name extension.

You draw images by selecting a tool and a color, and then drawing in the work area. As you draw, Icon Editor displays an actual-size copy of your icon in both formats. Even if you are drawing an image for use on color systems, you should be sure the black and white version is legible because icons may revert to the bitmap format if there are not enough free colors to display the full color version.

## Icon Design Recommendations

Try to use a common theme among related icons. For example, if you are designing icons for an application, have purposeful similarities between the application's icon and icons for related data files.

Be sure the black-and-white version of any color icon you design is acceptable. If the icon is displayed on a monochrome or grayscale display (or if there are not enough colors available), the icon is automatically displayed in its black-and-white form.

- ColorManagementAndUsageSI

- IconSizeRecommendationsSI

### Color Usage

Icons in the desktop use a palette of 22 colors:

- Eight static grays

- Eight static colors: red, blue, green, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white

- Six dynamic colors: foreground, background, top shadow, bottom shadow, select, and transparent

This palette is rich enough to create attractive, easy-to-read icons without taking too many color resources that may be needed by other applications. Icons provided with the desktop use mostly grays with color for accent.

The dynamic colors are useful for icons that change color as different color palettes are selected in Style Manager.

The transparent color is useful for creating icons that have the illusion of being nonrectangular, since it allows the color behind the icon to show through.

### Icon Size Recommendations

Following are the recommended sizes -- in pixels, width×height -- for creating new icons.

File Manager (Large):

High resolution: 32×32&newline;Medium resolution:32×32&newline;Low resolution: 32×32

File Manager (Small):

High resolution: 16×16&newline;Medium resolution:16×16&newline;Low resolution: 16×16

Application Manager (Large):

High resolution: 32×32&newline;Medium resolution:32×32&newline;Low resolution: 32×32

Application Manager (Small):

High resolution: 16×16&newline;Medium resolution:16×16&newline;Low resolution: 16×16

Front Panel:

High resolution: 48×48&newline;Medium resolution:48×48&newline;Low resolution: 32×32

Front Panel Subpanels:

High resolution: 32×32&newline;Medium resolution:32×32&newline;Low resolution: 16×16

Minimized Windows:

High resolution: 48×48&newline;Medium resolution:48×48&newline;Low resolution: 32×32

Desktop:

High resolution: 32×32&newline;Medium resolution:32×32&newline;Low resolution: 32×32

Backdrop images can be any size. The pattern is repeated to fill the entire workspace.

### See Also

1. - ToResizeTheCurrentIconTA

## Icon File-Name Conventions

Each icon and backdrop image is stored as a separate file. Typically, an icon is specified with just the base part of its file name. For example, an icon might be referenced with just the name `mail` when the file is actually stored as:

    /usr/dt/appconfig/icons/language/mail.l.pm

The file-naming convention of adding suffixes helps group icons by size and type. For desktop components, many icon names are in these general formats:

    basename.size.format
    basename.format

where basename is the image name used to reference the image, size is a single letter indicating the icon size, and format is `pm` for X pixmaps or `bm` for X bitmaps.

The valid icon sizes are:

Name

- Size Suffix

Tiny

- 16×16 t

Small

- 24×24 s

Medium

- 32×32 m

Large

- 48×48 l

For example, suppose you specify an icon named `mail` for a file type you've written. If you have a color display and have set the File Manager preferences to use small icons, the assumed icon name is `mail.s.pm` (the `s` represents small, and `pm` is for pixmap, the color icon format).

## Search Paths

1. The directory where an image is stored is determined by searching for the file in a list of directories. This list of directories is defined by a "search path" for icons.

   If you are using a color display, the desktop searches for files ending in `.pm` first. Otherwise, it looks for files ending in `.bm`.

   If an image is specified with a complete path name, the search path is not used.

## See Also

1. - IconSearchPathsSI lists the search path specifications.

### Storing Icon Files

By default, the desktop components look in these directories for icon files:

- Personal icons: `/HomeDirectory/.dt/icons`

- System-wide icons: `/etc/dt/appconfig/icons/language`

- Built-in icons: `/usr/dt/appconfig/icons/language`

For English icons, use `C` for language.

### Storing Backdrop Image Files

Each backdrop listed in the Style Manager Backdrop dialog box represents an image file. By default, Style Manager looks for backdrops in these directories:

- System-wide images: `/etc/dt/appconfig/backdrops/language`

- Built-in images: `/usr/dt/backdrops/language`

If you create a new backdrop image that you want all system users to be able to access, place the backdrop image in `/etc/dt/appconfig/backdrops/language`. To restrict access to a backdrop image to particular users, put the backdrop image in a different directory and add that directory to the `*backdropDirectories` resource for those users.