# Preface

This manual covers advanced tasks in customizing the appearance and behavior of the Common Desktop Environment (CDE). It includes chapters on:

- Customizing system initialization, login, and session initiation

- Adding applications and providing interface representations for applications and their data

- Configuring desktop processes, applications, and data across the network

- Customizing desktop services such as window management, printing, colors, and fonts

## Who Should Use This Book

The audiences for this book include:

- System administrators. Many of the tasks in this book require root permission.

- Advanced users who want to perform customizations that cannot be accomplished using the desktop user interface. The desktop provides user- specific locations for many of its configuration files.

## How This Book Is Organized

This manual includes the following chapters:

SAG.LogMg.div.1, covers how to configure the appearance and behavior of the desktop Login Manager.

SAG.SesMg.div.1, covers how the desktop stores and retrieves sessions, and how to customize session startup.

SAG.CnfAM.mkr.1, covers how Application Manager gathers applications, and explains how to add applications.

SAG.RegAp.div.1, covers how to create a registration package for an application.

SAG.ClSrv.div.1, covers how to distribute desktop services, applications, and data across a network.

SAG.PrCnf.div.1, covers how to add and remove desktop printers, and how to specify the default printer.

SAG.Datab.div.1, covers how the desktop finds applications, help files, icons, and other desktop data across the network.

SAG.IntAc.div.1, introduces the concepts of actions and data types, and explains how they are used to provide a user interface for applications.

SAG.dtCrA.div.1, covers how to use the Create Action application to create actions and data types.

SAG.CrAct.div.1, covers how to create action definitions by editing a database configuration file.

SAG.CrDT.div.1, covers how to create data type definitions by editing a database configuration file.

SAG.CrIcn.div.1, covers how to use the Icon Editor, and naming conventions, sizes, and search paths for desktop icons.

SAG.FrPC.div.1, covers creating new system-wide controls and subpanels, and other panel customizations.

SAG.WMCnf.div.1, covers customizing windows, mouse button bindings, keyboard bindings, and Workspace Manager menus.

SAG.FACol.div.1, covers how to set application resources, and how the desktop uses fonts and colors.

SAG.I18N.div.1, covers system administration tasks for systems running international sessions.

## What DocBook SGML Markup Means

This book is written in the Structured Generalized Markup Language (SGML) using the DocBook Document Type Definition (DTD). The following table describes the DocBook markup used for various semantic elements.

## DocBook SGML Markup

`Markup Appearance` | `Semantic Element(s)` | `Example`
`AaBbCc123` | The names of commands. | Use the `ls` to list files.
`AaBbCc123` | The names of command options. | Use `ls``−a` to list all files.
AaBbCc123 | Command-line placeholder: replace with a real name or value. | To delete a file, type `rm` filename.
`AaBbCc123` | The names of files and directories. | Edit your `.login` file.
AaBbCc123 | Book titles, new words or terms, or words to be emphasized. | Read Chapter 6 in the User's Guide. These are called class options. You must be root to do this.