<sect1 id="desktop">
<sect1info>

<authorgroup>
<author>
<firstname>Mike</firstname>
<surname>McBride</surname>
</author>
<author>
<firstname>Jost</firstname>
<surname>Schenck</surname>
</author>
</authorgroup>

<date>29/01/2001</date>
<releaseinfo>1.00.00</releaseinfo>

<keywordset>
<keyword>KDE</keyword>
<keyword>KControl</keyword>
<keyword>desktop</keyword>
</keywordset>
</sect1info>

<title>Desktop</title>

<para>This module is used to change some of the most commonly needed options for
the KDE desktop.</para>

<para>This module has four tabs, labeled: <link
linkend="desktop-desktop"><guilabel>Desktop</guilabel></link>, <link
linkend="desktop-appearance"><guilabel>Appearance</guilabel></link>,
<link linkend="desktop-number"><guilabel>Number of Desktops</guilabel></link> and
<link linkend="desktop-borders"><guilabel>Borders</guilabel></link>.</para>

<sect2 id="desktop-desktop">
<title>Desktop Tab</title>

<para>The Desktop tab is divided into 3 sections: <link
linkend="desktop-desktop-icon"><guilabel>Desktop Icons/Menus</guilabel></link>, <link
linkend="desktop-desktop-mb"><guilabel>Clicks on the desktop</guilabel></link>, and <link
linkend="desktop-desktop-path"><guilabel>Pathnames</guilabel></link>.</para>

<sect3 id="desktop-desktop-icon">
<title><guilabel>Desktop Icons and Menus</guilabel></title>

<para>In the top section, you can see three options on the left:</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Align Icons Vertically on Desktop</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>If this option is enabled, KDE will place all of the icons in
columns along the left side of the screen whenever you select
"<guimenuitem>Arrange Icons</guimenuitem>" from the <guimenu>Desktop</guimenu>
Menu.  If this option is disabled, then KDE will place all icons in a row along
the top of the screen.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Show Hidden Files on Desktop</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>If this option is enabled, then all hidden files will appear on
the desktop.  Generally this only clutters your desktop area, but if you are
often working with hidden files or directories, this can be useful.</para>
<warning><para>Be very careful when deleting or modifying hidden files.  Many of
these files are configuration files and are essential for the correct operation
of your computer.</para></warning></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Enable Desktop Menu</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>This option determines whether there is a menu across the top of
the KDE Desktop.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

<para>To the right of these options you can see a list titled
<guilabel>Show Previews for</guilabel>.  The KDE desktop has a preview feature for
HTML files, images and text files: if you enable previews for one of these, files of
that particular file type will not be represented by standard icons on the desktop, but
will instead be shown as miniature previews.  On slow computers, the previews can take
some time to show up, so you might not want to enable this feature.</para>

</sect3>

<sect3 id="desktop-desktop-mb">
<title>Clicks on the Desktop</title>

<para>The mouse button section allows you to determine what happens when you
click one of the three mouse buttons on the Desktop (where there is no
window).</para>

<note><para>Not all mice have three buttons.  Two button mice can usually
activate the "<mousebutton>Middle</mousebutton> button" by pressing both the
<mousebutton>Left</mousebutton> and <mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> mouse
buttons at the same time.</para></note>

<para>For each of the three mouse buttons, you can select:</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>No Action</term>
<listitem><para>When you use this mouse button, nothing
happens.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>Window list menu</term>
<listitem><para>This brings up a submenu with all the virtual desktops.  Under
each virtual desktop, you can select any window currently located on that
desktop.  Once selected, KDE will switch to that desktop, and place the focus on
that window.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>Desktop Menu.</term>
<listitem><para>This brings up a submenu with commands specific to KDE. You can
create icons, edit bookmarks, cut and paste, get help, run commands, configure
KDE, arrange icons, lock the screen and log out of KDE.  The exact content of
the menu varies depending on the current status of KDE. </para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Application Menu</term>
<listitem><para>This brings up the <guimenu>Application</guimenu> Menus (also
know as the "<guimenu>K</guimenu> Menus"), so you can start a new
application.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

</sect3>
<sect3 id="desktop-desktop-path">
<title>Pathnames</title>

<para>You can use this section to configure where Desktop files, Trash files,
and Autostart files are stored on your computer as well as the standard path for
documents. By changing the values in the first three of these paths, you will
automatically move the files from their previous to their new location. </para>

<warning><para>If you are reading this, you probably shouldn't be changing the
Pathnames.  You can render your system unusable if incorrect values are entered
here.</para></warning>

</sect3>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="desktop-appearance">
<title><guilabel>Appearance Tab</guilabel></title>

<para>The appearance tab has 6 options.</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Font Size</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>You can change the relative size of the text on the Desktop.
Choices are: Small, Medium and Large.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Standard Font</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>This option can be used to change the typeface used on the
desktop.  Simply select your typeface from the dropdown box.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Normal Text Color</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>This option lets you select the color of normal (or
unhighlighted) text.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Text Background Color</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>This option lets you select the background color of normal text.
 If left unchecked, the text has a transparent background.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Underline File Names</term>
<listitem><para>Determines if file names are underlined on the
Desktop.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="desktop-number">
<title>Number of Desktops</title>
<para>KDE offers you the possibility to have several virtual desktops. In this tab
you can configure the number of desktops as well as their names. Just use the slider
to adjust the number of desktops. You can assign names to the desktops by entering
text into the text fields below.</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="desktop-borders">
<title>Borders</title>
<para>Magic borders is a feature of KDE to help keep your desktop neat.  The
idea behind magic borders, is to create an area around an object (either the
desktop or a window).  When another window is moved within this "magic borders
area", the window is automatically placed right next to the object (this can be
right next to another window, or at the edge of a desktop.</para>

<para>There are two slider bars in this section of the module.</para>

<para>The first slider bar is labeled "<guilabel>Border snap zone</guilabel>".
This is an area around the edge of the desktop.  You can use this slider bar to
adjust the width/height of the area.  Once a window is placed within this area
of the screen, it automatically snaps to the outside edge of the screen.</para>

<para>The second slider is labeled "<guilabel>Window snap zone</guilabel>".
This is an area around every window.  You can use this slider to adjust the
width of this "magic area".  Once another window enters this "magic area", it
automatically snaps to the edge of the original window.  This helps you set two
windows right next to each other.</para>

<tip><para>You may have noticed that you cannot disable magic borders.  If you
do not want to have one or both magic border effects on your desktop, simply set
the width of the "magic area" to zero.  This will effectivly disable the "magic
zone".</para></tip>

<para>If the option <guilabel>Snap windows only when overlapping</guilabel> is
enabled, windows won't already be snapped together when they just come near eachother.
Instead, you have to move one window a bit over the other for the "snap" effect
to happen.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="desktop-author">
<title>Section Author</title>

<para>This section written by:</para>
<para>Mike McBride <email>mpmcbride7@yahoo.com</email>. </para>
<para>Jost Schenck <email>jost@schenck.de</email>. </para>

</sect2>
</sect1>
