1. Customizing your Menus with MenuDrake

Abstract

In order to help you manage the main menu of your preferred graphical interface, Mandrakelinux provides you with a menu editor which ensures menus from all desktop environments (such as KDE or GNOME) are coherent.

This tool allows system administrators to control the menus for all users (the system menu) but can also be utilized by users to personalize their own menus. You can launch MenuDrake from the Mandrakelinux Control Center or from the System+Configuration+Other->Menudrake menu entry.

Figure 16.1. Launching MenuDrake in System or User Mode

Launching MenuDrake in System or User Mode

If started by root, MenuDrake can be used in two different modes: either changing menus for all users, or customizing the menus for user root. You will be able to switch from within the application thereafter, but for now, click on:

When you launch MenuDrake, it first scans your current menu structure and displays it. The main window (see Figure 16.2, “MenuDrake's Main Window”) is divided in two parts: the menu itself on the left, and a form relative to the highlighted menu item on the right.

Figure 16.2. MenuDrake's Main Window

MenuDrake's Main Window

You can click on the tree's [+] signs to view the content of the related sub-menus, and on [-] to hide them.

[Note]Note

In your tree you may see entries which do not appear in your actual menu. These are empty directories which are not displayed but can be used for future applications which you may wish to install.

1.1. Adding a New Menu Entry

This should seldom happen as all Mandrakelinux graphical applications should provide a menu entry. However if you want to add a menu entry for a package you compiled yourself, or for a console mode program, use this function. Let's suppose you want to run the top command in a terminal window to view running processes and the utilization of system resources through a menu entry in the System->Monitoring menu.

Select the System->Monitoring entry, and click on the tool bar's Add application button. A dialog will appear asking you for the title of the menu entry and the command associated with it.

Figure 16.3. Adding a New Menu Entry

Adding a New Menu Entry

Edit the title (you could insert “Table Of Processes”) to be shown in the menu. Then you need to provide the action the system should execute in the Command field: top. Click on OK and the entry will be added to the menu tree.

You can also choose an icon for your entry from the list which appears once you click the icon button itself. The new entry is shown in Figure 16.4, “A New Menu Entry with MenuDrake”. Do not forget to check the Open in a terminal box to have the program run in a terminal window.

Figure 16.4. A New Menu Entry with MenuDrake

A New Menu Entry with MenuDrake
[Tip]Tip

While modifying your menus, you might make a big mess out of them... Remember that you can reload the menus as you last saved them by pressing the Ctrl-R keys (or accessing the File->Reload user config sub-menu). You can also revert to the default menus by accessing the File->Reload system menu sub-menu.

Finally to activate your modifications, click on the Save button and that's it. Congratulations! You can now test your new settings by accessing the main menu.

[Note]Note

Depending on the graphical interface you are using, the changes to your menu may not be shown immediately. In some cases, you may need to log out and back in again for the changes to take effect.

1.2. Advanced Features

1.2.1. Different Menu Styles

Depending on the experience the users working with your machine have, you may want to provide them with different menu styles. Mandrakelinux provides a few template menus which you can eventually customize. They are available through the main window's Menu Style button.

Figure 16.5. Choosing a Menu Style

Choosing a Menu Style

Choose one of the available options:

  • Use system administrator settingsIf you started MenuDrake as a simple user, you can choose to set your personal menu style to use the menus prepared by the system's administrator.

  • All applicationsThis is the traditional menu shipped with Mandrakelinux and it contains nearly all the available applications, sorted into functional categories.

  • What to do? Specifically designed by our ergonomics team, this menu provides a fast access to most common applications sorted by usage, such as Play a game, Use the Internet, etc.

  • Original menuThese are the plain menus as provided by the KDE or GNOME desktops. This menu probably lacks some applications.

When you have chosen a menu style, click on OK. You will then be able to see the corresponding menu structure in the main window, and you can then customize it.

1.2.2. About the Environment Menu

The entry we have just added to the menu is now available in the active graphical manager menu. It is also possible to make modifications to all graphical manager menus by choosing Environment->All environments.

All entries which only apply to the active graphical environment appear in blue in the tree structure on the left.

1.2.3. Moving and Removing Entries

MenuDrake entries support the drag-and-drop feature. Similarly, you may have noticed that whenever you remove an application from the menu, it appears in the “attic”, that is the Available applications list on the bottom right corner. If you ever wish to add them again, you simply have to drag them to the desired place in the menu tree.