9.4. Desktop Personalization

9.4.1. Creating Icons

To create an icon, simply click on the desktop's background. A pull-down menu will appear, in which you must choose Create from a Template. Another menu will pull down in which will be listed the objects you can create on your desktop:

Figure 9-4. Creation Menu Under KDE

9.4.1.1. Icons Pointing Towards a File or a Folder

As you can see, you can create directories, many types of files... In fact, it is not recommended to create files or directories on a desktop: it is much more preferable to create them in the normal manner, that is from an appropriate program.

You can create a desktop icon by pointing at a folder or a file and simply dragging the icon from the file manager onto the desktop. This technique is detailed in the Copying, Moving or Linking Files, dedicated to Konqueror, the file manager.

9.4.1.2. Icons Pointing Towards Applications

We will now create an icon pointing towards an application. In the Create from a Template menu, choose Application. This dialog box appears:

Figure 9-5. Creating an Application Icon Under KDE

The upper-field is the place where you must enter the icon's name. For example, let's create an icon for gqview, an image viewer. Type GQview in the said field.

For the moment, let's not bother with the Permissions and Application tabs:

Figure 9-6. Program to Create an Application Icon Under KDE

Here, you must indicate to KDE which program you want to execute. If possible, enter the complete path toward a program. You can also use the Browse... button to find the file you need. Now type /usr/bin/gqview. Again, discard for the moment the other parameters. When you are finished, click on OK.

The new icon appears on the desktop: click on it to launch the program associated with it.

9.4.1.3. Icon Linking to a Web Site

Now, we will create an icon for an Internet site: choose Link to Location (URL) in the Create New menu. A dialog box will pop up and you will need to enter the web address. For example, we chose the Linux Documentation Project web site:

Figure 9-7. Creating an Icon for a Web Site Under KDE

Click on OK when you have entered the correct address. The icon will then appear on the desktop: click on it to launch the web browser which will display the corresponding page (of course, you need to be connected to the Internet in order to do so).

9.4.1.4. Deleting or Modifying Icons

If you do not like the default image or name of the icon, you can change it (like you can change any icon's parameters). Right click on the icon and choose Properties in the pull-down menu. You will get a window very similar to the one we saw when we created an icon pointing at an application.

In the text field, enter the icon's new name. The big button allows you to chose another icon. Click on it and you will get this window:

Figure 9-8. Choosing an Icon Under KDE

The icons can come from different sources: use the pull-down list on the right to change your source. Then just click on one of the icons. On the other hand, if you choose Other Icons, you can choose any image for your icon's graphic look: use the Browse button in order to do so.

Like always, press on OK when you are done.

9.4.2. Changing Styles

This time, we will use a module held by the KDE Control Center. Launch it by clicking on on the tool bar. This program will allow you to access practically every configurable aspect of KDE.

The parameters you can change are sorted by categories, which helps your research. Each name is pretty explicit. To start, you can use the LookNFeel category. You will be able to control the manner in which your graphical environment is drawn. Choose the Style module which will display this window:

Figure 9-9. KDE's Default Style

Style controls the manner in which the different graphical elements are drawn: the buttons, check-boxes, etc. These elements are usually designed as widgets.

In the upper-list, select for example the Marble and validate with the Apply button. You get:

Figure 9-10. The Marble Style for KDE

Special, isnt'it? Use the list to find the style you prefer. You can always go back to the default style by clicking on the Use Defaults button and then Apply. Click on OK when you are finished.

The Other settings for drawing deal more with the whole desktop:

Menu bar on top of the screen in the style of MacOS

This option enables your desktop to work in a MacOS fashion. The pull-down menus of an application are shown at the top of the screen, instead of being at the top of the window.

Apply fonts and colors to non-KDE apps

If you use applications which were not written for KDE, this feature will try to apply KDE's visual parameters. Note that this feature may not always function.

Use Anti-Aliasing for fonts and icons

This allows you to soften the characters' and icons' antialiasing effect on the screen, which might be easier on your eyes. However, this is resource-intensive and may slow your computer down.

Finally, the Style options for toolbars allow you to modify the tool bars' aspects in KDE applications. For example, if you select Text aside icons, the text editor's tool bar will resemble this:

Figure 9-11. Text aside Icons Under KDE

If, however, you choose Text under icons, this same tool bar becomes:

Figure 9-12. Text Under Icons in KDE

9.4.3. Background

Still in KDE Control Center, in the LookNFeel rubric, choose Background. You can also obtain this module by right-clicking on the desktop's background.

Figure 9-13. Configuring the Background

At the top, you can see a list of your virtual desktops. You are configuring the one which is highlighted. Each desktop can have its own configuration. If you want a unique configuration for all of your desktops, click in the Common Background check-box. In real time, you will get a preview of your configuration on the upper-right corner of the window.

The first tab, Background, is used for a "simple" configuration. With the Mode tab, you can either define a flat or different vertical or horizontal gradients. You can even choose a Background Program, that is a program which will update periodically your background: click on the Configure button to choose your program.

Figure 9-14. Configuring the Wallpaper for the Background

The second tab, Wallpaper, allows to display an image on the background. This time, the Mode list controls the manner in which the image is displayed: tiled, if the image is too small for the screen; or scaled, to adjust it to the screen's size. You can choose a Wallpaper or use the Browse button to choose from your personal images.

Figure 9-15. Background Advanced Effects

Finally, the third tab, Advanced, allows to realize a Blend of the background (first tab) towards the second wallpaper (second tab). The background is a vertical gradient from white to gray, and the wallpaper is a tiled image. The image on the left shows the wallpaper without blending, whereas the image on the right applies a Horizontal Blending.

Figure 9-16. Example of Advanced Effects


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