8.4. Desktop Personalization

8.4.1. 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 New. Another menu will pull down in which will be listed the objects you can create on your desktop:

Figure 8-5. Creation Menu Under KDE

8.4.1.1. Icons Pointing Towards a File or a Folder

As you can see, you can create directories, many types of files, etc. In fact, it is not recommended to create files or directories on the 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 section, dedicated to the Konqueror file manager.

8.4.1.2. Icons Pointing Towards Applications

We will now create an icon pointing towards an application. In the Create New menu, choose Link To Application. This dialog box appears:

Figure 8-6. Creating an Application Icon Under KDE

The Link To Application field is 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 8-7. Program to Create an Application Icon Under KDE

Here, you must indicate which program you want to execute. If possible, enter the complete path to 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.

8.4.1.3. 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 8-8. 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).

8.4.1.4. 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 the following window.

Figure 8-9. Choosing an Icon Under KDE

The icons can come from different Icon sources: use the pull-down list on the right to change it. 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.

8.4.2. Changing Styles

This time, we will use a module contained in the KDE Control Center. Launch it by clicking on its icon (see The Panel) on the panel. 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 8-10. 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 style and validate with the Apply button. You get:

Figure 8-11. The Marble Style for KDE

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 on Apply. Click on OK when you are finished.

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

Menubar 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 does may not work for every application.

Use Anti-Aliasing For Fonts And Icons

This allows you to soften the characters' and icons' anti-aliasing 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 to modify the toolbar's aspect in KDE applications. For example, if you select Text aside icons, the text editor's toolbar will resemble this:

Figure 8-12. Text Aside Icons Under KDE

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

Figure 8-13. Text Under Icons in KDE

8.4.3. Background

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

Figure 8-14. 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 in 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/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. Try kdeworld, for example, it's not bad!

Figure 8-15. Configuring The Wallpaper For The Background

The second tab, called 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 8-16. Background Advanced Effects

Finally, the third tab named Advanced allows to Blend the background (first tab) with 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 8-17. Example of Advanced Effects


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