Working With Panels Working With Windows

Working With Menus

This chapter describes how to use menus in the desktop.

I.5.1. Introduction to Menus

You can access all desktop functions through menus. The default panels contain menus, so you can use a combination of menus and panels to perform your tasks. You can perform various actions on your menus, such as copy menu items to panels.

You can access the following menus from the desktop:

  • Applications menu: You can access many of the applications, commands, and configuration options on your desktop from the Applications menu.
  • Actions menu: You can access various desktop commands from the Actions menu. For example, you can start the Search Tool application, or log out from the desktop.
  • GNOME Menu: You can also access the items in the Applications and Actions menus from the GNOME Menu. You can have many GNOME Menu buttons in your panels.

You can also right-click on the desktop background to open the Desktop Background menu. The Desktop Background menu enables you to perform desktop background-related tasks. For information on the Desktop Background menu, see Chapter I.8 ― Using the Desktop Background.

All of these menus provide you with multiple ways to perform your tasks, and enable you to work in the way that you prefer.

I.5.2. Menu Features

Menus can contain the following items:

  • Submenus
  • Launchers

An arrow to the right of an item in a menu indicates that the item is a submenu. When you point to the submenu, the submenu opens. You can choose items from the submenu.

When you choose a launcher, the launcher starts an application or runs a command. You can also right-click on a launcher to open a popup menu. The popup menu enables you to add the item to a panel, and perform other tasks. For more information on the popup menu, see the next section.

You can change the theme for your session to change how all your menus look. To change the theme, choose Applications  ▸ Desktop Preferences ▸ Theme.

I.5.2.1. Launcher Popup Menu

Launchers on menus have an associated popup menu that enables you to perform tasks related to launchers. When you right-click on a launcher in a menu, the popup menu for the launcher opens. The popup menu also contains a submenu that allows you to perform menu-related tasks.

You can use the launcher popup menu to perform the following tasks:

  • Add launchers to panels.
  • Remove launchers from menus.
  • Open the Run Program dialog with the launcher command in the dialog.
  • Add menus to panels. You can add a menu as a menu object or as a drawer object.
  • Add new items to menus.
  • Change the properties of submenus and launchers.

Some items in the popup menu might not be available to you. Your user privileges determine which items are available. For example, if you do not have system administrator privileges, you can not modify the properties of the Applications menu.

Figure I.5-1 shows the popup menu.

Figure I.5-1 Launcher Popup Menu

Table I.5-1 describes the items on launcher popup menus.

Table I.5-1 Items on Launcher Popup Menus
Item Description
Add this launcher to panel Adds the launcher to the panel from which you open the menu.
Remove this item Removes the launcher from the menu.
Put into run dialog Displays the Run Program dialog with the command from the Command field of the launcher in the command field on the Run Program dialog.
Help on application_name Open the online help for the application.
Properties Displays a dialog that enables you to edit the properties of the launcher.
Entire menu ▸ Add this as drawer to panel Adds the submenu as a drawer to the panel from which you open the menu.
Entire menu ▸ Add this as menu to panel Adds the submenu as a menu object to the panel from which you open the menu.
Entire menu ▸ Add new item to this menu Enables you to add an item to the submenu.
Entire menu ▸ Properties Displays a dialog that enables you to edit the properties of the submenu.

I.5.3. Applications Menu

The Applications menu contains a hierarchy of submenus, from which you can start the standard GNOME applications and preference tools. The Applications menu also includes the file manager and the help browser.

The Applications menu resides in the following places:

  • Menu Panel
  • Start Here location in Nautilus
  • GNOME Menu

I.5.4. Actions Menu

The Actions menu contains various desktop commands. Table I.5-2 describes the commands in the Actions menu.

Table I.5-2 Actions Menu Commands
Menu Item Function
Run Program Opens the Run Program dialog. Use the Run Program dialog to run commands. For more information, see Section I.5.4.1 ― Using the Run Program Dialog.
Search for Files Starts the Search Tool application. For more information, see the Search Tool manual.
Take a Screen Shot Opens the Screenshot dialog. Use the Screenshot to take screenshots of your desktop.
Lock Display Locks your screen. For more information, see Section I.3.2 ― Locking Your Screen.
Log Out Logs you out of the current session. For more information, see Section I.3.4 ― Ending a Session.

The Actions menu resides in the following places:

  • Menu Panel.
  • GNOME Menu. The items in the Actions menu are at the top level of the GNOME Menu.

I.5.4.1. Using the Run Program Dialog

The Run Program dialog gives you access to the command line. When you run a command in the Run Program dialog, you cannot receive output from the command.

To run a command from the command line perform the following steps:

  1. Display the Run Program dialog. You can display the Run Program dialog in any of the following ways:

    • From the Menu Panel

      Choose Actions ▸ Run Program.

    • From the GNOME Menu

      Open the GNOME Menu, then choose Run Program.

    • Use a shortcut key

      The default shortcut key to display the Run Program dialog is Alt+F2. You can change the shortcut key that displays the Run Program dialog in the Desktop Preferences. To change the shortcut key, choose Applications ▸ Desktop Preferences  ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts.

    • From a launcher popup menu

      Right-click on a launcher in a menu, then choose Put into run dialog from the popup menu. The Run Program dialog opens with the command from the menu in the command field.

    The Run Program dialog is displayed as follows:

  2. Choose the command that you want to run from the applications drop-down combination box.

    Alternatively, click on the Known Applications button to display a list of available applications, as shown in the following figure:

    Enter the command that you want to run in the blank field. Alternatively, to choose a command that you ran previously, click the down arrow button, then choose the command to run.

    You can also use the Append File button to choose a file to append to the command line. For example, you can enter emacs as the command, then choose a file to edit.

    Select the Run in terminal option to run the application or command in a terminal window. Choose this option for an application or command that does not create a window in which to run.

  3. Click on the Run button on the Run Program dialog.

I.5.5. GNOME Menu

You can access almost all of the standard applications, commands, and configuration options on your desktop from the GNOME Menu.

The GNOME Menu provides the following top-level menus and special menu items:

  • Applications: Contains all applications and preference tools. This menu also includes the file manager and help browser.
  • Actions: Contains desktop commands the Lock screen and Log out menu items. By default, the items in the Desktop menu are at the top level of the GNOME Menu.
  • Run launcher: Displays the Run Program dialog.

You can add GNOME Menu buttons to your panels. By default, the GNOME Menu is represented on panels by a stylized footprint icon, as follows:

I.5.5.1. To Open the GNOME Menu

You can open the GNOME Menu in the following ways:

  • From a panel with a GNOME Menu

    Click on the GNOME Menu.

  • Use a shortcut key

    You can use a shortcut key to open the GNOME Menu. When you use a shortcut key to open the GNOME Menu, the GNOME Menu appears at the mouse pointer.

    The default shortcut key to open the GNOME Menu is Alt+F1. To change the shortcut key that opens the GNOME Menu, choose Applications  ▸ Desktop Preferences ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts.

I.5.5.2. To Add a GNOME Menu to a Panel

You can add as many GNOME Menu buttons as you want to your panels. To add a GNOME Menu to a panel, right-click on any vacant space on the panel to open the panel popup menu. Choose Add to panel ▸ GNOME Menu.

Working With Panels Working With Windows