Navigating the Desktop Background Navigating Your Workspaces

Navigating Panels

A panel is an area from which you can run special programs, applications, and applets. The most common panel is the Menu Panel, which stretches the full width of the top edge of the desktop. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panels and panel objects.

Keys Function
Ctrl+Alt+Tab

Give focus to a panel. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background, panels, and drawers. Press-and-hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background, panels, and drawers.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Tab

Give focus to the next object on the panel.

When you navigate the Menu Panel, the Tab key skips the Applications and Actions menus and the Window List icon.

F10 Open the Applications menu when the Menu Panel has focus. Continue to press F10 to switch focus between the Applications menu and the window list.
spacebar Activate a panel object, for example, open a menu or start a launcher.
Shift+F10 Open the panel object popup menu.
Ctrl+F10 Open the panel popup menu.

3.3.1. To Move a Panel Object

You can move a focused panel object to a different location on a panel or drawer, or you can move the object to the next panel. To move a panel object, perform the following steps:

  1. Press Tab to give focus to the object.

  2. Press Shift+F10 to open the panel object popup menu.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select the Move menu item.

  4. Use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to perform the move operation.

    Keys Function
    arrow keys Move the object left and right on a horizontal panel or up and down on a vertical panel.
    Shift+ arrow keys Move the object and push any objects that you encounter in front of the object.
    Ctrl+ arrow keys Move the object and swap position with any objects that you encounter in the move.
    Tab Move the object to the next panel.
    spacebar Complete the move operation.

The following examples demonstrate the effect of different move operations on the objects in a panel.

The following illustration shows a panel with three panel objects before a move operation takes place.

The following illustration shows the effect of using the arrow keys to move the Geyes applet on the panel. You can use the arrow keys to move the applet left or right until you meet the next panel object.

The following illustration shows the effect of using the ShiftGeyes applet on the panel. You can use the Shift+ arrow keys to push the Volume Control and Help panel objects ahead of the object that you are moving.

The following illustration shows the effect of using the CtrlGeyes applet on the panel. You can use the Ctrl + arrow keys to swap position with the Volume Control and Help panel objects as you meet the objects.

3.3.2. To Navigate Drawers

A drawer is a collapsible extension of a panel. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate into and out of drawers. When you open a drawer, you can navigate the contents of the drawer in the same way as you navigate a panel. See Section 3.3 ― Navigating Panels for information about how to navigate a panel.

Keys Function
spacebar Open or close the drawer that has focus.
arrow keys Navigate into the drawer that has focus.
Esc Close the drawer and give focus to the drawer object on the panel.
Shift+Esc Give focus to the drawer object on the panel and leave the drawer open.

3.3.3. To Navigate Menus on Panels

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate menus on panels.

Keys Function
spacebar Open the menu that has focus.
arrow keys Navigate the menu.
spacebar Select a menu item.
Shift+F10 Open the popup menu associated with a menu item, if one exists.
Esc Close a menu.

3.3.4. To Navigate Applets

An applet is a small application that resides on a panel. You can navigate to all applets and open the applet popup menu from the keyboard. However, if the applet does not contain controls that you can give focus to, you cannot navigate the controls in the applet. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate applets.

Keys Function
spacebar Activate the applet control that has focus, if applicable. Not all applets contain controls that you can activate. If the applet does not contain a control that you can activate, the spacebar does nothing.
arrow keys Navigate the controls on the applet.
Shift+F10 Open the applet popup menu. To navigate the menu, use the standard keyboard shortcuts for navigating menus. See Section 3.8.1 ― To Navigate Menus for information about how to navigate menus.
Navigating the Desktop Background Navigating Your Workspaces