| Because most systems come with a set of CDE user guides, I'm only going to give an overview of what CDE looks like and the main areas we will be working with when we do some customizations. Along the way, I'll point out similarities and differences among the different flavors of CDE. The CDE login screen presents you with several choices before you even log in. Under the area where you enter your user name are four buttons: OK, Start Over, Options, and Help. OK is just the same as pressing Enter when you enter your login and then password. The Start Over button clears your user login and allows you to start over. Options provides you with some initial session configuration that would need to be made before you log in. Language allows you to change your default language. Suppose that you need to test your company's software in another language. Assuming that the proper language is preloaded on your system, you can swap between the languages for testing by simply choosing CDE to come up in a different language. Session allows you to choose to come up in the CDE desktop session or into a Failsafe session, which is an X session but without the CDE desktop. Solaris also has options to log in to their OpenWindow Desktop or into the User's Last Desktop. Command Line Login allows you to log in without CDE being invoked. This would be just a regular terminal mode session. Reset Login Screen does just what its name suggests. And finally, Help lists all these features with a brief description of each. The login screen itself displays a CDE logo, an operating system logo such as AIX, or possibly your company's logo. A welcome message appears along with a place to enter your user login. After entering your user name, you are prompted for your password. Once entered and verified as correct, CDE is started and the desktop is displayed. On Solaris systems, the first time you log in, you are presented with a choice as to whether you want to log into CDE or OpenWindows Desktop. The CDE desktop is comprised of four desktop workspaces and a front panel shared by each. The front panel is an easy-to-use interface to various applications, commands, and tools. The various components are easily accessed by the simple point-and-click method. Front panel components are a collection of objects, subpanels, and access to desktop workspaces. Some objects are used only to display items such as the clock, whereas others, when clicked, either bring up an application, such as the calendar or dtmail, or perform an action, such as the lock or the exit action icons. Subpanels pop up a menu of objects that can be accessed. These objects can also simply display items or bring up applications. By default, on AIX and HP-UX, you see Personal Printer subpanels, Personal Applications subpanels, and Help subpanels. On Solaris, all panels contain subpanels. Subpanels can be added to the other panels on AIX and HP-UX as you will see in the next section "Customizing CDE." You can tell that these have subpanels, because they each have a little arrow above the panel where you click to pop it up. In the center of the front panel are four workspaces. These provide areas in which to perform related tasks, enabling the user to separate work and not clutter up the desktop. CDE on AIX and HP-UX is very similar and, in general, what is displayed on the front panel on one is the same as on the other. Solaris, however, while retaining the basic CDE look and feel, has greatly expanded what is included on the default front panel and the subpanels behind it. I'm going to give an overview of CDE as found on HP-UX and AIX first. Then I'll point out the Solaris enhancements to CDE. CDE on AIX and HP-UX The front panel is divided into 11 main areas: 5 panels, 1 workspaces area, and 5 more panels. I'll give an overview of each area from left to right, beginning with the Clock and ending with the Trash Can, as shown in Figure 14-5. Figure 14-5. Front Panel  Clock - As you would expect, this displays the current time. Calendar - The Calendar icon displays the current date, and when clicked, brings up an appointment calendar. The calendar allows you to set appointments and reminders and to create a task list. Appointments can be set as a one-time-only events or as recurring. You can be notified of an appointment by a beep, a pop-up message, or an e-mail. The calendar and associated appointments can be displayed by the day, the week, or the month. A yearly calendar can also be displayed, but without appointments. File Manager - The File Manager opens a window that displays your home directory and associated files. From here, you can do any number of basic file manipulations, such as copy a file, move a file, delete a file, or execute a program or script. More infrequently used operations, such as creating a symbolic link or changing file permissions or ownership, can also be done here. Removing a file from within File Manager moves it to the Trash Can rather than permanently deleting the file. This way, if you decide that you need it back, you can simply retrieve it from the Trash Can rather than having it restored from a backup - a more time-consuming operating. However, note that the Trash Can is automatically "emptied" at the end of every session. So when you log off, the files are permanently removed. Personal Application - The Personal Application subpanel contains the CDE's text editor, dtpad, and terminal emulator, dtterm. It also contains the Icon Editor. The dtpad is an easy-to-use, full-screen text editor. As in a PC-based word processor, dtpad allows you to move the cursor anywhere to add, change, and delete text, unlike the popular vi, which is a line-by-line text editor. CDE's dtterm is a good basic terminal emulator. The Icon Editor opens bitmap (.bm) or pixmap (.pm) files and allows you to edit them. The Personal Applications subpanel is the first place we find the Install Icon application. This is where new icons are added to the subpanel. This allows the application associated with the icon to be executed when the icon is double clicked. We'll be using this when we modify the desktop in "Customizing CDE." Mail - The CDE mailer, dtmail, is invoked when this icon is clicked. From here, mail messages can be composed, messages replied to, and messages forwarded. Most advanced mail features that you've come to think of as basic features are included: items such as adding attachments to messages, replying to just the sender or all recipients, and setting automatic messages saying that you're on vacation. Another feature is when a new message arrives, the dtmail icon changes to show a letter popping into the mailbox. Workspace Area - The next four items comprise the workspace area. Lock Button - The Lock button allows you to lock your session while you're away from your desk. This security feature keeps others from viewing or accessing your work when you're not there. It saves you from logging off and on every time you need to step away. Your login password, or root's password, must be entered to unlock it again. Workspace Switch - Four in number, these are the separate workspaces created by default. These allow you to organize your work so that your workspace doesn't get cluttered up. By using the workspaces, you can keep work on different tasks, applications, or systems separated from each other. You change from one workspace to another simply by clicking on the workspace number: One, Two, Three, or Four. You'll notice that no matter what workspace you are in, the Front Panel follows you. In "Customizing CDE," you'll see how easy you can increase the number of workspaces and to change the names. Activity Light - The Activity light, quite simply, blinks when the system is busy doing work. Exit button - The Exit button is where you log out of CDE, terminating your CDE session. Upon exiting, depending on how you have CDE configured, you are prompted to resume your current session or return to your home session. If you choose to resume your current session, the next time you login, the desktop looks exactly the same as it does when you log out -as closely as possible. Some things, such as remote logins, are not possible, but others are, such as having an application automatically executed. If you choose to return to your home session, the next time you log in, you are returned to a known, preset configuration. This configuration is set in the Style Manager panel, discussed shortly. Personal Printers - This subpanel contains printers that you have configured on your system, including the default printer designated as such and the Print Manager. The front panel icon is that of the default printer. To print one of your documents, simply drag it from the File Manager and drop it on the printer icon. The Print Manager allows you to view queued print files and remove them before they print. However, this works only with printers directly managed by your system. In today's networked offices, printers are usually shared and the print manager function is on a server, probably in the next building. Style Manager - The Style Manager is one of those places where you can either get really creative getting your desktop to look just like you want or waste a lot of time - depending on your point of view. Here is where you personalize your login to the system to your own preferences. You can change your font size, your background, your mouse speed, and whether or not your session automatically locks after a certain amount of non-activity, or idle time. This is where you can set your home session, as referred to earlier, to come back to every time you log in or set your system to return to the current session or choose the option of being asked every time you log out. One other configuration you can make here is whether your window focus follows your mouse or whether you have to click on a window before it is the active window. On AIX systems, you can toggle on or off whether the workspaces are displayed on the front panel. Application Manager - When opened, the Application Manager displays folders with useful applications and actions. Although they differ among manufacturers and even operating systems for that matter, AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris all have some basic features: Desktop Applications, Desktop Tools, Information, and System Administration. Desktop Applications contains such applications and tools as Calculator, Man Page Viewer, Icon Editor, and Create Action. Desktop Tools includes tools like xterm, xwd capture, compress files, and reload resources. System Administration contains operating system-specific applications such as SAM in HP-UX, SMIT in AIX, and Admintool in Solaris, besides more generic actions such as change password. Take the time to look around here. You'll find many items you may want to incorporate on your customized CDE front panel. I, for one, have found the Man Page Viewer to be an invaluable resource and moved it to my front panel, where it can be readily accessed. Help - The Help subpanel is a compilation of the Help Manager, a Desktop Introduction, Front Panel help, and an On-Item Front Panel help mechanism. The Help Manager is the main online help facility for CDE. This is a comprehensive help system with topic trees and the ability to search the index using keywords or pattern matching, backtrack where you've been in the help manager, and view the history of items for which you requested help. The Desktop Introduction is an overview of CDE and how it works. The Front Panel help facility gives information about how to use the front panel icons, subpanels, and workspaces. The On-Item Front Panel help mechanism allows you to click on the front panel item about which you wish assistance. Along with the Help Subpanel, Help can also be requested by pressing the F1 function key. If installed on your system, AIX may also include Basic Desktop Customization help and Base Library. Trash Can - The Trash Can, used with the File Manager, holds files and folders that you have deleted during the current session. Using the facility allows you to quickly retrieve files that you should not have removed. The Trash Can can be "emptied" at any time to permanently remove items. Also, the Trash Can is "emptied" when you log out of your session. CDE on Solaris As mentioned earlier, Solaris has embellished CDE, adding many more subpanels and items to the subpanels, as shown in Figure 14-6. Where Solaris has greatly changed the panel and subpanels, I'll give an overview of what you'll find, as I did in the preceding section on AIX and HP-UX. Where they are the same, I'll simply note that they are the same. Figure 14-6. Front Panel  Like AIX and HP-UX, Solaris' front panel is divided into 11 main areas: 5 panels, 1 workspaces area, and 5 more panels. I'll give an overview of each area from left to right, beginning with the World and ending with the Trash Can. Links - As you might guess by the World icon, this is where you access the world. Solaris' Web browser, HotJava, lives here. There are also actions included to access Personal Bookmarks for the web browser, and a Find Web Page search engine. As indicated on the front panel icon, the world has a clock on it, too. Cards - The calendar is the same as on AIX and HP-UX. However, included in the subpanel is Find Card, which is a Rolodex-type address manager. Files - Although the title is slightly different, this is where the File Manager resides. In the subpanel are special icons to perform file actions associated with: Properties, Encryption, Compress File, Archive, and Find File. Solaris has also included actions to manage your floppy disk drive and CD-ROM. Applications - Renamed simply Applications, here is where you'll not only find the Text Editor, but also Text Note and Voice Note. For the audio enabled, Voice Note allows you to play, record, or save audio files with WAV, AU, and AIFF formats. On this subpanel, you'll also find the Applications subpanel found under Application Manager on the AIX and HP-UX systems. As on the others, this includes Desktop Applications, Desktop Tools, Information, and System Administration. These are basically the same on all systems. Mail - This subpanel, in addition to dtmail, has been enhanced to include a Suggestion Box. A very clever idea, this automatically opens up a message, pre-addressed to Sun Microsystems, Inc., so that you can send them your suggestions. Workspace Area - The next five items comprise the workspace area: Lock button - This is the same as on AIX and HP-UX. Workspace switch - Same as on AIX and HP-UX. Progress Indicator - This is the same as the Busy Indicator on AIX and HP-UX. Exit button - Same as on AIX and HP-UX. Personal Printers - Same as on AIX and HP-UX.
Tools - The Style Manager is located here and is displayed on the front panel. You'll also find easy access to the CDE error log, and Find Process allows you to view all processes running on your system and kill selected ones. The Customized Workspace Menu and Add Item to Menu actions allow you to easily modify the Workspace Menu. The Workspace Menu is accessed by placing the mouse over a blank area of the desktop and pressing the right mouse key. Whereas AIX and HP-UX come with a generic menu, Solaris has incorporated the front panel and subpanel actions into the Workspace Menu as another way to access these actions. Hosts - Here, Solaris differs greatly from AIX and HP-UX. The Hosts subpanel contains system-related actions. On the front panel, you'll find the Performance Monitor icons indicating how busy your CPU and disk drives are. From the subpanel, this Host opens up the dtterm terminal emulator, and Console opens up a dtterm specifically for displaying console messages. System Information provides system information, including system name, hardware model, network IP address and domain, physical and virtual memory, operating system version, and date and time last rebooted. Find Host is the same as Find Card in the Cards subpanel. Help - This is the same as on AIX and HP-UX. Trash - The Trash Can is the same, with the addition of a subpanel icon to "empty" the Trash Can. This concludes the overview of the look and feel of CDE. Armed with this knowledge, you can easily navigate around your desktop environment with confidence and ease. Next, you'll learn how to change that look and feel to conform to your work environment. |
