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2. Onscreen Fundamentals

kpanel displays two windows: the taskbar and the panel.

• The taskbar displays currently running applications.

• The panel contains the Application Starter; a button to display the window list; the virtual desktop buttons; and buttons for frequently launched applications.

2.1 Taskbar

The taskbar displays a list of running applications. The titles of windows which are iconified are parenthesized. Clicking an entry in the list zips you to the selected application, changing virtual desktops if necessary.

Also, you can right-click the mouse on an entry in the taskbar, and select from options to maximize, iconify, close, or move the application to the current desktop.

2.2 Panel

The panel appears by default on the bottom of the screen. It contains the Application Starter, a clock, and buttons for frequently used applications and the virtual desktops. You can get it out of your way on the current desktop by clicking the textured bar at the left-hand side (it remains visible on your other virtual desktops). You can also configure it to hide itself automatically, in which case it will disappear until you touch the mouse pointer to the side of the screen to which it is attached.

Here is an explanation of the icons that appear on the default panel:

• Application Starter
  Clicking the large K on the panel opens a menu of applications and utilities. It also provides access to the help system and the KDE Control Panel. You can add your own entries.

  Shortcut: Alt-F1 opens the Application Starter

• Window List
  Clicking the button that looks like a group of windows opens a menu that shows currently open applications, organized by desktop. Parenthesized titles indicate inconified windows. Select an application to access it.

  Shortcut: Click the middle mouse button on an unoccupied area of the desktop to display the Window List.

• Home Directory
  The button with the picture of a house provides quick access to the files in your home directory.

• Virtual Desktops
  The text buttons in the middle of the panel, labeled by default "One", "Two", etc., provide access to the virtual desktops. The number of virtual desktops and their labels can be changed.

• Help Browser
  The button with the picture of a book provides access to KDE's online help system.

In addition to the standard icons, you can add your own buttons to launch frequently used programs. Also, programs can be configured to run directly in the taskbar: for example, you can define a button which displays a running mail notification program in the taskbar, and launches an e-mail program when clicked.

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