Chapter 15Using Icon Editor
Icon Editor is a tool for creating both bitmap and pixmap
image files for use as icons or backdrops.
Introducing Icon Editor
Icon Editor enables you to create and edit images in two formats, described
in Table 15-1.
Table 15-1 Icon Formats
Format | Description | File Name |
|---|
X pixmap (XPM) | Multicolor
images that include static and dynamic colors | *.pm |
X bitmap (XBM) | Two-color
images limited to a foreground and background color (used for black and white
icons) | *.bm |
Figure 15-1 Icon Editor main window
 You create images by selecting drawing tools and colors, and using them
in the work area. As you draw, Icon Editor displays an actual-size copy of
your icon in both formats. You need to consider the two-color version of the
icon even if you are drawing an image for use on color systems, because icons
may revert to two colors if there are not enough free colors available on
the workspace.
For information on designing icons, read the Visual Design chapter in Common Desktop Environment:
Style Guide and Certification Checklist.
Startup
To start Icon Editor:
Open Application Manager and display the Desktop_Apps folder therein.  Double-click Icon Editor. Icon Editor starts with an empty drawing work area.
You can also start Icon Editor and have it load an icon into the work
area in one of the following ways:
Note - If the path /usr/dt/bin has not been set
in your .cshrc file, then type /usr/dt/bin/dticon to run Icon Editor from the command line.
Basic Drawing Tasks
This section describes how to create and edit an icon and how to use
the Icon Editor drawing tools.
 To Open an Existing Icon
Choose Open from the File menu. If you have unsaved changes, Icon Editor warns you that your changes
will be lost by loading another icon. Click Cancel to cancel the Open command.
Click OK if you don't want to save your changes.
Type the name of the file you want to load in the Enter file name field,
or select the icon file you want to load from the Files section of the Open
File dialog box. Click Save.
Note - When you load a file, the Output Format (in the Options menu)
is automatically set to the format of the file you load.
You can also open an existing icon by double-clicking the icon file
in File Manager.
To Start a New Icon
If you have unsaved changes, Icon Editor warns you that your changes
will be lost by starting a new icon. Click Cancel to cancel the New command
or click OK if you don't want to save your changes.
Icon Editor clears the work area and resizes it to the default size
(32x32).
If you have an icon already loaded, you can choose Clear Icon from the
Edit menu to start a new icon with the same size and name as the previously
loaded icon.
To Clear an Icon
Save your current icon, if necessary. Choose Clear Icon from the Edit menu. The entire icon drawing work area is cleared.
To Draw an Image
Select one of the drawing tools (listed in Table 15-2). Select a color (static color, static gray, or a dynamic color). Begin drawing with the tool you've selected. More details on drawing with each tool are provided below.
Drawing Tools
The drawing tools area of Icon Editor is shown in Figure 15-2.
Figure 15-2 Icon Editor drawing tools
 Table 15-2 Using the Drawing Tools
Tool | Purpose | Action |
|---|
Pencil | For drawing freehand
lines and individual pixels. | Press and hold to draw freehand lines. |
Line | For drawing straight
lines. | Press and hold to stretch the line. Release to draw the line. |
Rectangle | For drawing solid
or outlined rectangles. | Press and hold to stretch the outline of the rectangle.
Release to draw the rectangle. |
Circle | For drawing solid
or outlined circles. | Point to where you want the center of the circle, press and hold, drag to
the desired size, and release. |
Eraser | For erasing large
areas of the image. | Press and hold; then drag over the area to erase. To erase individual
pixels, select the Pencil tool and the Transparent color. |
Flood | For flooding a region
of one color with the selected color. | Click any pixel within the region to be flooded.
The selected pixel and all adjacent pixels of the same color are recolored
with the selected color. The filled region extends in all directions, bounded
only by pixels of a different color. |
Open Polygon | For
drawing connected straight lines. | Click the starting point; then click for each segment. Double-click to end the last segment. |
Closed Polygon | For
drawing connected straight lines, where the first line and last line are connected
to form a closed polygon. | Click the starting point; then click for each segment. Double-click to end the last segment. |
Ellipse | For drawing solid
or outlined ovals. | Press and hold, drag to the desired size and shape, and release. |
Selection | For selecting an
area to work on. Several commands in the Edit menu require an area to be selected. | Point
to the corner pixel of the region to be selected, press and hold, drag to
the desired region, and release. |
Fill Solids | For
changing the rectangle, circle, ellipse, and closed polygon tools to draw
filled-in shapes instead of outlines. | Select the check
box to automatically draw filled-in shapes. Deselect the check box to return
the tools to drawing outlines. |
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