Using Your Desktop

By default, the Nautilus file manager manages your desktop. If you do not use Nautilus to manage your desktop, ignore this chapter. This chapter describes how to use the Nautilus desktop.

• Introduction to the Desktop

• Desktop Objects

• Using Trash on the Desktop

• Using the Desktop Menu

• Changing the Pattern or Color of the Desktop

Introduction to the Desktop

The desktop lies behind all of the other components in your desktop environment. The desktop is an active component of the user interface. You can perform the following tasks from your desktop:

• Start your applications, and open your files and folders.

  You can add desktop objects for convenient access to files, folders, and applications that you use frequently. For example, you can add an application launcher to the desktop. You can create a symbolic link to a file that you use often, then add this link to your desktop. You can also store files and folders on the desktop.

• Open the Desktop menu.

  Right-click on the desktop to open the Desktop menu. You can use the Desktop menu to perform actions on the desktop.

• Work with Trash.

  You can move objects to Trash and empty your Trash.

• Customize your desktop background.

  You can customize the pattern or color of the desktop background.

By default, your desktop contains three objects.

Figure 8-1 Desktop with Default Objects

Table 8-1 describes the functions of the default objects on the desktop.

Table 8-1 Functions of Default Desktop Objects

Object	Component	Function
	Home	Opens a Nautilus window, and displays your home location in the view pane.
	Start Here	Provides an access point to some of the key features of the GNOME Desktop.
	GNOME Overview	Opens a help browser window, and displays overview information about the GNOME Desktop.
	Trash	Opens a Nautilus window, and displays your Trash in the view pane.

Desktop Objects

A desktop object is an icon on your desktop that you can use to open your files, folders, and applications. All objects on your desktop reside in the desktop directory. When you move objects to the desktop, the objects are moved to this directory. You can also use your home directory as the desktop directory.

By default, your desktop contains three objects. You can also add objects to your desktop to provide convenient access to files, folders, and applications that you use frequently. For example, you can add a launcher to your desktop to enable you to open a particular application that you use often.

Table 8-2 describes the types of object that you can add to your desktop.

Table 8-2 Types of Desktop Objects

You can modify desktop objects in the following ways:

• View the properties of the object.

• Rename the object.

• Change the permissions of the object.

• Change the icon that represents the object.

• Resize the icon that represents the object.

• Add an emblem to the object.

The following sections describe how to work with objects on the desktop.

To Select Objects on the Desktop

To select an object on the desktop, click on the object. To select multiple objects, press-and-hold Ctrl, then click on the objects that you want to select.

You can also select an area on the desktop to select all objects within that area. Click-and-hold on the desktop, then drag over the area that contains the objects that you want to select. When you click-and-hold then drag, a grey rectangle appears to mark the area that you select.

To select multiple areas, press-and-hold Ctrl, then drag over the areas that you want to select.

To Open an Object from the Desktop

To open an object from the desktop, double-click on the object. Alternatively, right-click on the object, then choose Open. When you open on an object, the default action for the object executes. For example, if the object is a text file, the text file opens in a Nautilus window. The default actions for file types are specified in the File Types and Programs preference tool.

To execute an action other than the default action for an object, right-click on the object, then choose Open With. Choose an action from the Open With submenu.

The items in the Open With submenu correspond to the contents of the following parts of the File Types and Programs preference tool:

• Default action drop-down list in the Edit file type dialog

• Viewer Component drop-down list in the Edit file type dialog

You can set your preferences in a Nautilus window so that you click once on a file to execute the default action.