Window Management

Window types

When you look at your screen, you will probably see three windows, each one with a name (title bar) across its top and a "button bar."

• The Button Bar, usually in the bottom right of your screen, contains a couple of buttons for commonly run applications, such as a Web browser or Xterm window, and a button for logging out.
  
• The Console window, usually in the top left of your screen, contains system messages. DO NOT type in or close this window. You could accidentally log yourself out. You can minimize this window if you wish (see below).
  
• The Xterm window, also known as the terminal window, contains the prompt, the place where you type commands. The prompt looks like one of these:
  
  unity%
  eos%
  
  Note: If you accidentally close your Xterm window, you can get another one by moving your mouse to the background and holding down MB2. Select "New Terminal Window" and you will get another Xterm window on your screen.
  
• The Web browser window. If you typed "tutor" to start this tutorial, you will have a Web browser window (such as Internet Explorer) on your screen.

Activating windows

To make a window active so that you can work there, move your mouse pointer inside the window's title bar (the dark bar at the top of the window above the drop-down menus) and click once with MB1 (the left mouse button). Once the window is selected, you will notice that its border is highlighted, usually in blue. Activating a window will also move it to the top of any overlapping windows.

Moving and re-sizing windows

• Moving: To move a window to a new place on the screen, click and drag the title bar. You will see a "ghost" of the window moving across the screen. When you release MB1, the window will be moved to the new position.

• Re-sizing: To make a window bigger or smaller, move the mouse to one of the corners or sides of the window (the cursor will change). Click and drag the window in or out. As you move the mouse, you will see "ghost" lines that represent the new size of your window. When you release the mouse button, your window will be re-sized.

Minimizing windows

To get a window out of your way, you can turn it into an icon, which is a small representation of a window or program. In the top right corner of each window are two square buttons. The button on the left has a very small square in the middle. Clicking on this button will iconify the window, making it small and placing it at the bottom of the screen. To make the window large again, double click on its icon with MB1.

Although you should not close the Console window, you can minimize it if you want to get it out of your way.

Maximizing windows

You can make a window expand to fill the entire screen. In the top right corner of each window are two square buttons. The button on the right has a large square in the middle. Clicking on this button will expand the window to the screen's maximum size. To return to the previous size, click on the Maximize button again. A close look at this button will reveal that it sticks "out" in normal view and "in" when maximized.

Go to the Unix Workstation Guide.

Content last updated May, 2004, by daniel
Page last modified June 15, 2005 by cawalker