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Configuring the RHEL 6 GNOME Desktop Panels

616 bytes added, 20:48, 29 November 2010
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[[Image:RHEL6_top_panel.jpg|The RHEL 6 top panel]]
[[Image:RHEL6_bottom_panel.jpg|The RHEL 6 bottom panel]]
[[Image:rhel6_panel_properties.jpg|The RHEL 6 panel properties]]
The Size property controls the height (when the panel is in a horizontal orientation) or width (when in vertical orientation). It is not possible to reduce the size to the extent where items will no longer be visible (the minimum value is typically around 23 pixels).
A different color or even an image may be specified for the panel background. These settings are available from the ''Background '' page of the panel properties dialog:
[[Image:rhel6_panel_background_properties.jpg|The RHEL 6 panel background properties dialog]]
The level of transparency can be specified by selecting the Solid color option and adjusting the Style slider.
The panel may be further configured so that it remains hidden until the mouse pointer moves to the side of the desktop where the panel is located. To activate this feature, select the ''Autohide '' option on the ''General '' panel of the properties window.
Finally, if you do not wish to have the panel occupy the full width or height of the desktop (depending on the orientation of the selected panel), unset the Expand option. The panel will then only appear as wide or as tall as it needs to be to accommodate the items it is configured to display.
[[Image:rhel6_add_to_panel.jpg|Adding a launcher to an RHEL 6 desktop panel]]
In addition to applications from the menu, it is also possible to add a range of items specifically designed to appear on panels. To add such items to a panel click with the right mouse button over the panel to be configured and select the ''Add to Panel'' menu option from the resulting popup menu. The ''Add to Panel '' dialog will then appear as follows:
[[Image:rhel6_add_applet_to_panel.jpg|Adding applets to an RHEL 6 desktop panel]]
To add an item to the panel, simply scroll through the list provided, select the required item and press the Add button. The following RHEL 6 desktop panel includes the System Monitor and Weather Report items:
[[Image:RHEL6_top_panel_with_apps.jpg|the weather and system monitor in a panel]]
To edit the properties or preferences for a panel item, move the mouse pointer over the item in the panel and click the right mouse button. Select either Properties or Preferences from the menu and the appropriate dialog will appear. For example, the Preferences panel for the Weather Report item allows various settings to be changed, such as the geographical location and units for displaying temperature (Celsius or Fahrenheit). The system monitor can similarly be configured to also display metrics such as system load, memory and network usage.
To delete an item from a panel right click with the mouse on the item and select ''Remove from Panel''.
To move an item to a different location in a panel right click with the mouse on the item and select Move. Then use the mouse to drag and drop the item to a new location. Alternatively, click with either the middle mouse button, or the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously and drag and drop the panel item to the new location.
[[Image:rhel6_menu_in_panel.jpg|The accessories menu added to panel]]
[[Image:rhel6_drawer_in_panel.jpg|The accessories drawer added to a panel]]
[[Image:rhel6_workspaces.jpg|RHEL 6 workspaces]]
By default, RHEL 6 configures two workspaces. To increase the number of available workspaces, right click with the mouse on the workspace control (as shown above) in the panel and select ''Preferences''. Simply increase the Number of workspaces value to the desired number. The name of each workspace may be changed by double clicking on the default name in the list (Workspace 1, Workspace 2 etc) and typing in a new name.