vdlogo_full.jpg (22382 bytes)

enable Virtual
Desktop
Help


 

index.jpg (115439 bytes)

Appearance Properties

Appearance Properties.jpg (62628 bytes)

Themes

Themes are a convenient way of changing and saving the look of your enable Virtual Desktop mini-window. They are saved to a file rather than in the registry to make it easy to share your themes with others.

Selecting a Theme

A theme can be selected from the list of available themes in the Theme dropdown list. The theme will be displayed in the preview window.

Adding New Themes

Adding new themes that you get from others is simple. Simply copy the theme files into the Themes directory within the directory in which enable Virtual Desktop is installed (eg., C:\Program Files\enable Software\enable Virtual Desktop\Themes). The next time you open the Appearance dialog the new themes will be available in the dropdown list.

Saving a Theme

Once you are happy with the configuration of your mini-window, you might wish to save the configuration as a theme, to make it easy to go back to the same setup at a later stage. To save a theme click the Save As button. Enter a name for your theme and click OK. You can share this theme with others by copying the theme file and any textures you have used from the Themes directory within the directory in which enable Virtual Desktop is installed (eg,. C:\Program Files\enable Software\enable Virtual Desktop\Themes).

TIP: The names of texture files not contained in the themes directory will not be found if those files are not available on the machine you are copying the theme to. A simple way to avoid this is to copy the texture files into your Themes directory and reconfigure your themes to use these local files.

Deleting a Theme

To delete a theme select the theme you wish to delete and click the Delete button. The theme file will be deleted but all texture files will be left intact.

Mini-desktop Customization

Display Full Window Contents

The Display full window contents option allows you to see an exact minuture replica of your active virtual desktop which even shows the contents of your windows. The image below shows a mini-window with full window contents display enabled.

full contents.jpg (24315 bytes)

Use Desktop Wallpaper for Mini-window

Each desktop can be configured to have a separate desktop wallpaper (see Desktop Properties for details). The Use desktop wallpaper for mini-window option will use the same wallpaper for display in the mini-window.

wallpaper.jpg (18575 bytes)

Display Non-active Desks in Grayscale

For easy recognition of the active virtual desktop, the Display non-active desks in grayscale option will display each of the non-active desktops in grayscale, with the active desk displayed in color.

greyscale.jpg (18287 bytes)

Mini-desk Borders

The Mini-desk borders settings allow you to configure the mini-desktop borders to suit your tastes, with the following options:

  • Display

Border display can be enabled or disabled using this option.

  • Thin

Thin borders are drawn as a very thin line around each virtual desk.

  • Thick

Thick borders are drawn using a 3D style to highlight them.

Appearance Customization

The appearance of individual items contained in the mini-window can be customized.

Selecting an Item

Before you can customize an item you must first select the item you wish to customize from the Item drop down menu.

The following items can be customized:

  • Active Window
  • Active Window Titlebar
  • Inactive Window
  • Inactive Window Titlebar
  • Mini-Desktop

TIP: Don’t get confused by configuring the texture of the Active Window and wonder why the Mini-Desk background does not change.  The Active Window is the window which is currently active on your desktop.

Changing the Color

The color of an item can be changed by clicking on the Select button next to the Color radio button. A color selection dialog box will appear allowing you to choose the exact color you want.

TIP: Don’t forget to check the Color radio button to ensure that item is configured to use a color rather than a texture.

Selecting a Texture

If you prefer to use a texture rather than a color for an item you can select a bitmap file to use as a texture. Select the bitmap file using the Select button next to the Texture radio button.

TIP: Don’t forget to check the Texture radio button to ensure that item is configured to use a texture rather than a color.

Stretch Texture

The Stretch texture option allows you to configure the way a texture is displayed. Stretching a texture will stretch or shrink the texture to the exact size of the item.

Title Texture

The Title texture option allows you to configure the way a texture is displayed. Tiling a texture will draw the texture with no scaling. If the item is larger than the texture, the texture will be tiled across it.

Display Icon

The Display icon option is only valid for the Active Window or Inactive Window items. When this option is selected, the window's icon is displayed in the mini-window representation of the window.

Display Window Title

The Display window title option is only valid for the Active Window or Inactive Window items. When this option is selected, the window's title is displayed in the mini-window representation of the window.

Title Next to Icon

When the Title next to icon option is selected, the window’s title will be displayed to the right of the window’s icon.

Title Under Icon

When the Title under icon option is selected, the window’s title will be displayed underneath the window’s icon.

Display Titlebar

The Display titlebar option determines whether a titlebar is displayed on the mini-window representation of the window.

Selecting a Font

A font can be configured for the titles in the Active Window and Inactive Window items.   The following options are configurable:

  • Font

The font can be selected using the Font dropdown list.

  • Size

The font size can be selected using the Size dropdown list.

  • Color

The color of the font can be configured by using the Select button next to Color to select a color for the window title.

  • Bold

Selecting this option will display the font in bold face.

  • Italic

Selecting this option will display the font in italics.

 

For information on other enable software products, visit our web site at
http://www.enablesoftware.com

Copyright © 1999 Enable Software Pty Ltd