Figure 2-9. KDE Control Center
Along the lefthand side of this window, there is a collapsible menu of configuration categories; each category contains several subcategories, which can be revealed or hidden by clicking on the +/- icon in front of the category name. Each subcategory is handled by a separate configuration module . When you click on a configuration category, the configuration module for that category is shown on the righthand side of the window.
You can also configure some desktop components by right-clicking on them. For example, right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Configure Desktop will bring up a subset of the Control Center options, which is useful for changing the appearance of the desktop.
Unlike GNOME, KDE settings are not usually automatically applied; you must click on the Apply button before your changes take effect.
An alternative, express way to change basic KDE desktop settings is to select SettingsDesktop Settings Wizard (or enter the command kpersonalizer), which will walk you through the process of setting the most common desktop options.
2.3.1.1. Customizing the desktop appearance using themes
To install a new theme, click the "Get new themes..." link in the upper-right corner to open the Konqueror web browser with the kde-look home page (http://kde-look.org). Select a theme that is packaged into a .kth file and download it to your system. Click the Install New Theme button within the KDE Control Center and open the downloaded file to install it into the list of available themes.
Relatively few themes are packaged in the .kth format required by the Theme Manager. Themes supplied in source format cannot be installed by the Theme Manager and must be configured manually.
2.3.1.2. Customizing the panels
You can add a new panel by right-clicking on an existing one and selecting Add New PanelPanel. You can move the new panel to any edge of the screen by dragging it with the mouse.
The Add New Panel facility can add special panel types that are pre-populated with specific tools; for details, right-click on a panel and select Help.
To add items to a panel, right-click on the panel and select "Add Applet to panel" or "Add Application to panel"the difference being that applets run within the panel, displaying information or performing useful actions, while applications are simply buttons that launch programs.
To delete an application from the panel, right-click on it and select "Remove application." To delete an applet, place your mouse cursor over it, which will cause a small bar to appear beside it; right-click on this bar, and select "Remove applet."
To move a panel object, middle-click on the object (or on the bar beside the object if it is an applet) and drag it to the desired location. To push other objects around, hold down the Shift key while dragging; to move between bars, left-click and drag.
To set a panel's properties, right-click
To configure window-manager behavior, right-click on a title bar and select Configure Window Behavior. Figure 2-12 shows the window that appears. You can access the same options through the Control Center using the Appearance & ThemesWindow Decorations, DesktopWindow Behavior, and the DesktopWindow-Specific Settings options.
Figure 2-12. KDE window-manager behavior configuration
The KDE window manager, kwin , offers extensive configuration options:
Window Decorations
Enables you to select the window-manager theme and the buttons that will be placed in the title bar. Some themes have additional customization options, such as adjustable border width.
Actions
Configures the actions performed when the various mouse buttons are clicked on the title bar and active or inactive windows. The Titlebar Actions tab contains settings for the action that will be taken when the user clicks on the window title bar, frame, and maximize button.
Focus
The window with focusalso called the active windowreceives keyboard input. This section selects the focus policy:
Click to Focus
Click on a window to give it focus.
Focus Follows Mouse
Place the mouse cursor over a window to give it focus. You can also change focus with Alt-Tab or Shift-Alt-Tab.
Focus Under Mouse
Same as Focus Follows Mouse, but Alt-Tab/Shift-Alt-Tab does not change the window focus (though it will raise other windows to the top), and new windows will not receive focus.
Focus Strictly Under Mouse
Same as Focus Under Mouse, but moving the mouse pointer over the desktop background (not over any window) will unfocus all windows instead of leaving the last window focused.
If you select a focus policy other than "Click to Focus," you can configure a delay between when a window receives focus and when it raises, as well as whether focused windows are raised at all (placed in front of other windows). The Navigation section enables you to set options related to keyboard navigation between windows (Alt-Tab/Shift-Alt-Tab).
Moving
Configures behavior when windows are moved. For best performance on a slower system (or a remote connection), disable the options "Display content in moving windows," "Display content in resizing windows," and "Animate minimize and restore"but on a fast machine, these options can provide useful user feedback. The Snap Zone settings make it easier to align windows with other windows or with the edge of the screen.