How To: Use Gadgets, Modules and Shelves- Part 2

Submitted by Aubrey on Wed, 06/18/2008 - 00:58.

In Part 1 of this How-To, we looked at the (previously) confusing world of modules, gadgets and shelves and their roles in making the enlightenment desktop both highly functional and beautiful. We also made ourselves a new shelf with some standard gadgets. In this second installment, we'll take that shelf and add some more functionality with a few alternative gadgets and set it up for use as a specialist tool for working on graphics. You can use the same techniques to create and modify a shelf for any specialist purpose, like audio, coding, games or communication.

1. Replace a Standard Gadget with Something Else

The standard gadgets are great, but some of them do lack a bit of functionality. Let's replace a few.

Ibox vs Taskbar

The Ibox gadget displays your "iconized" windows. Great. But what about those that are just hidden or on another desktop? That's why I prefer the "taskbar" gadget.

Replacing an Ibox with a taskbar goes like this:

Delete the Ibox on our "practice" shelf" (Right click on the Ibox and select "Remove this gadget")

Right click an empty area of the shelf and select "Configure Shelf Contents"

From the left column select "taskbar", click "Add Gadget" and "Close"

Wot? No taskbar? Hmmm. All well and good, but maybe "taskbar" wasn't an option on your Available Gadget list. Don't worry. That simply means the "taskbar" module isn't loaded. We'll do it now.
From the Main menu select "Configuration">"Modules" (or Configuration>Configuration Panel>Extensions>Modules). This two-column dialog shows a (long) list of modules available and another list of those that load on start-up. We need to find "taskbar" in the left column and add it to the right column.
When that's done, you will have the taskbar as an available gadget on the Shelf Configuration dialog.

To configure a taskbar to show windows from all your Virtual Desktops, right-click in the taskbar, select "Taskbar">"Configuration" and check the box.

There are lots of other gadgets available that can make your life easier - go back to that Modules dialog and check them out! A few we'd recommend investigating are "mail", "deskshow" and "echo"

2. Rock the Ibar

The Ibar is the standard Enlightenment application laucher. It does a great job, but only if the applications you want are available on it. We actually have some pretty cool options with Ibars - including the ability to customize multiple Ibar configurations.

Before we get into that, lets get some Instant e-Gratification with a couple of quick and easy shortcuts to deleting unwanted and adding new applications to the Ibar (launcher) gadget on an existing shelf.

Quickly Deleting and Adding a New Application to an Existing Ibar

Here's the Ibar part of the shelf we made in Part 1:

Let's say we decide we no longer want the Notecase application on this Ibar (the second icon from the right - the little suitcase).

OK, let's get rid of it.

That's soooo easy! Let's add something. I like the "Transmission" bit-torrent client and use it a lot. Let's add it to this Ibar (you could choose any application that you already have installed). Now, we could right click on the Ibar, select "Add An Icon" and then find the application we want in the list and add it to the Ibar. But there is another way.

Start the application you want to add to the Ibar (from the normal menu). Once it opens, right click the titlebar of the application.

This is the result:

Now you could just go on deleting and adding apps to your Ibar - BUT there's a catch. Every instance of your that particular Ibar will change too. So what we really need is a way to have different Ibar configurations for different shelves. Read on!

3. Custom Built Ibars

We are going to rename the Ibar on our "practice" shelf and then change the applications it launches. Unlike the previous add/delete methods this will NOT change your existing Ibars.

Right click on the Ibar we want to change and select "Configuration" from the menu. This dialog appears:

Select "Add" and give the new Ibar a new name. I'm calling mine "Graphics" but you can use whatever name you like.

You now have a new Ibar called "Graphics" (or whatever) listed - now select "Configure".

This is where you get to choose what applications you want. Delete any of the defaults and add whatever you like. You can see my selection above (from applications already installed on my machine). And yes, I did add PokerTH (just in case I need a break - graphics work can be very tiring).

Select "Apply when you have finished.

Lovely! Here's my new "Graphics" Ibar:

But do I really want this highly specialized shelf on every Virtual Desktop? Not really. If I'm not doing graphics it is a bit redundant and will just occupy valuable real estate.

Enlightenment gives me the option of having my custom shelf on just the Desktop/s I want. Here's how:

4. Allocating a Custom Taskbar to Specific Virtual Desktops

I have a fondness for Virtual Desktops. They really are one of the greatest "productivity tools" available in Linux and I like the way I can use them to create separate workspaces for different types of jobs. I even go so far as to name some of my different Virtual Desktops to reflect their primary function (see this How-To). Combined with custom shelves, Virtual Desktops provide a powerful way to organize your time and work.

In this case I am going to put my new custom graphics shelf on the two Virtual Desktops I use for graphics work.

This is a shelf configuration task, so right click the shelf and select "Shelf Configuration". Go directly to "Advanced" mode.

We will only be using the "Desktop" panel in the bottom right corner. Select "Show on specified Desktops". Select one or more of the listed Virtual Desktops (use ctrl-click to select more than one). Select "Apply" and the "Close".

Use the pager (or Alt-mouse scroll) to navigate to one of the Desktops you selected and your custom shelf should be there! Woot!

Hopefully Parts 1 and 2 of this How-To have given you enough understanding of the power of gadgets and shelves to go forth and start designing your own Enlightment desktop to suit your personal needs and work style. You are now officialy liberated from the Hegemony of Desktop Designers. Use your powers wisely and only for good.

Before we end, I can't resist introducing another "special" gadget - but with a strong warning that this one could send you crazy.

4. The Gadgets Gadget

As my mother used to say "Its all fun and games until someone looses an eye". Only read on if you are comfortable with unattached body parts.

By way of introduction, we should note that in the Olden Days (e16 and earlier builds of e17), Enlightenment gadgets used to live freely on the desktop, grazing and roaming freely in singles or small family groups. Then came the sh-elves and gadgets were tamed and domesticated - confined to living out their existence constrained by the rules, behavior and boundaries of the shelf. But freedom is seductive and there have been moves within the gadget community to again break free of their shelf masters and return to the old ways.

Yes, free range gadgets are making a comeback!

Under "Configuration">"Modules" on the Main Menu you will find amongst the Available Modules a gadget called "Gadgets".

Loading the "Gadgets" module will add a "Gadgets" entry to the basic "Configuration" menu which will open this dialog.

Selecting any gadget from those available will place that gadget directly on your desktop.

Free roaming gadgets can be moved anywhere on the desktop (not just along the desktop margins like those restrictive sh-elf overlords!) and they can be configured directly from the right-click menu. Great! They will appear on every Virtual Desktop, which is not (in my opinion) ideal.

BUT (and here's where you can loose that eye) the gadgets gadget does not play nicely with shelves. For example, any shelves you have previously set to "autohide" may misbehave badly. You will also strike some very serious problems whenever you attempt to reconfigure any shelf. Enlightenment will actually crash during reconfiguration and you may end up with some dysfunctional shelves. (I have found that unloading the gadgets module before doing any shelf configuration and then reloading afterwards does solve most of these problems, but who wants to do that?)

The best policy would seem to be to leave the gadgets gadget alone for now. No doubt, over time, the political differences between gadgets and shelves will be resolved and they will learn to co-exist, if not in complete harmony then in some sort of brokered non-violent pact that gives both the opportunity to develop to their full potential. (We at Cafelinux give no credence to rumors that the Gadgets have developed weapons of mass destruction.)