Window Manager - Features and Facilities of Window Managers

Features and Facilities of Window Managers

Autohide

An autohide facility enables menubars to disappear when the pointer is moved away from the edge of the screen.

Borders

A border is a window decoration component provided by some window managers, that appears around the active window. Some window managers may also display a border around background windows.

Context Menu

Some window managers provide a context menu that appears when an alternative click event is applied to a desktop component.

Desktop Wallpaper

Some window managers provide a desktop wallpaper facility that displays a background picture in the root window.

Focus Stealing

Focus stealing is a facility some window managers provide. It allows an application not in focus to suddenly gain focus and steal user input intended for the previously focused application.

Iconification

An iconification facility lets users minimize running applications to a desktop icon or taskpanel icon.

Joined Windows

Some window managers provide a joined windows facility that lets user join application window frames together.

Keyboard Equivalents

Some window managers provide keyboard equivalents that enables the keyboard to replicate mouse functionality.

Menubar

A menubar provides the facility to launch programs via a menu and may contain additional facilities including a start button, a taskbar, and a system tray.

Menu Panel

A menu panel a component of some window managers that provides the facility to launch programs using a menu. A menu panel is similar to a menubar, but appears as a floating panel, rather than a horizontal or vertical bar.

The menu panel may contain additional facilities including a start button, a task panel, and a system tray.

Mouse focus

The mouse focus model determines how the pointing device affects the input focus within the window manager. The focus model determine which component of the graphical user interface is currently selected to receive input as the pointer is moved around the screen.

Mouse warping

Mouse warping is a facility that centres the pointer on the current application as it is made active.

Multiple Desktops

A window manager may provide a multiple desktops facility. This enables switching between several root window desktops. This prevents clutter of the root window, because applications can run on different desktops.

Pager

Some window managers provide a pager tool that provides the facility to switch between multiple desktops. The pager may appear as an onscreen window or as a gadget in the taskbar or taskpanel.

Plugins

Some window managers have a modular construction that enables plug-in modules to provide features as required.

Rollup

A rollup facility enables windows to appear as just a titlebar on the desktop.

Root Menu

Some window managers provide a root menu, which appears when the root window or desktop background is touched.

Shortcuts

Some window managers provide a shortcut facility that lets users place icons on the root window that access specific programs or facilities.

Tabbed Windows

Some window managers provide a tabbed windows facility that groups applications together in common frames.

Task Switching

The window manager may provide various task switching facilities that let the user change the currently focused application, including:

• Changing the mouse focus using a pointing device
• Keyboard task switching facilities (for example, by pressing Alt-Tab)
• Clicking on the task in a taskbar or taskpanel

Taskbar

Some window managers provide a taskbar that shows running applications. The taskbar may show all applications that are running including those that have been minimized, and may provide the facility to switch focus between them. The taskbar may be incorporated into a menubar on some window managers.

Task Panel

A task panel is similar to a taskbar, but appears as a floating panel, rather than a horizontal or vertical bar.

Start Button

A start button is a desktop widget that provides a menu of programs that can be launched. The start button is typically placed on a menubar at the bottom of the screen.

Notification Area

A Notification Area is used to display icons for system and program features that have no desktop window. It contains mainly icons to indicate status information and notifications such as arrival of a new mail message. Some systems may also show a clock in the Notification Area.

Title Bars

A titlebar is a window decoration component some window managers provide at the top of each window. The titlebar is typically used to display the name of the application, or the name of the open document, and may provide title bar buttons for minimizing, maximizing, closing or rolling up of application windows.

Title Bar Buttons

Title bar buttons are included in the titlebar of some window managers, and provide the facility to minimize, maximize, rollup or close application windows. Some window managers may display the titlebar buttons in the taskbar or task panel, rather than in a titlebar.

Virtual Desktop

A virtual desktop (also called a scrolling desktop) is a facility some window managers provided that lets the desktop be larger than the actual screen