This chapter explains how to find icons and organize them so they are easily accessible. It contains:
The “Find an Icon” command opens a small window into which you can type the name of applications, files, and directories whose icons you want to find. You can use it to find icons on your system or icons on another system on your network. (If you do not know the full name of the icon you want to find, or you want to find an icon based on additional characteristics, such as its type or owner, use the Search tool instead.)
Use the controls below the movie window to view a short movie showing how to use the “Find an Icon” command.
Click a topic for step-by-step instructions on using “Find an Icon”:
If the Find an Icon window is not already open, choose “an Icon” from the Find toolchest.
Type the name of a file, directory, or application in the type-in field provided.
If the file or folder icon resides in your home directory or search path, type the icon name only. For example, to fetch the icon for a file named report1 in your home directory, type: report1
If the file or folder icon is not in your home directory or search path, include the full Unix pathname. For example, if you want to find the folder icon for the /usr/tmp directory, type /usr/tmp in the field provided. If you want to find the icon for a file called report1 in the /usr/tmp directory, type: /usr/tmp/report1
Press the < Enter> key.
This places the icon name on the recycle list. If you need to find the icon again, and the Find an Icon window is still open, place the cursor over the recycle button; then press the left mouse button.
When the icon appears in the drop pocket, double-click to open the icon, or drag the icon to a different location—such as the desktop or a page in the Icon Catalog—so it is easily accessible.
If the Find an Icon window is not already open, choose “an Icon” from the Find toolchest.
In the type-in field, type /hosts/remotemachinename followed by the pathname of the file, directory, or application whose icon you want to find. If the system is in a different domain of the network, include this after the hostname.
For example, if you want to find the icon for jot on a machine named wizard in the bldg2 domain, type: /hosts/wizard.bldg2/usr/sbin/jot
Press the < Enter> key.
This places the icon name on the recycle list. If you need to find the icon again, and the Find an Icon window is still open, place the cursor over the recycle button; then press the left mouse button.
When the icon appears in the drop pocket, double-click to open the icon, or drag the icon to a different location—such as the desktop or an Icon Catalog page—so it is easily accessible.
If an icon does not appear, you can not search the directory that contains the icon you have specified. You may be unable to search for one of several reasons:
The directory is marked as private; the owner has not set it up as a shared directory. See “Overview of Sharing a Directory” for more details.
The permission settings prevent you from searching the directory. See “Permissions Settings: A Definition” for more information on permission settings.
![]() | Note: The remote search capability will not work if automount, a system setting, is disabled. To check this setting, open a shell window by choosing “Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest. In the shell window, type: chkconfig Look for the word “automount” in the left column. If automount is enabled, the word “on” appears in the right column. If it is disabled, the word “off” appears. Contact the Administrator if the setting needs to be changed. |
The Search tool helps you find icons that you want to use. You can find
icons for files, directories, and applications
icons for printers, tape drives, and disk drives that are connected to your system or another system on the network
icons that represent other systems on your network
icons that represent other system users
The controls for performing each type of search are stored on a page. By default the Search tool contains six pages—one each for finding files, printers, tape drives, disk drives, users, and other systems on the network. Each page is marked with a labeled tab.
If you do not remember the name of a file or the directory in which it's stored, you may have to search for it. You can use the Search tool to find files and directories based on
the filename, or a portion of the name
the type of icon it has
how recently the file was created or modified
the person who owns the file
the size of the file
the permission settings for the file (permission settings specify whether people can view and edit the file)
the text in an ASCII text file
By default, the Search tool searches for files that are located on your system. It does not search in remote directories whose icons you have placed on your desktop (mounted). To search in mounted directories, click the box next to the label only on this host. The checkmark disappears.
To search for files on another system, see “Finding Files on Another System.”
If you do not remember the name of a file or the directory in which it's stored, you may want to use the Search tool to locate it. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool , or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Files to display the controls for finding files and directories.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Files isn't visible. The correct controls are displayed when the top of the window says “Search for files.”
By default, the Search tool shows two fields: one for specifying the file name and one for specifying the directories that you want to search.
Type the name, or a portion of the name, in the field next to the label “whose name.”
By default, the Search tool finds files whose name contains the string you type. For example, suppose you type doc. You find all files whose name contains that sequence of characters, regardless of the capitalization.
If you want to find files that match a particular name, you need to change the setting from “contains string” to “matches pattern.” To do so, place the cursor over the menu button labeled contains string; then press the left mouse button. Choose “matches pattern.” Now, if you type “doc,” you only find files named doc.
![]() | Note: When you select “matches pattern,” you can use an asterisk (*). The asterisk is called a wildcard character. For example, type *doc and you find all files that end in doc. Do not include an asterisk if the Search tool is set to “contains string.” The Search tool will look for a file name that includes the asterisk. |
In the field next to the label “look,” type the name of the directory from which you want to start the search.
By default, your home directory name appears.
Choose commands from the Match menu to specify what type of files you want to find.
Each command on the Match menu reveals a new set of controls. To hide the controls, choose “is ignored” from the menu button that appears next to the label.
Choose “Icon” to specify the type of file you want to find. For example, if you're looking for a file you created using the IRIS Showcase application, you can specify that you want to find all IRIS Showcase files. See also “Finding Files of a Particular Type” and “Finding Directories.”
Choose “Time” to find files based on the time and date they were created or modified.
A menu button appears. It lets you specify whether you want to find files that are older than or newer than a certain number of days, or older than or newer than a specified file. Choose “newer than file” or “older than file” and a drop pocket appears.
Choose “Ownership” to find files that are owned by a particular user.
A drop pocket and type-in field appear. Enter the name of the user or drop an icon into the drop pocket. If the user's icon is available, drop that into the drop pocket. You can also find one file that is owned by that person, and place its icon in the drop pocket.
Choose “Size” to find files that are greater than, less than, or equal to a specified size. Several menu buttons and a type-in field appear. See also “Finding Large Files.”
Choose “Permissions” to find files based on their permission settings.
A menu button appears. It offers two choices. You can find files that are marked read-only (allow only reading) or files that are editable (allow reading and writing).
Choose “Content” to find an ASCII text file that contains a specified sequence of characters.
A type-in field appears. Type exactly the text that you want to find. Do not use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard character. For example, if you type *.doc you will only find files that actually contain the text string “*.doc.”
Press the Search button.
A list of icons that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window.
![]() | Note: By default, the Search tool searches for files that are located on your system. It does not search in remote directories whose icons you have placed on your desktop (mounted). To search these directories, click the box next to the label “only on this host.” The checkmark disappears. |
You can use the Search tool to find files that are smaller than, greater than, or equal to a specified size. If the System Monitor warns you that your disk is getting full, you might want to use the Search tool to locate large files. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Files to display the controls for finding files and directories.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Files isn't visible. The correct controls are displayed when the top of the window says “Search for files.”
By default, the Search tool shows two fields: one for specifying the file name and one for specifying the directories that you want to search.
Leave the field next to the label “whose name” empty.
This assures that you'll find all large files, regardless of their names. You have another option: choose “ignore” from the menu button. When you choose “ignore,” the controls for specifying a name disappear. To open them again, choose “Name” from the Match menu.
In the field next to the label “look,” type the name of the directory from which you want to start the search.
By default, your home directory name appears.
Choose “Size” from the Match menu.
A new area appears. It includes two menu buttons. One lets you choose whether you want to find files that are greater than, equal to, or smaller than a specified size; the other lets you choose what measurements you want to use—megabytes, bytes, blocks, or kilobytes.
Choose “`is greater than” from the menu button next to the label “and size.”
Type a number in the pink type-in field.
Click the Search button.
Icons greater than the specified size appear in the results area.
![]() | Note: You can delete files to make more room on your system's disk. Before doing so, consider making a backup copy of these files. For instructions, see “Backing Up and Restoring Files” in the Personal System Administration Guide. |
You can use the Search tool to find files of a particular type—directories, audio files, IRIS Showcase files, text files, or image files, for example. A unique icon identifies each of these file types.
For this example, suppose you want to use the Search tool to find an IRIS Showcase file. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Files to display the controls for finding files and directories.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Files isn't visible. The correct controls are displayed when the top of the window says “Search for files.”
By default, the Search tool shows two fields: one for specifying the file name and one for specifying the directories that you want to search.
Leave the field next to the label “whose name” empty.
This assures that you'll find all files, regardless of their names. You have another option: choose “ignore” from the menu button. When you choose “ignore,” the controls for specifying a name disappear. To open them again, choose “Name” from the Match menu.
In the field next to the label “look,” type the name of the directory from which you want to start the search.
By default, your home directory name appears.
Choose “Icon” from the Match menu.
A new area appears in the window.
Drag an icon of the type for which you are searching, and drop it into the drop pocket.
For example, if you want to find a particular IRIS Showcase file, drag an IRIS Showcase file icon and place it in the drop pocket. The icon changes and the name of that filetype appears in the pink field.
Press the Search button.
A list of files appears in the lower portion of the window. In this case, all of the files on the list are IRIS Showcase files.
If your system is part of a network, you can use the Search tool to find files on other systems. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Files to display the controls for finding files and directories.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Files isn't visible. The correct controls are displayed when the top of the window says “Search for a file.”
By default, the Search tool shows two fields: one for specifying the file name and one for specifying the directories that you want to search.
Type the name of the file you want to find in the field next to the label “whose name.”
For more details, see “Finding Files: Basic Instructions.”
In the field next to the label “look,” type /hosts followed by the name of the system and directory in which you want to search.
If the system is in a different domain of the network, include this after the system name. For example, to search in the /usr/tmp directory on a system named wizard in the .bldg2 domain, type: /hosts/wizard.bldg2/usr/tmp
A folder icon should appear in the drop pocket next to the pathname you type. If it does not appear, you can not search the directory you have specified. You may be unable to search for one of several reasons:
The directory is marked as private; the owner has not set it up as a shared directory. See “Overview of Sharing a Directory” for more details.
The permission settings prevent you from searching the directory. See “Permissions Settings: A Definition” for more information on permission settings.
Choose commands from the Match menu to narrow the search to specific types of files.
Each command on the Match menu reveals a new set of controls. See “Finding Files: Basic Instructions” for more details.
Press the Search button.
A list of files that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window. If you need to access a remote file frequently, drag the icon onto the desktop, onto a shelf, or onto a page in the Icon Catalog. This gives you quick access to a file on another system. To make a copy of the file, drag it into an open Directory View window or over a folder icon.
You can use the Search tool to find files, directories, and applications based on their name, size, owner, and more. In addition, you can narrow the search so that the Search tool only finds directories that meet the search criteria. (If the Search tool is not already showing, clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Files to display the controls for finding files and directories.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Files isn't visible. The correct controls are displayed when the top of the window says “Search for a file.”
By default, the Search tool shows two fields: one for specifying the file name and one for specifying the directories that you want to search.
Type the name, or a portion of the name, in the field next to the label “whose name.”
For more details, see “Finding Files: Basic Instructions.”
In the field next to the label “look,” type the name of the directory from which you want to start the search.
By default, your home directory name appears.
Choose “Icon” from the Match menu.
A new area appears in the window.
Type “Directory” in the type-in field or drag a folder icon into the drop pocket.
The drop pocket displays a folder icon and the word “Directory” appears in the pink field.
Press the Search button.
A list of directories appears in the lower portion of the window.
To print a file, you can drag a file icon and drop it onto a printer icon. Use the Search tool to find icons for printers that are connected to your computer or are connected to a computer on your network. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Printers” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Printers to display the controls for finding printers.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Printers isn't visible. The correct controls are showing when the top of the window says “Search for printers.”
If you know the name of the printer whose icon you want to find, type the name in the field next to the label “whose name.”
By default, the Search tool finds printers whose name contains the string you type. For example, suppose you type doc. You find all printers whose name contains that sequence of characters, regardless of the capitalization.
If you want to find printers that match a particular name, you need to change the setting from “contains string” to “matches pattern.” To do so, place the cursor over the button labeled contains string; then press the left mouse button. Choose “matches pattern” from the menu that appears. Now, if you type “doc,” you only find printers named doc.
Choose commands from the Match menu to specify what type of printers you want to find.
Choose “Color” to specify whether the printer is black and white or color.
Choose “Input Format” to specify what type of files the printer accepts. Your choices are “handles postscript,” “handles bitmaps,” or “handles plotting.”
Choose “Resolution” to specify the resolution of the printer. You can specify the dots per inch, and then ask to find printers whose resolution matches that number, is greater than that number, or is less than that number.
Choose “Location” to find printers based on the physical location of the printer. When you use the Printer Manager to set up your system to recognize a new printer, you can specify a code and description for the printer's location. The Search tool can make a match based on the location code.
Fill in the new fields that appear.
Press the Search button.
A list of icons that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window. Now you can drag the printer icon and drop it onto the desktop so it is easily accessible.
Each person who uses the system should have his or her own login account. The login account contains information about the user—such as the person's full name and job title—and a picture of the person. The picture represents the person's account as an icon in the desktop and when you want information about a person, you double-click the person's icon to see the electronic business card.
You can use the Search tool to find icons for other users on your network. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “People” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled People to display the controls for finding icons that represent other people with login accounts on the system.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled People isn't visible. The correct controls are showing when the top of the window says “Search for people.”
If you know the person's login name, type the name in the field next to the label “whose login name.”
Type the name, or a portion of the name, and the Search tool finds all users whose login name contains that string of characters. For example, type jim, and you find all users whose login names contain the string jim (for example., jim, jimt, tjim, and so on).
To match a particular name, you need to change the setting from “contains string” to “matches pattern.” To do so, place the cursor over the button labeled contains string; then press the left mouse button. Choose “matches pattern” from the menu that appears. Now, if you type “jim,” you only find users named jim.
Choose commands from the Match menu to find users based on other information they have put on their electronic business card.
Choose “Name” to specify the person's full name.
Choose “Organization” to specify the name of the organization the person placed on the electronic business card.
Choose “Job Title” to specify the job title the person placed on the electronic business card.
Press the Search button.
A list of user icons appears in the lower portion of the window. This list does not include icons for default login accounts such as root, guest, and EZsetup. If you want the Search tool to find such accounts, click the box next to the label ignore default users in the upper right corner of the window. The checkmark disappears.
You can use a tape drive to install software and copy and retrieve files. Use the Search tool to find icons for tape drives that are connected to systems on your network. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Tape Drives” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Tape Drives to display the controls for finding other systems on the network.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Tape Drives isn't visible. The correct controls are showing when the top of the window says “Search for tape drives.”
Place the cursor over the menu button labeled whose type, press the left mouse button, and then choose an entry from the menu that appears.
Choose commands from the Match menu to find drives based on other information
Choose “Loaded” to specify whether the drive is loaded with a tape or is empty.
Choose “Location” to specify the location of the system that contains the drive. The Search tool compares this to information stored by the System Manager.
Choose settings from the menu buttons that appear.
To choose an item from a menu button, place the cursor over the button; then press the left mouse button to reveal a menu.
Press the Search button.
A list of tape drive icons that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window. Now you can drag the tape icon and place it on the desktop, on a shelf, or on a page in the Icon Catalog so you can access it easily.
Use the Search tool to find the icons for CD-ROM drives, floppy drives, and floptical drives that are attached to systems on your network. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Disk Drives” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Disk Drives to display the controls for finding other systems on the network.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Disk Drives isn't visible. The correct controls are showing when the top of the window says “Search for disk drives.”
Choose the type of disk drive that you want to find: CD-ROM, floppy disk drive, floptical disk drive, or SCSI disk drive.
Place the cursor over the menu button next to whose type; then press the left mouse button.
Choose an entry from the menu that appears.
Choose commands from the Match menu to find disk drives based on other information about the disk drive.
Choose “Size” to specify the size of the disk drive.
Choose “Loaded” to specify whether the drive is loaded with media, such as a tape or compact disc, or is empty.
Choose “Format” to specify the type of data the disk drive contains. Your choices are: music, photo CD, DOS, Mac, EFS, NFS, or ISO 9660.
Choose “Location” to specify the location of the system that contains the drive. The Search tool compares this to information stored by the System Manager.
Fill in the necessary fields and choose settings from the menu buttons.
To choose an item from a menu button, place the cursor over the button next to the new field that appears; then press the left mouse button to reveal a menu.
Press the Search button.
A list of disk drive icons that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window. Now you can drag the drive icon and place it on the desktop, on a shelf, or on a page in the Icon Catalog so you can access it easily.
If your system is part of a network, you can use resources such as files, disk drives, and printers that are on other systems in the network. Use the Search tool to find out what systems are available. (If the Search tool is not already showing, open it by clicking the words Search tool now, or by choosing “Hosts” from the Find toolchest.)
Click the tab labeled Hosts to display the controls for finding other systems on the network.
See “Turning Pages in the Search Tool” if the tab labeled Hosts isn't visible. The correct controls are showing when the top of the window says “Search for hosts.”
If you know the name of the system whose icon you want to find, type the name, or a portion of the name, in the field next to the label “whose name.”
By default, the Search tool finds systems whose name contains the string you type. For example, suppose you type doc. You find all systems whose name contains that sequence of characters, regardless of the capitalization.
If you want to find systems that match a particular name, you need to change the setting from “contains string” to “matches pattern.” To do so, place the cursor over the button labeled contains string; then press the left mouse button. Choose “matches pattern” from the menu that appears. Now, if you type “doc,” you only find systems named doc.
Leave the field blank if you want to find all systems, regardless of name.
Choose commands from the Match menu to narrow the search to certain types of systems.
Choose “Model” to specify which model of Silicon Graphics systems you want to find. A menu button lists the available models.
Choose “Memory” to specify the amount of memory the system contains.
Fill in the necessary fields and choose settings from the menu buttons.
To choose an item from a menu button, place the cursor over the button next to the new field that appears; then press the left mouse button to reveal a menu.
Press the Search button.
A list of system icons that meet the search criteria appears in the lower portion of the window. Now you can drag the system icon and place it on the desktop, on a shelf, or on a page in the Icon Catalog so you can access it easily.
The controls for performing a specific type of search are stored on a page. By default the Search tool contains six pages—one each for finding files, printers, tape drives, disk drives, system users, and other systems on the network. If you perform a specific search periodically, consider adding a new page to the tool.
For example, suppose you use a software application that automatically creates a backup copy of the file you are editing. It names these files filename.bak. This protects you from losing information if the program quits unexpectedly. To regain disk space, you might want to find old backup files and delete them periodically.
Choose “File Search” from the New rollover menu on the Page menu in the Search tool.
A new page appears. The title bar and tab display the label “Files1.” This number increases each time you choose “File Search.”
Type .bak in the field next to “whose name.”
By default, the Search tool finds files that contain the string of characters you specify. If you type .bak, you find all files that contain the sequence of characters “.bak.”
If you've changed the setting to “matches pattern,” you need to type *.bak. The asterisk is a wild card. You find all files that end with .bak.
Make sure the full pathname of your home directory appears in the field next to the label “look.”
Choose “Time” from the Match menu.
A menu button and new type-in field appear.
Choose “...days or older” from the menu button.
To choose an item from a menu button, place the cursor over the button next to the label “and time”; then press the left mouse button to reveal the menu.
Type 7 in the field next to the button.
This specifies that you want to find files that end in .bak and are more than seven days old.
Press the Search button.
You see a list of .bak files that are more than seven days old.
Choose “Rename” from the Page menu; then type a new name in the window that appears. For this example, suppose you type “OldFiles.”
Now when you want to find these files, you can click the tab labeled “OldFiles.”
The controls for performing a specific type of search are stored on a page. To turn from one page to another, place the cursor over the tab; then click the left mouse button. You move to that page.
Some of the tabs might not fit in the space provided. When this happens, a stack of unnumbered tabs appears at the left or right edge of the tab display area. To turn to a page whose tab is hidden:
Place the cursor over the stack of unnumbered tabs; then press the left mouse button.
Choose a page number from the menu that appears.
This section lists two problems that you might encounter:
You can not find files on remote systems.
You will not be able to find files on remote systems if automount, a system setting, is disabled. To check this setting, open a shell window by choosing “Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest. In the shell window, type chkconfig. Look for the word “automount” in the left column.
If automount is enabled, the word “on” appears in the right column. If it is disabled, the word “off” appears. Contact the Administrator if the setting needs to be changed.
You don't find icons that you expect to find.
The Search tool searches your network to find host icons, user icons, tape drive icons, and other drive icons. The range of the search depends upon your network setup—the number of subnets it contains, how busy it is, and the location of directory servers and object servers. These servers monitor systems on the network and report the devices and users that are available on each. If you do not find icons that you expect to find, it might be because they are outside the area of the network in which the Search tool works.
As a general rule, the Search tool finds icons in your subnet and other subnets within eight hops (layers) of your subnet. In some working environments, this may be the entire network. In other environments, it is a portion of the network. For more details, consult your network administrator and the system software release notes.
For quick access to your most-used icons, place them in one of three places: on the desktop, on a shelf, or in the Icon Catalog.
A shelf is a place for you to put icons that you need to use frequently while working in a particular directory. For example, if the directory contains many files, you might want to place the files you use most frequently on the shelf. Or, if the directory contains many color Showcase slides, you might want to place the icon for a color printer onto the shelf.
Figure 6-1 shows a sample Directory View window and shelf. Notice that the shelf is blue; the rest of the window is light green. The blue background indicates that it is a holding place for frequently used icons.
To place an icon on the shelf:
Display the shelf by choosing “Shelf” from the View menu or by clicking the Shelf button in the toolbar. Figure 6-2 shows the Shelf button.
Place the cursor over the icon that you want to place on the shelf; then press the left mouse button and drag the icon onto the shelf.
Release the mouse button when the icon is over the shelf.
![]() | Note: Placing an icon on the shelf gives you a more convenient place from which to access the icon. It does not move the file. If you no longer need to use an icon frequently, you can take it off the shelf. This is called “putting away” an icon. When you put away an icon, the icon disappears from the shelf but the file is not deleted. See “Putting Away an Icon.” |
The screen background is called the desktop. It's a place for you to set frequently used icons so you have quick and easy access to them. By default, several icons are placed on each desktop: a folder icon representing your home directory, a dumpster icon, several application icons, and an icon for each peripheral you have installed. To place additional icons on the desktop:
Place the cursor over the icon that you want to place on the desktop; then press the left mouse button and drag the icon onto the desktop.
Release the mouse button. The icon appears on the desktop.
![]() | Note: Placing an icon on the desktop gives you a more convenient place from which to access the icon. It does not move the file. If you no longer need to use an icon frequently, you can take it off the desktop. This is called “putting away” an icon. When you put away an icon, the icon disappears from the desktop, but the file is not deleted. See “Putting Away an Icon.” |
The Icon Catalog shows collections of applications and tools that are available on your system. You can add icons to a page in the Icon Catalog, and you can create new pages. See “Adding Icons to an Icon Catalog Page” and “Creating a New Page in the Icon Catalog.”
Each page in the Icon Catalog shows a collection of icons. To add an icon to an existing page, do the following:
Place the cursor over the icon that you want to add to the page; then press the left mouse button and drag the icon into the Icon Catalog window.
If you need help finding the icon, open the Search tool by clicking the words Icon Catalog now, or by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.
When the icon is over the blue portion of the window, release the mouse button. The icon appears on the page.
![]() | Note: Note that placing an icon in the Icon Catalog gives you a more convenient place from which to access the icon. It does not move the file. If you no longer need to use an icon frequently, you can take it off the page. This is called “putting away” an icon. When you put away an icon, the icon disappears from the page but the file is not deleted. See “Putting Away an Icon.” |
By default, the Icon Catalog contains several pages. You can create a new page on which to store your own collection of icons. To do so:
Choose “New Page” from the Page menu.
A new page appears. The title bar and tab display the label “unnamed.” If you create another new page, the page is named “unnamed1.”
Place icons on the page.
Place the cursor over the icon that you want to add to the page; then press the left mouse button and drag the icon into the Icon Catalog window.
When the icon is over the blue portion of the window, release the mouse button. The icon appears on the page.
Note that placing an icon in the Icon Catalog gives you a more convenient place from which to access the icon. It does not move the file.
Choose “Rename” from the Page menu to specify a different name for the page. See “Renaming an Icon Catalog Page” for step-by-step instructions.
The new page is listed on the Icon Catalog menu on the Find toolchest.
“Creating a New Page in the Icon Catalog” explains how to add your own page to the Icon Catalog. This section explains how to rename a page.
Display the page that you want to rename.
Choose the “Page Up” and “Page Down” commands on the Page menu, press the < Page Up> and < Page Down> keys on the keyboard, or click a tab.
Choose “Rename” from the Page menu.
A window appears.
Place the cursor in the window, click the left mouse button, and then type a name.
Press the <Enter> key or click the OK button.
The new name appears in the title bar.
If you decide that you don't need a page that you have added to the Icon Catalog, you can remove it. To do so, turn to the page you want to remove; then choose “Remove” from the Page menu. A notifier appears asking if you are certain that you want to remove the page. Click OK to remove the page; click Cancel to retain the page.
You cannot remove the default pages. If you turn to a default page and choose the “Remove” command, you make any icons that you had added to the page disappear.
When you remove a page, you do not delete the icons that appear on the page. To find the icons again, choose “an Icon” from the Find toolchest, or open the Search tool by choosing “Files” from the Find toolchest.
The Icon Catalog stores collections of icons on pages. To turn from one page to another, place the cursor over the tab; then click the left mouse button. You move to that page.
Some of the tabs might not fit in the space provided. When this happens, a stack of unnumbered tabs appears at the left or right edge of the tab display area. To turn to a page whose tab is hidden:
Place the cursor over the stack of unnumbered tabs; then press the left mouse button.
Choose a page number from the menu that appears.
You place icons on the desktop, on a shelf, or in the Icon Catalog so that you can access them easily. If you no longer need to use an icon frequently, you can put it away. When you put away an icon, the icon disappears from the shelf, desktop, or Icon Catalog, but the file is not deleted. Suppose you want to take an icon off of a shelf:
Select the icon you want to put away. The icon turns yellow when it's selected.
Choose “Put Away” from the Selected menu.
The icon disappears from the shelf. To access that icon, you need to open the directory in which it is located.
![]() | Tip: You can also put away an icon by dragging it back into the Directory View window in which it belongs. For example, suppose you've placed the IRIS Showcase icon on the desktop. To put it away, drag the icon into the /usr/sbin Directory View window. |
You can change the way that icons are arranged and displayed in Directory View windows and on pages in the Icon Catalog and Search tool. This section contains some information that is common to all three windows and some that is specific to Directory View windows.
The Arrange menu lets you change the way in which icons are sorted.
Choose “by Name” to list the icons alphabetically.
Choose “by Date” to list the files according to the date on which they were last modified.
Choose “by Size” to list the files according to their size, starting with the largest.
Choose “by Type” to list the icons by type (directory, file, or application, for example).
Each Directory View window contains a thumbwheel that you can use to change the size of the icons in that window. Place the cursor over the thumbwheel; then drag the mouse up to make the icons smaller and down to make the icons larger. To return to the original icon size, click the small box below the thumbwheel.
![]() | Note: To change the size of icons on the desktop, use use the Desktop control panel. To open the Desktop control panel, click the word Desktop now, or choose “Desktop” from the Customize menu on the Desktop toolchest. |
When you open a folder icon, the contents of the directory appear as icons scattered throughout the window. Choose “as List” from the View menu to arrange the icons in a sorted list. When you view the icons in a list, you see
the icon name
the size of a file icon in bytes
the date and time at which the file was modified
Additionally, in Directory View windows, you see an arrow next to folder icons. Click the arrow to display the contents of that folder.
To return to the original view, choose “as Icons” from the View menu.
Choose “as Columns” from the View menu to organize icons into columns. To change the view, choose “as Icons” or “as List” from the View menu.
If a Directory View window contains image files, click the Preview Image button in the toolbar or choose “as Gallery” from the View menu. Each image file icon is replaced with a small snapshot of the image.
Many IRIX configuration files are hidden by default. You do not see them in a Directory View window. These files are commonly called dot files because a “.” appears as the first character in the filename. Your .login and .cshrc files are examples of hidden files. You can choose to view or hide these files using the “Hidden Files” command on the View menu. A checkmark next to the command indicates that the files are displayed in that Directory View window.
Use the “Filters” command on the View menu to display only those icons whose name or content matches a certain string of characters.
Choose “Filters” from the View menu on a Directory View window.
Fill in the fields, as needed:
Type a string of characters in the Match Name field. For example, to find files that begin with the letter “d,” type: d. To find files that end with the extension “.rgb,” type *.rgb.
The window immediately changes to display only the icons whose name matches the text you type.
Type a string of characters in the Match Content field. The window immediately changes to display only those text files that contain the string you typed.
These two fields work together. For example, if you type d in the Match Name field and “schedule” in the Match Content field, you only see icons for files that contain the word “schedule” and whose names begin with the letter “d.”
Click Show All to display all icons and ignore text in the Match Name and Match Content fields.