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318.

An alternative way of hiding the panel is to do so manually. Clicking on \button{Show hide buttons} will add a button to each side of the panel that can be used to hide it from view. By default these buttons will display directional arrows; however, you can select the \button{Arrows on hide buttons} option to remove the arrows and just have plain buttons. Clicking one of these \emph{hide buttons} on the panel will slide it across the screen and out of view, leaving just the opposite hide button in sight which you can click to bring it back. \marginnote{By default, Ubuntu requires that you maintain at least one panel on the desktop. If you prefer a Microsoft Windows feel, a panel at the bottom of the desktop can be set to start applications as well as select between open windows. Alternatively, if you prefer a Mac \acronym{OS X} look you can keep a panel at the top and add an applications dock such as \application{Docky}, \application{Avant Window Navigator} (\acronym{AWN}), or \application{Cairo-Dock}. These are all available in the \application{Ubuntu Software Center}, which is discussed further in \chaplink{ch:software-management}.} The \button{Background} tab in the \window{Panel Properties} window allows you to change the appearance of the panel. By default, this is set to \button{None (use system theme)}, meaning that your desktop theme will dictate the appearance of the panel (we will look at how to change your desktop theme below). If you prefer, you can choose your own panel color by selecting the \button{Solid color} button, then opening the color select window. You can also set the panel transparency using the slider. Alternatively, you can click the \button{Background image} button if you have an image or pattern stored on your computer that you would like to use as your panel background. Use the file selector to locate the background image in your computer, then click \button{Open} to apply the change.

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Adding applets

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Ubuntu provides a selection of applets that can be added to any panel. Applets range from the informative to the fun, and can also provide quick access to some tasks. To add an applet, right-click on a panel then select \button{Add to Panel\ldots} from the popup menu. A window will appear with a list of available applets, which can then be dragged to an empty space on a panel. You may want to spend some time exploring the different ones available\dash they can easily be removed from your panel by right-clicking on the applet and selecting \button{Remove From Panel}.

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\marginnote{Some applets will be locked and can't be moved. Right-click on them and deselect the ``Lock to Panel'' check box.}

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To reposition an existing applet, right-click on it and select \button{Move}. Move your mouse cursor to the desired location (this can even be a different panel) and the applet will follow, then left-click to drop it into place.

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\marginnote{You can also add program launchers to a panel by dragging them directly from the \menu{Applications} menu, in the left of the top panel.} The \window{Add to Panel\ldots} window can also be used to add additional application launchers to your panel, similar to the \application{Firefox} launcher that sits to the right of the \button{System} menu. To add a new one, double-click on \button{Application Launcher\ldots} near the top of the window. Here you can navigate through your applications and drag them to your panel to create a new launcher, just as you did to add an applet previously. Program launchers can also be removed and repositioned through their right-click menu.

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Workspaces

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To modify your workspaces, right-click on the \emph{workspace switcher} applet (by default this is on the right side of the bottom panel, just to the left of the Trash applet) and select \button{Preferences}. In the window that appears you can choose how many workspaces you want in total, and whether these will be displayed on the panel in one or more rows. You can also rename each workspace, and have the names displayed in the panel applet. If you prefer, you can also choose to just have the workspace you are currently using displayed in the panel. In this case, you can still change between workspaces by moving the mouse over the workspace switcher and scrolling the mouse wheel.

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Appearance

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You can change the background, fonts, and window theme to further modify the look and feel of your desktop. To begin, open the \application{Appearance Preferences} by navigating to \menu{System\then Preferences\then Appearance} in the top panel.