Creating, Moving, and Removing Panels

Creating new panels

To add a new Panel to your desktop, select Panel->Create panel from the Main Menu. Choose from the following Panel types:

• Menu Panel — The Menu Panel is a special Panel which is always placed at the top of your screen and contains several pull-down menus. These are Programs, Favorites, Settings, Desktop, and a special menu which provides quick access to GNOME-related Internet resources (look for the bullet hole icon). This Panel can also hold the other objects which other Panels can hold, but it does not have the configuration properties which other Panels have. Note that the Menu Panel is more restrictive than other Panels, and some normal Panel operations, such as moving the Panel, cannot be performed on it.

• Edge Panel — An Edge Panel is exactly like the main Panel that starts up with GNOME; it stretches along the whole length of one of screen edges. By selecting this type of Panel, you may add a new Panel to another edge of your screen to give yourself more functionality.

• Aligned Panel — An Aligned Panel is also positioned along one of the screen edges. But unlike an Edge Panel, an Aligned Panel will not stretch across the entire edge of the screen it is on; It will only stretch as much as necessary to display the icons and applets it contains. It can be positioned either at one of the corners (in this case, it will stretch towards the opposite corner) or at the center of the edge (in this case, it will stretch in both directions, automatically recentering when you add new objects).

  If an Aligned Panel is aligned with one of the corners, the hide buttons will work slightly differently than for an Edge Panel. The hide button closest to the edge of your screen will hide the Panel as usual but the other hide button will send the whole Panel to the opposite corner. When the latter move is made it will not hide the Panel since it is changing the side of the screen it resides on. If you want to hide it you will have to press the hide button once again.

• Sliding Panel — A Sliding Panel is very similar to an Aligned Panel, but can be placed anywhere along the screen edge, not necessarily in one of the corners or in the center. As you add objects, it will only grow in one direction — it won't automatically recenter.

• Floating Panel — A Floating Panel can be placed anywhere on your screen, not necessarily along one of the edges.

	Changing Panel Type
	You can also change type of existing panel — for example, convert edge panel to a floating panel, see the section called Individual Panel Properties.

Moving Panels

Any Panel you have on your desktop(except a Menu Panel) can be moved by pressing the middle mouse button, or by simultaneously pressing the left and right mouse buttons, while dragging the Panel to the desired position on your screen. If you do not have a middle mouse button and did not configure your mouse to emulate a middle button you may also move a Panel by changing its location in the Panel properties dialog. You can read more about this in the section called Individual Panel Properties of this documentation.

Removing Panels

To remove an existing Panel, right-click on it and choose Panel->Remove this panel. If the Panel is not empty, you will be prompted to confirm.

	Removing Your Only Panel
	You must have at least one Panel running at all times. GNOME will not allow you to remove your only Panel.