GNOME Tweak tool to customize FEDORA 16

One of our complaints about GNOME 3 is its lack of customization options. The Personal section of System Settings only lets you change the desktop wallpaper. You can do a lot more than that, though.

The GNOME Tweak Tool is the way to customize GNOME 3. This application can be installed via Add/Remove Software. Just search for "tweak" and scroll down until you see A Tool to customize advanced GNOME 3 options.

GNOME Tweak Tool Installation

Once GNOME Tweak Tool is installed, you can find it in the Applications side of the Activities Overview under the the heading Advanced Settings.

GNOME Tweak Tool lets you modify the desktop, fonts, shell, shell extensions, theme, and windows (essentially everything that System Settings leaves out, and then some). The left pane of the GNOME Tweak Tools serves to switch between these sections.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Home Page

You can score yourself a functional desktop under the Desktop section by checking Have file manager handle the desktop. From there you can drop shortcuts to the computer, home directory, network servers, and trash back on the desktop.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Desktop Page

You can change default font, document font, monospace font, and window title font in the Fonts section. You can also adjust the scaling factor, hinting, and anti-aliasing.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Fonts Page

The Shell section lets you show the date or seconds in the Clock and show the "week date" in the calendar. You can also change the arrangement of the title bar buttons. This enables, amazingly enough, the missing maximize and minimize buttons! The laptop lid can be configured to taste, too.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Shell Page

The Shell Extensions page is where additional extensions can be installed and activated/deactivated.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Shell Extensions Page

In the Theme section, you can add icons to menus and buttons, as well as change the cursor, keybinding, icon, GTK+, window, and shell themes.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Theme Page

Window behavior like double-, middle-, and right-click on the title bar is modifiable, along with the focus mode.

GNOME Tweak Tool - Windows Page

With the GNOME Tweak Tool installed, let's look at some of the powerful shell extensions available for GNOME 3

Input Tips and tricks in Fedora

Nearly every function familiar to most desktops is somehow different in GNOME Shell. So, navigating the UI with a keyboard might feel more efficient than hunting around with a mouse. Thankfully, there are a lot of handy keyboard shortcuts available in GNOME 3.

Keyboard Shortcut
Function
Windows Key
Opens Activities OverviewAlt + F1
Opens Activities OverviewAlt + F2
Opens Run Command prompt
Alt + Tab
Switches between open applications from left to right
Alt + Shift + Tab
Switches between open applications from right to leftEsc
Closes Activities Overview or current menu/dialog
Alt + ~ (tilde)
Opens the Application SwitcherCtrl + Alt + Tab
Open the Accessibility Switcher which changes focus of different UI elements for keyboard control
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R
Toggles Screencast Recorder on/off
Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow
Switch to Workspace below current Workspace
Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow
Switch to Workspace above current WorkspaceCtrl + Alt + Shift + Down ArrowMoves currently selected window to the Workspace below current Workspace
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up ArrowMoves currently selected window to the Workspace above current WorkspaceCtrl + F6
Switches between windows of active application
Alt + Esc
Switches between windows on current Workspace
Prt Scr
Takes a fullscreen screenshot
Alt + Prt Scr
Takes a screenshot of the currently selected window
Ctrl + Alt + Del
Log Out
Ctrl + Alt + L
Lock ScreenAlt + Spacebar
Toggles the menu of the currently selected menu
Alt + F10
Maximizes currently selected window
Alt + F5
Restores currently selected window
Alt + F4
Closes currently selected window
Alt + F7
Activates movement control of currently selected window
Alt + F8
Activates resize control of currently selected window
F10
Opens first menubar entry of currently selected application
F8
Selects divider in multi-paned applications
F1
Displays Help knowledge base for currently selected application

Application Switcher

Hopefully you've picked up on the fact that GNOME 3 has no on-screen task management, and the Activities overview is somewhat of a hassle. Fortunately, there is a new application-based Alt-Tab switcher.

The Application Switcher can be activated without auto-cycling through windows by holding down the Alt and ~ key. Being application-based (not window-based), the Application Switcher combines multiple windows of the same application into a single icon. Pressing the down arrow over an application icon displays thumbnails of all windows created by that application. You can use the right and left arrows to cycle through applications and windows.

The Application Switcher

Although this isn't a suitable replacement for on-screen task management facilitated by taskbars and docks, it can help shave off time you'd otherwise spend fooling around with the Activities Overview. Then again, keyboard shortcuts are never a sufficient remedy for UI design problems.

Mouse

If you really rely on a mouse for navigation, you're not entirely left out in the cold. Despite the extra burden that GNOME Shell hits you with, there are a few helpful mouse tricks.

Mouse Shortcut
Function
Third Button Click (press scrollwheel) on Application Launcher
Opens application in new desktop
Double-click window Title BarMaximizes window
Right-click on Application Launcher
Opens contextual menu for the application
Ctrl + Left-click on Application Launcher
Opens new instance of application on current workspace
Ctrl + Scroll Wheel Up
Zooms in currently selected window
Ctrl + Scroll Wheel Down
Zooms out currently selected application
Scroll Wheel Up over Window in Activities Overview
Zooms in window preview
Scroll Wheel Down over Window in Activities OverviewZooms out window preview

Zoom Windows In The Overview

The Windows section of the Activities Overview can quickly get confusing if you have multiple windows of the same or similar applications open at once.

Which one was I looking for?

Using the mouse scroll wheel over any of the windows in the Overview zooms in on it for greater detail. This comes in useful if you find yourself with multiple visually-ambiguous applications open. Text editor and terminal junkies are sure to find this trick essential.

Ah, there it is!

Hidden Minimize

While GNOME 3 ditches the minimize and maximize buttons, right-clicking on window title bars brings up a menu that contains the option to minimize applications.

Hidden Minimize/Maximize Controls

This appears to be the only way to minimize applications in GNOME Shell by default. With no task bar to speak of, who knows where they actually go? The window still appears in the Activities overview. But apparently, minimizing windows in GNOME 3 simply causes them to disappear from the windowing area.

Touchscreen

Unlike Canonical, which developed the fantastic uTouch gesture language, the GNOME project is working with Qt and X.org developers to bring modern multi-touch support to all of Linux. There is no telling how long this will take. But many of you may have noticed how large screen elements like window title bars and the close button have become.