Look at the first entry, for the Connect panel. The tag_background= points to the title bar graphic while the <background_picture>...</background_picture> holds the panel graphic itself. For our desktop, we used the /usr/share/backgrounds/images/home-gray-title.png and /usr/share/backgrounds/images/gray-bk.png - for the title bar and panel, respectively - throughout.
Backgrounds in /usr/share/pixmaps/backgrounds/cosmos/
We'll come back to the /usr/share/desktop-directories/Connect.directory file later. For now, change the <app>...</app> entry to /usr/share/applications/blue-more.desktop, which is the config file for the blue More arrow. Replicate these entries throughout the first four <group>...</group> sets.
Save the file then restart the AA1. If you get the old-look desktop, it means you entered some text incorrectly - have another go. If all four desktop panels are now grey with blue More arrows, you've got it right.
Fire up the terminal, type cd /home/user/.config/xfce4/desktop/ then sudo cp group-app.xml group-app.bak so it's there as a back-up if your next set of edits contain a typo and the AA1 replaces them with the default file. We recommended backing up group-app.xml this way every time you reboot and your edits have been accepted.
The second set of four <group>...</group> tags define the panels you see when you click on each of the four More arrows. The panels' background and title-bar graphics are set as before and can be changed likewise. Ditto the 'back to main screen' arrows. Again, we changed the panels and title bars to the grey ones, and the arrows to the blue ones, copying the .png and .desktop files throughout.
Plenty of icons in /usr/share/pixmaps/
The final, ninth <group>...</group> set defines what appears when you click on the main desktop's Settings button.
The <dir id="1" parent_dir_id="0"> block specifies what appears when you click on the Play icon in the Fun panel.
Back to the main panels. You can re-arrange the icons by changing their sequence= numbers - make sure each one is unique and they all run from 0 upwards in each group. They're not fixed, so it's easy, as we did, to choose your 12 favourite apps and simply paste sets of three into each of the 0, 1 and 2 positions across the four panels so they're ready for you as soon as you start your AA1 up.
COMMENTS
How To?
I would like to know:
1. How to replace Firefox 2 with Firefox 3 easily without having to partially deinstall 2, install 3, partially reinstall 2.
2. How to get Thunderbird to show the number of unread emails under the icon as the crappy inbuilt email reader does. Replacing the email client with Thunderbird was a model of simplicity, but the email icon always shows 0 unread.
Great series of articles though. I learn something new with each one.
1 Solution Install Ubuntee Eee From Pen Drive
Dont bother with this config rubbish...
Ubuntu Eee will work with Acer Aspire One. Thats what I did, it installed all drivers automatically and runs like a dream. All the info you need is here:
http://www.ubuntu-eee.com/
And can be installed from pen drive easily. Once installed you can also add any software package easily at the click of a button, VLC, Skype, Azureus etc...
Good Luck.
@Mike
Good idea - and I tried it, without success. Acer's code appears to put in a solid black titlebar and a solid grey icon panel if it's asked to place a graphic it doesn't 'know' about.
"Invisible" panels
Must there always be four icon panels and are they fixed in place by the OS?
If the answer to both is "yes". then could one take "slices" of the background graphic in an image-editing program, save the parts that would normally be hidden by the panels and use them as the panel graphics?
Inelegant, I know, but it would at least give the impression of the icons floating over the BG. (Hey... I'm not a coder; I'm just the Graphics Geek!)
