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The default windows in FVWM have a similar "look" as windows
in Windows95 on the PCs. The tops of most windows look like
the one below:
In the upper right hand corner are the same minimize (the
underscore), maximize (the box), and kill
(the 'X') window operations as in Win95. When you
click on Testudo in the upper left hand corner of the window,
you get a Windows Operations menu.
The title bar is in the center with the name of the window.
Just like on a PC or Mac, holding down the first (left) mouse
button on the title bar while you drag the mouse allows you
to move the window. Unlike on the
PC, you can not resize a window by simply dragging anywhere
on the window's frame. Only by dragging on the corners of the
frame allow you to resize the window. Dragging elsewhere on
the frame performs a move operation.
Window Operations
The "Window Ops" menu provides you with all the
functions you can perform on windows. This includes: Move,
Resize, Raise, Lower, (De)Iconify, (Un)stick, (Un)maximize,
Close, Exit, and Refresh Screen. There are two Window
Operations menus. A brief menu is available via the Testudo
icon and by clicking the middle button on the frame of a
window. The full menu is available by clicking the middle
button anywhere on the desktop. If you select an option on
the menu either via Testudo or by the second button on the
window frame, that operation will take immediate effect on
the current window. Using the Window Ops menu via the
desktop, your cursor will first turn into a circle, then you
can select the window. If you change your mind and do not
want to perform the operation, click on the desktop and your
cursor will return to normal.
Keep all three methods of moving windows in mind because not
all windows have title bars! It's also possible to move
windows far enough off the screen that it's hard to get to
the icons on the title bar.
Commands that have letters in parenthesis if front of them
(like (De)Iconify and (Un)Stick) are used to toggle
that property of the window on or off. The basic Move,
Resize, and (Un)Maximize commands should be self-explanatory.
Raise and Lower bring the selected window to the front of the
screen, (on top of all other windows) or lower it (behind the
other windows). (De)Iconify is the same as Minimize. Close
and Exit may seem like the same command, but they are in fact
different. Close tries to let the application close
the selected window, while Exit kills the
application itself. Close is a much more "graceful"
way of quitting applications. In addition, if an application
uses multiple windows, close should only close the window you
select, while Exit will close the entire application. Exit
should only be used when an application is not
responding.
Scrolling
Scrolling in a window is a little bit different from a PC or
Mac. First off, the scrollbar is usually on the left side of
the window instead of the right. Instead of having to click
either above or below the current position indicator to
scroll, (like in Windows) in FVWM you can click anywhere in
the scrollbar. The direction you move is dependent upon which
key you press. Clicking the left button in the scrollbar
moves down, clicking the right button moves up. Clicking the
middle mouse button in the scrollbar moves the current
position to where you clicked. This can be confusing for new
users who are already at the bottom of the screen and click
the left mouse button above the current position indicator,
and the screen doesn't move anywhere!
Changing Windows
For someone used to using Windows or a Macintosh, switching
between windows will seem a little different. First off, FVWM
is by default set to "Mouse Focus." This means that
the current window is the one with the mouse cursor on top of
it. You do not have to click the mouse button to switch
between windows! This has advantages and disadvantages. One
major advantage is that you can type in a window that has
other windows on top of it without having that window raise
to the top (and cover up all the other windows). If you want
a window to rise to the top, either select "Raise" from the
Window Ops menu or click the first button on the title bar.
Mouse focusing can also be a disadvantage if you accidentally
bump your mouse and it moves off the current window
(especially while your typing!) Like the PC, the titlebar of
the current window in always highlighted (WAM defaults the
highlighted titlebar to blue).
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