Need help with panel customization

[Zead]

Right-click panel and choose:  Panel -> Panel Preferences -> Items (tab).

Look for and highlight "Windows Buttons" under Icons tab.

Click "Edit the currently selected item" (to the right) to edit the Windows Buttons item.

Under "Appearance", uncheck "Show button labels".


Now whenever you open a program you'll only see a new icon for it in the panel bar instead of a descriptive tab.  Clicking it will minimize/maximize it, but there is no way that I know of to launch a new instance of the program from that icon.  To do that you'll probably need to install a dock of some sort.  Plank Dock is one that works well with the Xfce desktop -- it's basically a streamlined version of Docky.  (If I remember right, I think Plank is actually the basis for the more full-featured Docky.)

Pretty sure that Plank is in the repository and can be installed from either Synaptic or from a terminal with this command:

Code:

sudo apt-get install plank

If not, you can add the PPA to your system and then install from Synaptic or terminal after that.

After initial installation, it will be found under Menu -> Accessories where you can launch it and add whatever you want to it.  New instances of a launched program can be done by middle-clicking the icon on the dock.

If you want the dock to auto-start on startup you need to add that to the "Application Autostart" section under Menu -> Settings -> Session and Startup.  Just click "Add" near bottom of window and enter a Name for it (Plank Dock), Description (Auto-start the Plank Dock), Command (plank).

Here's a page with common questions/answers for its usage.

I already did the first before, but like we said,it still creates new icons.
I saw on the internet somewhere, where guy did it the way I want without installing anything, he did some weird commands, but I'm not comfortable with typing random commands, when I don't know what they do...
I wanna know what I'm doing to my system.

Thanks, I'll try plank then.
By the way, I could delete "Window Buttons" from the panel and add "Window Menu", but it's not very practical.

You can also use DockBarX.  It behaves like the Windows 7 menu bar, where application icons are grouped and status is shown through highlights.


See my desktop here

Thanks, I'll try that too, I hope I can make the squares invisible (like my panel).
I also hope I can use that grey icons I have, I love them xD.