Linux Help for Beginners
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Welcome to my tutorial page. Here is where I plan on putting helpful information about using various applications in Linux.

Tutorial List

1. How to Get and Use Avant Window Navigator
2. How to Make a Home Folder Launcher
3. How to Get the AWN applets package




Avant Window Navigator


What it is:
Avant Window Navigator (referred to as AWN) is an open-source navigation bar (called a dock) that can take the place of taskbars and panels. Here is just a sample of what an AWN dock can look like. AWN can be themed and the settings changed in a vast number of ways to get a look you desire. It's positioned on the bottom of the screen.



How do I get it?

• Open your package manager, whether you are trying out APT or using Synaptic Package Manager (which is a lot easier for the newb) and search "avant." The results of the search should give you two or three choices: avant-window-navigator (required), awn-manager (required) and awn-core-applets or awn-applets-trunk (these two are optional but if they are presented you will want them).
• Right-click on the checkbox next to the listings and click on "mark for installation."
• Click on apply.
• The changes will be applied. When Synaptic is finished (or APT if you used it) close it out and then click on your main menu.
• Depending on how your menu is set up (mine has an "all" heading so I can just scroll down the list) scroll until you find two listings: AWN manager and Avant Window Navigator. For first time use, open the AWN manager first and explore your options

Here's a picture of TWO AWN manager windows. The one on the left shows some of the general options and the one on the right shows the list of themes I have installed (there are many theme options!)

Once you are done feeling your way around the awn manager, it's time to open your dock!

• Go back to your menu list and open Avant-Window-Navigator. Your shiny new dock will poof up on the bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, it won't fill itself with icons! Now we have to create "launchers," the icons that will start your applications. You can either open the awn manager from your menu again or you can right-click on the very edge of the dock to open the awn-manager (it is tricky to get just the right spot!)
First option you can try:
This may or may not work for you. I have had some successes and some failures at putting icons in the dock this way but feel free to try this first as it is easier. Open your menu and scroll down to an application you want on your dock (think of it as a place to quickly launch your favorite applications) like Firefox for example. Drag the Firefox selection from your menu down into your dock. If it works, great!! Just repeat until you have all your favorite applications in there. If this didn't work for you for some reason, read on!
Second option you can try:
Open your file manager (Nautilus, Thunar or Konqueror probably) and find "file system" or your computer icon on your desktop if you have one there. (Not in your home folder!!) From there navigate to /usr/share/applications. From there you can drag icons to the dock just as you did (or tried to do) from the main menu. That is the other drag n drop option. Now if your choices aren't there or this doesn't work for whatever reason, read on!

Third option (requires commands--don't worry!)
Click the tab on the left that says Launchers. This will take you to the launchers screen where it will say launcher preferences add and remove launchers. There are add/remove/edit buttons on the right side. Click the "add" option!

• A launcher editor pops up. There will be options for name, description and the all important command. Here is an example using Firefox:
  In case it's hard to see, the command itself is simply "firefox" (no quotes)
  
  

Several other options won't be available right away that you might want. This is where (if you had the option on the Synaptic list, or repo) the applets package comes in handy. There are many options for such items as time, calendars, trash cans and other things that normally can be found on a panel. One thing you will want on your dock is a Home Folder launcher! Read "Making a Home Folder Launcher" to learn how to make your home folder available in the dock. If you don't have any applets listed except for one (that says Launcher/Taskmanager) you may not have the applets package on repository. I will explain how to add this package to the repository also in a later section.

Making a Home Folder launcher:

Using the Awn manager again, go back to the launchers tab. Again, choose the add button on the right. When the launch editor pops up, enter the following into the editor:
1. Name: (either home folder, home or whatever you want to call it) 2. Description: (I usually don't bother; if you put anything here it will show up on mouse-over) 3. Command: nautilus --no-desktop (nautilus space dash dash no dash desktop) So as not to mistake how to type that in, there is only one space in the command, right after the word nautilus. Yes, it's a weird one. Now you have your home folder launcher!!!!

Adding the AWN applets package to repository (Getting the applets if you don't have them!)

The AWN dock is great to have, even without the extra applets...that having been said, the applets are great to have! So how do you get them if they aren't in the list on Synaptic or APT? Here goes!
THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE ONLY FOR UBUNTU LINUX (THEY WORK FOR LINUX MINT ALSO)

1. Open a terminal..(eek! the command line!....don't worry, I wouldn't explain it if I hadn't personally done this!)
2. TYPE in the following, which will be on two separate lines (don't copy and paste!)

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

(Sudo makes you super user, gedit is a text editor --you might need to replace gedit with something else if you use another text editor-- and the rest is the location of the sources list, which is a list of places that your distro gets its packages from)

At the bottom of the page, under 'other repositories', add a new entry..I call mine AWN-Repo. As you can see (or in case you can't) you type in ##space+++AWN-Repo+++enter (the ## is to "comment out" the title, which tells it not to do anything with that line, that it's just a "comment"--then after the plus signs you can call it whatever you can remember, more plus signs and then hit enter)

Add these two lines (each on its own line!):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main
(if you have the gutsy gibbon version, replace only the word hardy with the word gutsy, or edgy or feisty for previous Ubuntu versions)

Then save and exit the text editor.

This is what it should look like:

Open your package manager again (I used Synaptic)

Click on Edit in Synaptic's menu and scroll down to Reload package information and click on it

Use search to look up 'avant' again and the applets package should now be there. Right click on the checkbox to choose mark for installation. In my case, using the hardy repository got me a newer version of the dock and applets so when I marked them for installation, they uninstalled the old stuff, so it looked a little strange to have the dock and applets but it said they weren't installed. So if you see awn manager and avant-window-navigator uninstalled and the ones installed have the word trunk attached, it's normal.

Now when you open the awn manager and click on applets, there should be several choices awaiting you. For any problems or additional help, see the Avant Window Navigator Wiki

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