Windows
Figure 1.30 Drag and drop an icon to move it to…
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Figure 1.31 …a new position in the window (or on the
desktop).
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Figure 1.32 An application window.
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Figure 1.34 You can tell which window is active by
looking for the darker color of the title bar and
borders—the center one, in this case.
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Windows
The Windows interface takes its trademark
name from the rectangles on your screen—the
windows—in which you work. Figure 1.32
shows a typical window with its parts labeled.
When you work with Windows Vista you’ll
have multiple (overlapping) windows open at
the same time so that you can, say, alternate
working with a word processor, email program,
and web browser.
In a window for an application (such as
Internet Explorer, Word, or Photoshop), you
identify the window by its title bar, which
lists the name of the program and the current
document. In a folder window (such as
Documents or Control Panel), the title bar is
blank, and the address bar displays your current
location as a series of links separated by
arrows (Figure 1.33).
Each window has its own boundaries and
can present different views of its contents.
To manage multiple windows, you need to
learn a few basic skills.
Tips
- The windows that you actually work with
often are crowded with other items, such
as menus, toolbars, status bars, and navigation
and other panes.
- Windows don’t have to be rectangular.
Some applications (Windows Media
Player, for example) let you apply oddshaped
“skins.”
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Activating a window
If you have multiple windows open, only
one window is active at any time. The active
window is the one that receives your keystrokes
(text entry, navigational movements, or commands).
You can identify the active window
by its dark-colored title bar and border; the
edges of inactive windows have a washed-out
color. If you’re using the Aero color scheme,
the active window has a heavier shadow that
makes it look like it’s floating above the
inactive ones (Figure 1.34). An inactive
window can be hidden partially or entirely
behind another window, where it remains
inactive until you bring it to the foreground.
To activate a window:
- Click anywhere on the window (but don’t
click a button or menu lest you activate
it accidentally).
or
Click the window’s taskbar icon.
or
In the Quick Launch toolbar on the taskbar,
click the Switch Between Windows button
( ), use the arrow keys to select a
window, and then press Enter.
or
Hold down Alt, press Esc repeatedly until
the desired window appears, and then
release both keys.
or
Hold down Alt, press Tab repeatedly until
the desired program icon is highlighted
in the pop-up selection bar, and then
release both keys. (This common technique
is called Alt-tabbing.)
or
If you’re using the Aero color scheme, hold
down the Windows logo key, press Tab
repeatedly until the desired program window
appears, and then release both keys.
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Address bar
Figure 1.33 A folder window. The address bar shows
the current location.
Tips
- Programs whose windows are inactive can
still carry out tasks—called background
tasks—such as downloading files or printing
documents. Inactive means that you
are ignoring the window, but Windows
still gives it the resources to do its job.
- Generally, the active window is in front
of all other windows. But some windows,
such as Task Manager and Help, can be
set to stay on top—in the foreground—
even when inactive.
- See also “Switching Programs” in
Chapter 6.
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