Index
The Deskbar Menu
The Tray
The list of running programs

Deskbar

The Deskbar is the little panel that by default is located in the upper right corner of the screen. It's Haiku's version of Windows' taskbar with its Start button. It contains the Deskbar menu from where you can start applications and preferences, a tray with a clock and other tools below that and a list of currently running programs at the bottom.

positions

You can move the Deskbar to any corner or as a bar along the upper or lower border of the screen by gripping the knobbly area on one side of the tray and drag&drop it into the new position. You can also fold it into a more compact layout by drag&dropping the knobbly area onto the Deskbar menu.

index The Deskbar Menu

A menu opens when you click on the Deskbar's top:

deskbar.png

indexDeskbar Preferences

configure.png

index The Tray

calendar.png

Among other things, the tray is housing the clock. Left-click it to toggle between date and time. Right-click it to hide/show it or launch the Time preferences to set it.
Here you can also launch a calendar that also appears, when you hold down the left mouse button on the clock for a little time.

Any program can install an icon in the tray to provide an interface to the user. The email system, for instance, shows a different symbol when there's unread mail and offers a context menu to e.g. create or check for new mail. ProcessController is another example that uses its icon in the tray to provide information (CPU/memory usage) and to offer a context menu.

index The list of running programs

list-of-apps.png

You can change to a specific running application by clicking on its entry in the Deskbar and choosing (one of) its windows, from the submenu. By right-clicking you can minimize or close a window or the entire application.

If you activated Expanders in the Deskbar settings, you can expand/collapse the list of windows directly under an application's entry.

In front of every application's windows is a symbol providing info on its state. A bright symbol means a window is visible, a dark one that it's minimized. Three lines in front of a symbol shows that it's not on the current workspace.