The AbiWord Window

The AbiWord window has a number of different components.  These are described below.

The title bar

Every program in your graphic interface system (X11, Aqua, or Windows) has a title bar.  The title bar normally displays information such as the name of the program, and the file that is currently open.  You can also use the title bar to move the AbiWord window around your screen.

Other features of the title bar are governed by the window manager (or operating system) that you are using.  For the purposes of this manual it will be assumed that the fvwm95 window manager or Microsoft Windows is in use.  If you are using a different window manager or operating system, the behavior of the title bar may differ from that described in this manual.

To move the AbiWord window using the title bar:

1.  Point the mouse cursor at the (blue or grey) middle section of the title bar and then hold down the left mouse button.
2. By dragging the mouse, you can move the AbiWord window around the screen.  
   This technique will work for all programs that you use.

Using the title bar buttons:

The title bar has five buttons with the following uses:

Button Name Description

Control Button This button allows you to bring up a menu of windowing options.  This button is seen as an Abi Ant icon in Windows.

Minimize This button will remove the window from the screen, leaving it only on the task bar.

Maximize This button will cause the AbiWord to take up the entire screen area.  It also causes the maximize button to change into a Restore button.

Close This button will close the AbiWord window.  If there is only one AbiWord window it will also close the program.

Restore This button will restore a maximized window to the size it was prior to being maximized.  It will also change the restore button into a Maximize button.

The Menu bar

The menu bar allows you to choose commands that AbiWord is capable of performing.  The menu bar has a series of words on it.  Each word displayed will have a single letter that is underlined.  This means that you can access that menu by holding down the <Alt> key on your keyboard and then pressing the letter that is underlined.  For example, to pull down the File menu, you can hold down the <Alt> key and press "F".  For a detailed description of each of the commands available with the menu bar, see the Interface section of the documentation.

The toolbars

The toolbars present shortcut ways to perform commands that are also available via the menu bar.  Every command that is available via a toolbar button is also available via the menu, but not all menu commands have a corresponding toolbar button.  Toolbar buttons are typically used to quickly access commonly used menu commands.

There are three toolbars available for AbiWord.  These are as follows:

Standard Toolbar

This toolbar provides access to the most commonly used operations, including creating a new file, saving the current document, and printing the current document, along with cut, copy and paste functions.

Formatting Toolbar

The formatting toolbar provides quick access to the most commonly used text formatting functions.  These include the ability to choose the current font, font size and whether the current (or selected) paragraph is centered, justified left or justified right.  It also provides access to bold, italics and underlining.

Extra Toolbar