Special Panel Objects

There are several special Panel objects which are not considered menus, applets, or launchers. These special objects are described below.

The Lock Button

Figure 12. The Lock Button

The Lock Button is a Panel button which starts a screensaver which locks the screen. In order to remove the screensaver and access the GNOME session again, you must supply your password. For more information on locking the screen, see the section called Locking the Screen.

The Logout Button

Figure 13. The Logout Button

The Logout button is used to exit the GNOME desktop environment. It initiates the logout sequence, bringing up the Logout Dialog, as described in the section called Logging Out.

The Run Button

Figure 14. The Run Button

The Run button opens the Run Program dialog, shown in Figure 15. This gives you access to the command line prompt. It is not a full-blown shell, so it is not a replacement for GNOME terminal, but it is very convenient when you need to enter just one command quickly. You can also open the Run Program dialog by using a keyboard shortcut. The default keyboard shortcut is Alt+F2 but you can change this in the Miscellaneous tab of the Global Panel Preferences dialog.

Figure 15. The Run Program Dialog

The command entry has a history buffer which allows you to execute a previously entered command by pressing the down arrow icon located to the right of the text field and selecting the command. It also has a Browse… button, which allows you to choose a file — this filename will be appended