Terminology for Gnome Shell

When talking about Gnome-shell's implementation, it is useful to know certain terms. This is what we call the on-screen elements.

Main desktop

Usually you work in the main desktop view. It has these parts:

• Top Bar - Horizontal bar at the top; your main access point for the shell's features. (js/ui/panel.js)

• Activities button - Button and Hot Corner that brings up the Overview (see below). (js/ui/panel.js)

• Application menu - Shows the name of the currently-focused application. You can click on it to get a menu of relevant actions. (js/ui/panel.js)

• Clock - Guess what it does! (js/ui/dateMenu.js)

• System status icons - Icons for accessibility options, Bluetooth, keyboard layout, etc. (js/ui/status/*)

• Status menu - Lets you change your IM status, personal preferences, and exit the session. (js/ui/statusMenu.js)

• Message tray - Horizontal bar at the bottom with pending notifications (auto-hides when outside the Overview). (js/ui/messageTray.js)

Overview

The Overview is what you get when you click on the Activities button. It is implemented in js/ui/overview.js. It has these parts:

• Dash - Vertical bar on the left, that shows your favorite and running applications. (js/ui/dash.js)

• View selector - Lets you pick between Windows and Applications. (js/ui/viewSelector.js, populated in js/ui/overview.js)

• Search entry - Type in it and various things get searched. (js/ui/viewSelector.js for the entry, and js/ui/searchDisplay.js for the display of search results)

• Workspace list - Vertical bar on the right, with thumbnails for the active workspaces. (js/ui/workspaceSwitcherPopup.js)