Documentation

Install

Blueprint Desktop 1.1.0. These are the install steps for the packages on the downloads page. OpenBSD has no package in this set.

• Quick start: IRIX 6.5, MIPS
• Quick start: Linux, x86_64
• Quick start: NetBSD, amd64
• Quick start: FreeBSD, amd64
• Quick start: Solaris 8, sparc

These are the CyHelp books. Each card is the same text the Help viewer opens.

Blueprint Desktop Help

• Overview of the Blueprint Desktop
• Getting Help
  • Click for Help
  • Using the Help Viewer
• Keys and Shortcuts
• Hints & Shortcuts
  • Getting Around the Desktop
  • Windows Without the Title Bar
  • Desks
  • Tiling
  • When a Menu Entry Is Greyed
• The Settings Books
• Legal Notice
  • License
  • Trademarks
  • Third-Party Components

• Copyright Information

Colored Smoke

• Overview of Colored Smoke
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using Colored Smoke
  • Under CySaver
  • Windowed On The Desk
  • Fullscreen Without CySaver
  • Embed And Prefs Preview
  • Colour Looks
• Command Line
  • Window And Saver
  • Bodies And Physics
  • Smoke And Colour
• Copyright

Contents - Audio Panel

• Overview of the Audio Panel
  • What It Controls, and What It Does Not
  • Two Faces
  • If There Is No Sound Card
• Anatomy of the Window
  • The Device Area
  • A Strip, Top to Bottom
  • The Control Rows
  • The Message Line
  • Selecting a Strip
• Setting Levels
  • The Faders
  • Group Sliders
  • Mute
  • Monitor
  • Meter
  • Sample Rate
  • What Is Not Persisted
• Meters, Peaks, and Clipping
  • Turning Them On
  • The dB Ladder
  • How They Move
  • When There Is No Signal
• Devices and Backends
  • Backends
  • The Default Input and Output
  • Choosing What Is Shown
  • Pinning a Device
  • Input Source and Output Destination
• The Menus
  • File
  • Selected
  • View
  • Options
  • Default
  • Help
  • The Button 3 Menu
• Dialogs
  • Open and Save As
  • Device Preferences
  • About
• Keys and the Command Line
  • Keys
  • The Headless Command Line
  • Diagnostics
    • Finding the Right Mixer Stage
• Settings and Files
  • The Configuration File
  • What Is Deliberately Not Saved
  • Environment Variables
• The Canonical Face
  • What Is Different
  • What Works
  • What Is Inert
  • Honest About Its Own Evidence
• The Audio Panel and Desktop Sounds
  • The Difference
  • Which One Do I Want

• Copyright Information

Contents - Background

• Overview of the Background Panel
  • The Two Pages
  • The Buttons Along the Bottom
• Choosing a Pattern
• Choosing a Picture
  • The Picture List
  • The Preview and the Facts Line
• Placing a Picture
  • Fill (crop to fit)
  • Stretch
  • Scale (letterbox)
  • Center
  • Tile
• Colour Schemes
  • The Scheme List
  • Lock Scheme to Wallpaper
  • Make Scheme From Wallpaper
• The Canonical Panels
• Where the Settings Live
  • Adding Your Own Pictures
• Copyright Information

Contents - Color Schemes

• Overview of Colour Schemes
  • Where the Controls Are
  • Fonts Are Separate
  • What Ships
• Choosing a Scheme
  • The Standalone Color Scheme Window
  • What the List Shows
  • The Lock, and Why Names Match
  • If Nothing Changes
• The Roles
  • Ground and Chrome
  • Selection
  • Text and Wells
  • Controls
  • Window Manager
  • Content Accents
  • Metrics
  • The Nine Font Roles
  • What Happens to a Role You Leave Out
• Scheme Files
  • The File
  • Colour Values
  • Where Schemes Are Found
  • Two Names
  • What Ships
  • Writing Your Own
• The Scheme Daemon
  • What It Does
  • Two Kinds of Application
  • The Order of the Resource Block
  • Asking It What It Is Doing
  • Making It Change
  • Signals
  • If Something Wipes the Colours
• Command Line
  • The Daemon
  • The Panel
  • Environment Variables
  • The Background Configuration
• Schemes and the Rest of the Desktop
  • Fonts
  • Wallpaper
  • The Window Manager
  • Bevels

• Copyright Information

Contents - CyLogin

• Overview of CyLogin
  • What It Is
  • What It Is Not
  • The Programs
  • In This Book
• Setting Up
  • What You Need
  • Build and Install
  • Enable With the Helper
  • Linux SysV and systemd
  • NetBSD rc.d
  • PAM Service File
  • Xservers and VT
  • Headless and LXC
  • Competing Display Managers
  • Check That It Works
  • Disable and Rollback
  • Common Mistakes
• Using CyLogin
  • Logging In
  • Faces
  • noiconlogin
  • Session Lock
  • Autologin and Classroom
  • After Login (Session)
  • Failsafe
• Configuration
  • Master Conf
  • Appearance
  • Session Path
  • Unsafe Knobs
  • Autologin Knobs
  • Lock Timeout
  • Classroom Sample
• Enable and Disable Helpers
  • cylogin-enable
  • Every enable Flag
  • cylogin-disable
  • Examples
• Security and PAM
  • Defaults
  • PAM Stacks
  • Empty Password Gate
  • Auth Dir and Cookies
  • Vs XDM and login
  • Lab Matrix
• Command Line
  • cylogind
  • cylogin Greeter
  • cylogin-authcheck
  • cychooser
• Keys and Shortcuts
• Files and Paths
  • System Conf
  • Runtime
  • Share Install
  • Init and PAM
• Troubleshooting
  • Greeter Never Appears
  • No Screens Found
  • PAM Failures
  • Wrong Session After Login
  • Setuid and Nobody
• Copyright

Contents - CyThrough

• Overview of CyThrough
  • What It Is
  • What It Is Not
  • The Three Programs
  • In This Book
• Setting Up
  • What You Need
  • Build and Install
  • Setup With the GUI
  • Setup Without the GUI
  • Lab Auth File
  • Hardware Display Attach
  • Check That It Works
  • Common Mistakes
• Using CyThrough
  • Connect and Catalog
  • Launch and Running
  • Materialize On Desktop
  • Published Apps Menu
  • Quality and Encryption
  • Stopping Apps and the Daemon
• Command Line
  • cythrough Viewer
  • cythroughd Daemon
  • cythrough-prefs Launcher
  • Password and Knock Order
  • Environment
• How the Protocol Works
  • Framing
  • Channels
  • HELLO and Auth
  • Catalog and Launch
  • Pixels and Input
  • Capabilities and Codecs
  • Manager and Backend
• Keys and Shortcuts
• Files and Paths
  • Client Conf
  • Daemon Conf
  • Catalog Cache
  • Desktop Launchers
• Copyright

Contents - Desks

• Overview of the Desks Overview
  • What Belongs to the Window Manager
• Switching Desks
  • Finding the Current Desk
  • The Scroll Arrows
• Moving Windows Between Desks
  • The Global Desk
  • Click, Double-Click and Drag
• Creating, Renaming, and Removing Desks
  • Naming a Desk
  • Adding a Desk
  • Removing a Desk
• The Menus
  • The Overview Menu
  • The Desk Menu
  • The Window Menu
  • The Help Menu
  • The Button 3 Popup
• Size, Orientation, and Labels
  • Scale
  • Orientation
  • Window Labels
  • Snapshots or Buttons
• Setting Preferences
  • The Overview Page
  • The Desk Names Page
  • Apply and Close
• Keys and Shortcuts
  • Overview Menu
  • Desk Menu
  • Window Menu
• Where the Settings Live
• Copyright Information

Contents - Dock Area

• Overview of Desktop Breathing Space
  • What the Zone Is For
  • The Controls
• Choosing an Edge
• Setting the Size
  • The Fifty Percent Limit
• Reading the Preview
  • The Hazard Stripes
  • The Five Windows
• Applying the Change
• When the Toolchest Owns the Zone
• From the Command Line
• Where the Settings Live
• Copyright Information

Contents - File Handlers

• Overview of File Handlers
  • The Pair
  • What a File Type Is
• Opening a File
  • What Happens When You Open Something
  • Opening With a Particular Tool
• The File Handlers Panel
  • The File Type List
  • The Opens With List
  • The Detail Line
  • The Buttons
• Choosing a Handler
  • Auto-Pick Best
  • Try It
  • Opening Nothing
• Icons
  • The Available Icons List
  • Set Icon
• Creating New Files
• The Canonical Panel
• Where the Settings Live
  • The Master List
  • The Rule Files
  • The Ranking Tables
• From the Command Line
• Copyright Information

Contents - Font Scheme

• Overview of the Font Scheme Panel
  • Fonts and Colours Are Separate
  • What Sets It Apart
• The Nine Roles
  • The House Voice
  • The Small and Tiny Sizes
  • Partial Schemes
• Using the Panel
  • The Scheme List
  • The Role Rows
  • Changing One Role
  • The Buttons
    • Apply
    • Save and Save As
    • Defaults and Revert
    • Close
  • Following the Desktop
• Font Descriptors
  • The Leading Dash Is the Whole Rule
  • When the Resolved Font Differs
  • Reading the Nine Samples
• Point Size, DPI, and Why Layout Holds
  • Where DPI Comes From
  • The Panel Fits Itself Before It Draws
  • Changing the Desktop DPI
  • Bitmap Fonts and the Core Path
  • Looking at What a Canonical Application Will Get
• Where Font Schemes Live
  • The Search Path
  • The File
  • Two Names
  • The Built-in Defaults
• Command Line and Keys
  • Command Line
  • Keys
    • On the Main Panel
    • In the Font Dialog
• Fonts, Colours, and the Rest of the Desktop
  • Colour Schemes
  • Monitor Settings and DPI
  • The Scheme Daemon

• Copyright Information

Contents - Location and Time

• Overview of Location and Time
  • What It Changes, and What It Does Not
  • The Window
  • The Buttons
• The Time and Location Tab
  • Choosing a Timezone
    • Follow system timezone
    • 12-hour clock (AM/PM)
  • Location
• The Language and Formats Tab
  • Locale (LANG)
  • Language
  • Currency
  • The Sample Line
• The Environment Tab
  • Session Exports
  • The Preview
  • The Shell Startup File
    • Which File Is Detected
    • How the Write Behaves
• Files and Settings
  • The Configuration File
  • The Keys
  • Environment Variables Read
• Command Line and Keys
  • Command Line
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
• What This Panel Does Not Do
  • Out of Scope by Design
  • Not Built
  • Known Rough Edges
• Fonts, Colours, and the Rest

• Copyright Information

Contents - Menu & Shortcuts

• Overview of Menu & Shortcuts
  • Two Pages, Two Files
  • Who Is In Charge
• Editing the Desktop Menu
  • Reading the Tree
  • Changing a Label or a Command
  • Adding Items, Submenus and Separators
  • Deleting and Reordering
  • Reload File
• Editing Shortcuts
  • The Action List
  • The Inspector
• Setting a Shortcut
  • Arming the Capture
  • When a Chord Is Already Taken
  • Clear and Reset Default
  • Reset All Defaults
• The Action Catalog
  • Window
  • Desktop
  • Tiling
  • Session
  • Launchers
• Where the Settings Live
  • The Shortcuts File
  • The Menu File
  • The Legacy Keys File
• The Status Line
• Keys and Shortcuts in the Editor
• Copyright Information

Contents - Mouse Settings

• Overview of Mouse Settings
  • The Window
  • The Buttons
  • When Changes Take Effect
  • The Trail and Cursor Daemon
• The Pointer Page
  • Mouse Acceleration
  • Mouse Mapping
  • Click Speed
  • How the Double-Click Time Reaches Applications
• The Trail Page
  • Show mouse trail
  • Trail style
  • Trail length
  • Options for Smoke/Dust FX
    • Smolder
    • Effect spheres
    • Stray pixels
    • Effect type
• The Cursor Page
  • Style
  • Cursor size
  • What This Does and Does Not Cover
• Keys, Files, and the Command Line
  • Keys
  • Command Line
  • The Configuration File
  • Environment Variables
• What Is Not Here
  • Belongs to Another Panel
  • Not Built
  • Known Rough Edges
  • Related Books

• Copyright Information

Contents - On-Screen Keyboard

• Overview of the On-Screen Keyboard
  • The Four Boards
  • One Keyboard Per Screen
• Bringing Up the Keyboard
  • The Show Key
  • The FindIt Gesture
  • The Taskbar Button and the Systray Icon
  • Putting It Away
• Typing With the Keyboard
  • Shift and Other Modifiers
  • Why Your Own Keyboard Still Works
  • Moving and Resizing the Board
• The Face Menu
• The Indicator Strip
• The Power Keys
• Word and Phrase Suggestions
• Layout, Size, and Placement
  • Keyboard Layout
  • Size
  • Where It Appears
• Setting Preferences
  • The Layout Page
  • The Appearance Page
  • The Behavior Page
  • The Session Page
  • The Typing Page
  • Defaults and Close
• Making the Keyboard Easier to Use
  • High-Contrast Colors
  • Hover to Press
  • A Bigger Board
• Keys and Shortcuts
• Where the Settings Live
• Copyright Information

Contents - Removable Media

• Overview of Removable Media
  • What It Is Not
  • The Two Programs
  • In This Book
• Setting Up the Daemon
  • What You Need
  • Build and Install
  • Privilege Hop
  • Media Directories
  • Start the Daemon
  • Check That It Works
  • Common Mistakes
• How the Daemon Works
  • What It Does Each Poll
  • Pidfile and One Instance
  • Without Privilege
  • Stopping
• Commands
  • Everyday Commands
  • Mount Eject and Chest
  • Environment
• CyDrive
  • Opening CyDrive
  • The List
  • Open Mount Eject
• Files and Paths
  • The Ledger
  • Mount Points
  • Helper
• Copyright

Contents - System and Desktop Sounds

• Overview of System and Desktop Sounds
  • What It Is Not
  • The Window
  • The Help Button
  • Two Faces
• The Controls
  • Master Volume Control
  • Mute System
  • Enable Selected Sounds
  • Play Desktop Sounds Through
  • What Is Not Here
• Sound Schemes
  • Where Schemes Live
  • The Description File
  • Audio Formats
  • Writing Your Own
• What Makes a Sound
  • The Six Categories
  • Alerts and Status
  • Desktop Actions
  • Bell
  • Tunes
  • Accessibility
• Applying, Resetting, and Closing
  • Apply
  • Close
  • Reset ...
  • Help
  • Keyboard
  • Command Line
• Settings and Files
  • The Configuration File
  • The Accessibility Category
  • Environment Variables
  • How the Panel Reaches the Daemon
• Desktop Sounds and the Audio Panel
  • Which One Do I Want

• Copyright Information

Contents - Toolchest

• Overview of the Toolchest
• The Toolchest Menu
  • Posting a Menu
  • Greyed-Out Entries
• Launching Applications
  • What the Toolchest Does Not Do
• Shape, Orientation, and Title
  • Vertical or Horizontal
  • The Title Bar and the Desk Name
• The Task Area
  • Alternate Toolchest Shapes

• Copyright Information

Contents - Window Manager

• Overview of the Window Manager
• Desks: Your Virtual Desktops
  • Switching Desks
  • Moving a Window to Another Desk
• How Windows Get the Keyboard: Focus
  • The Three Focus Policies
• Moving, Resizing, and Minimizing Windows
  • Moving a Window
  • Resizing a Window
  • Minimizing a Window
  • Maximizing a Window
• The Window Menu
  • The Commands
  • Close Versus Exit
• Tiling Windows Into a Mosaic
  • Turning Tiling On

• Copyright Information

Contents/Search - FileManager

• Overview of Icon View Windows
• Creating and Opening Directories
• Opening and Saving Files
• Renaming Files and Directories
• Moving and Copying Files and Directories
• Making a Referenced Copy of an Icon
• Removing Files or Reference Icons
• Changing File and Directory Permissions
• Accessing Files at FTP or Web Sites
• Printing Files
• Creating Files Using Select and Paste
• Managing Icons
  • Sorting Icons
  • Resizing Icons
  • Viewing File Information
  • Displaying Icons in Columns
  • Displaying "Thumbnails" of Image Files
  • Displaying a Quick View of a File
  • Viewing Hidden Files
  • Searching for Icons by Name
  • Using a "Shelf" for Convenient Icon Access
• Anatomy of the Icon View Window
  • About Icon View Menus
    • The Actions Menu
    • The Selected Menu
    • The Sort Menu
    • The View Menu
• Keys and Shortcuts for Icon Views

• Copyright Information

CyCalc

• Overview of CyCalc
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyCalc
  • Which Face
  • Keyboard And Mouse
  • Preferences
  • Headless Checks
• Command Line
  • Open The Window
  • Headless RPN
• Copyright

CyCopy

• Overview of CyCopy
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyCopy
  • When The Window Appears
  • Conflicts
  • Lists Of Sources
  • Owner And Speed Caps
  • Exit Status
• Command Line
  • Mode
  • Sources From A List
  • Conflicts And Ownership
  • Progress Window
  • Exit Status
• Copyright

CyLogout

• Overview of CyLogout
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyLogout
  • Prefer CySplash
  • When The Shim Still Shows Up
• Command Line
  • Forwarding Map
• Copyright

CyMonitor

• Overview of Display Preferences
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using Display Preferences
  • DPI And Readability
  • Dry Run Before You Commit
  • Identify Heads
  • First-Run Dense Framebuffers
• Command Line
  • Probe And Identify
  • Apply And Dry Run
  • First-Run Scale
• Copyright

CyNetwork

• Overview of CyNetwork
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyNetwork
  • Monitor And Link
  • Demo Versus Live
  • Configure And Apply
  • Tray Status
  • When NetworkManager Owns The Box
  • Headless Wi-Fi On A Twin
• Command Line
  • Open The Panel
  • Probe, Stage, Scan
  • Live WPA Without Motif
• Copyright

CyOSD

• Overview of CyOSD
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyOSD
  • Say One Thing
  • Multiline Text
  • Place It Where Eyes Already Are
  • Progress Without A Dialog
  • Colour And Face
• Command Line
  • Timing And Lifetime
  • Placement
  • Look
  • Progress Meters
  • Multiline Text
• Copyright

CyPix

• Overview of CyPix
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyPix
  • Wallpaper From CyWall And The Filer
  • Screenshots Without Extra Tools
  • Thumbnails In The File Manager
  • Schemes And Palettes From A Picture
• Command Line
  • Look At The Pixels
  • Compare Against A Reference
  • Scheme From A Wallpaper
  • Make A Palette
  • Set The Root Wallpaper
  • Take A Screenshot
  • Thumbnails For The File Manager
  • Line Art To IconSmith FTI
• Copyright

CyPower

• Overview of CyPower
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyPower
  • Why The Rows Grey Out
  • What A Click Does
  • Checking The Grant
  • End Session Versus Power Rows
• Command Line
  • Actions
  • Safe Probes
  • Rule And Host Facts
• Copyright

CySaver Screen Saver

• Overview of CySaver
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using the Panel
  • The Saver Tab
  • The Timing Tab
  • Apply, Test, and Close
• Daemon, Lock, and Command Line
  • Session Daemon
  • Lock Hotkeys
  • Command Line
  • Configuration File
• Copyright

CySelect

• Overview of CySelect
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CySelect
  • Calling From A Script
  • Modes You Will Use
  • Filters And Last Directory
  • Selecting In The Dialog
• Command Line
  • Modes
  • Options
  • Keys
  • Exit Status
• Copyright

CySetup Desktop Setup

• Overview of CySetup
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using the Panel
  • The Checklist
  • Detail and Fixes
  • Recheck, Enable, Disable
• Command Line and Conf
  • Command Line
  • Configuration File
• Copyright

CySpeak

• Overview of CySpeak
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CySpeak
  • The Reading Face
  • Speak Selection Order
  • Hotkeys Via Cykeys
  • Engines
• Command Line
  • One-Shot Actions
  • Conf And Hotkeys
• Copyright

CySplash

• Overview of CySplash
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CySplash
  • Startup Splash And PID Tracking
  • Session Chords
  • End-Session Panel
  • Global Help Overlay
  • Appearance And Sysinfo
  • Preview Without A Real Session
• Command Line
  • Tracking And Startup
  • Global Help Overlay
  • End-Session Panel
  • Appearance
  • Layout
  • System Info
  • Preview And Testing
• Copyright

CyStar Text Editor

• Overview
• Editing and Keys
• Files and Recovery
• Preferences
• Command Line

• Copyright

CyTinyMon

• Overview of CyTinyMon
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using CyTinyMon
  • Enable The Monitor
  • What The Lamps Mean
  • Preferences Panel
  • Tray Host
  • Conf By Hand
• Command Line
  • cytinymon
  • cytinymon-prefs
  • Conf Keys (Read By The Mon)
• Copyright

Cyclock Desk Clock

• Overview of Cyclock
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using the Clock and Prefs
  • The Face Window
  • Preferences Tabs
  • Live Apply
• Keys and Command Line
  • Face Keys
  • Command Line
  • Configuration File
• Copyright

Icosahedra

• Overview of Icosahedra
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using Icosahedra
  • Under CySaver
  • Windowed On The Desk
  • Fullscreen Without CySaver
  • Embed And Prefs Preview
  • Modes At A Glance
• Command Line
  • Draw Modes
  • Scene
  • Colour And Motion
  • Window And Saver
• Copyright

Xray Agent

• Overview of Xray Agent
  • What It Does
  • What It Is Not
• Using Xray Agent
  • Under CySaver
  • Windowed On The Desk
  • Fullscreen Without CySaver
  • Embed And Prefs Preview
  • Swarm Behaviour
• Command Line
  • Window And Saver
  • Swarm
• Copyright