Icon Image Files

For the desktop to use an icon image, the icon image file must:

Be in the proper format.
Use the proper file-naming conventions.
Use the desktop size conventions.
Be located in a directory along the icon search path.
Be called by the desktop construct using the proper syntax. For example, if you create a new control for the Front Panel, use the ICON field in the Front Panel definition to specify the icon image to use for the control.

Icon File Formats

For a color display, use X pixmap (XPM) format icon files, which typically have a.pm suffix. Otherwise, use X bitmap (XBM) format files, which typically have a .bm suffix. If transparency is used in the pixmap file, a mask file (_m.bm) is generated when the .bm file is created. See “Icon Search Path” for more information about how the desktop finds these files.

Icon File Names

Each icon and backdrop image is stored as a separate file. Typically, an icon is specified with the base part of its file name. For example, an icon might be referenced with the name mail when the file is actually stored as: <

/usr/dt/appconfig/icons/language/mail.l.pm

The file-naming convention of adding suffixes helps group icons by size and type. Icon names for desktop components are in these general formats:

basename.size.format

basename.format

where:

`basename`	The image base name used to reference the image
`size`	A letter indicating the size: l (large), m (medium), s (small), t (tiny)
`format`	File format: pm (pixmap), bm (bitmap)

Icon Size Conventions

Table 12-1 “Icon Sizes and File Names” shows the recommended pixel dimensions for desktop icons

Table 12-1 Icon Sizes and File Names

`Icon Size`	`Bitmap Name`	`Pixmap Name`
16 by 16 (tiny)	`name``.t.bm`	`name``.t.pm`
24 by 24 (small)	`name``.s.bm`	`name``.s.pm`
32 by 32 (medium)	`name``.m.bm`	`name``.m.pm`
48 by 48 (large)	`name``.l.bm`	`name``.l.pm`

Table 12-2 “Desktop Components and Their Icon Sizes” shows the icon sizes used by the desktop components. In some cases, the size of the icon used depends on the display resolution.

Table 12-2 Desktop Components and Their Icon Sizes

`Desktop Component`	`High Resolution`	`Medium Resolution`	`Low Resolution`
File Manager and Application Manager (View by Name and Icon)	medium	medium	medium
File Manager and Application Manager (View by Name and Small Icon)	tiny	tiny	tiny
Main Front Panel controls	large	large	medium
Front Panel subpanels	medium	medium	tiny
Front Panel switch controls	small	small	tiny
Minimized windows	large	large	medium

For example, if you specify an icon named mail for a data type, have a color display, and have set the File Manager preferences to small icons, the icon image used is mail.t.pm.

Icon Search Path

The desktop finds an icon file, or image, by searching for the file in a list of directories. This list of directories, called the icon search path, is determined by the value of several environment variables. Which variables are used and how they are put together to create the icon search path are discussed in “Icon Search Path”.

The default search path is:

Built-in icons: /usr/dt/appconfig/icons/language
System-wide icons: /etc/dt/appconfig/icons/language
Personal icons: HomeDirectory/.dt/icons

Accessing Icons across the Network

The desktop can access icons on remote systems. For information on creating an icon server, see “Configuring Database, Icon, and Help Services”.

Icon Image Files

Technical documentation

» Table of Contents

» Index

Icon File Formats

Icon File Names

Icon Size Conventions

Icon Search Path

Accessing Icons across the Network