<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic"
      style="task"
      id="shell-apps-open">

  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="index" group="shell-apps-open" />
    <link type="guide" xref="shell-overview#apps" />
    
    <desc>Launch apps from the activities overview.</desc>
    <revision pkgversion="3.2" date="2011-09-24" status="candidate"/>
    <credit type="author">
      <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
      <email>gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email>
    </credit>

    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
  </info>

<title>Start applications</title>

<comment>
<cite>shaunm</cite>
<p>If an app is running, it's focused. You can create a new window by dragging
to the windows overview or onto a workspace thumbnail. (Also mention dragging
to overview in list item below, not just workspace thumbnail.) Right-click
icon to choose a window to focus or get new window. Mention middle-click?</p>
</comment>

  <p>Move your mouse pointer to the <gui>Activities</gui> corner at the top left
 of the screen to show the <gui>Activities Overview</gui>. This is where you can
 find all of your applications. (You can also open the overview by pressing the
 <link xref="windows-key">windows key</link>.)</p>

  <p>There are several ways of opening an application once you're in the
 activities overview:</p>

<list>
 
 <item>
  <p>Start typing the name of an application - searching begins instantly. (If
 this doesn't happen, click the search bar at the top right of the screen and
 start typing.) Click the application's icon to start it.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <p>Click the <gui>Applications</gui> heading at the top of the screen to see a
 list of the applications you can run. You can filter them by type using the
 categories on the right, or search using the search bar at the top right. Click
 the application's icon to start it.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <p>Some applications have icons in the <em>dash</em>, the vertical strip of
 icons on the left-hand side of the activities overview. Click one of these to
 start the corresponding application.</p>
  <p>If you have applications that you use very frequently, you can
 <link xref="shell-apps-favorites">add them to the dash</link> yourself.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <p>You can launch an application in a separate
 <link xref="shell-workspaces">workspace</link> by dragging its icon from the
 dash (or from the list of applications), and dropping it onto one of the
 workspaces on the right-hand side of the screen. The application will open in
 the chosen workspace.</p>
 </item>
 
</list>

<note style="tip">
 <title>Quickly running a command</title>
  <p>Another way of launching an application is to press
 <keyseq><key>Alt</key><key>F2</key></keyseq>, enter its <em>command name</em>,
 and then press <key>Enter</key>.</p>
  <p>For example, to launch <app>Rhythmbox</app>, press
 <keyseq><key>Alt</key><key>F2</key></keyseq> and type 'rhythmbox' (without the
 single-quotes). The name of the app is the command to launch the program.</p>
</note>

</page>
