<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- -*- indent-tabs-mode: nil -*- -->
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN" 
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY legal SYSTEM "legal.xml">
  <!ENTITY appversion "2.8">
  <!ENTITY manrevision "2.8">
  <!ENTITY date "September 2004">
  <!ENTITY app "Configuration Editor">
]>
<!-- 
      (Do not remove this comment block.)
  Maintained by the GNOME Documentation Project
  http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gdp
  Template version: 2.0 beta
  Template last modified Feb 12, 2002
-->

<article id="index" lang="en">
<!-- please do not change the id; for translations, change lang to -->
<!-- appropriate code -->
  <articleinfo> 
    <title>Configuration Editor Manual</title>       
    <copyright> 
      <year>2004</year>
      <holder>Sun Microsystems</holder> 
    </copyright>
    <!-- translators: uncomment this:
         <copyright>
         <year>2003</year>
         <holder>ME-THE-TRANSLATOR (Latin translation)</holder>
         </copyright>
    -->

    <publisher role="maintainer"> 
      <publishername>GNOME Documentation Project</publishername> 
    </publisher> 

    &legal;
    <!-- This file  contains link to license for the documentation (GNU FDL), and 
         other legal stuff such as "NO WARRANTY" statement. Please do not change 
         any of this. -->

    <authorgroup>
      <author>
        <firstname>Sun</firstname>
        <surname>GNOME Documentation Team</surname>
        <affiliation><orgname>Sun Microsystems</orgname></affiliation>
      </author>
      <author>
        <firstname>Angela</firstname>
        <surname>Boyle</surname>
        <affiliation>
          <orgname>GNOME Documentation Project</orgname>
        </affiliation>
      </author>
      <editor>
        <firstname>Shaun</firstname>
        <surname>McCance</surname>
        <affiliation>
          <orgname>GNOME Documentation Project</orgname>
        </affiliation>
      </editor>
      <!-- This is appropriate place for other contributors: translators,
           maintainers,  etc. Commented out by default.
           <othercredit role="translator">
           <firstname>Latin</firstname> 
           <surname>Translator 1</surname> 
           <affiliation> 
           <orgname>Latin Translation Team</orgname> 
           <address> <email>translator@gnome.org</email> </address> 
           </affiliation>
           <contrib>Latin translation</contrib>
           </othercredit>
      -->
    </authorgroup>
    <abstract role="description"><para>&app; can be used to change configuration options used by applications that may not be available through Preference dialogs</para></abstract>

    <revhistory>
      <revision>
        <revnumber>Version &manrevision;</revnumber>
        <date>&date;</date>
        <revdescription>
          <para role="author">GNOME Documentation Project</para>
          <para role="publisher">GNOME Documentation Project</para>
          <para role="status">unreviewed</para>
        </revdescription>
      </revision>
      <revision> 
        <revnumber>Version 2.1</revnumber> 
        <date>August 2004</date> 
        <revdescription> 
          <para role="author">Sun GNOME Documentation Team</para>
          <para role="publisher">GNOME Documentation Project</para>
        </revdescription> 
      </revision>
      <revision> 
        <revnumber>Version 2.0.1</revnumber> 
        <date>January 2004</date> 
        <revdescription> 
          <para role="author">Sun GNOME Documentation Team</para>
          <para role="publisher">GNOME Documentation Project</para>
        </revdescription> 
      </revision>
    </revhistory> 
    <releaseinfo>This manual describes version &appversion; of &app;.</releaseinfo> 
    <legalnotice> 
      <title>Feedback</title> 
      <para>To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the &app; application or
      this manual, follow the directions in the 
      <ulink url="ghelp:gnome-feedback"
             type="help">GNOME Feedback Page</ulink>. 
      </para>
      <!-- Translators may also add here feedback address for translations -->
    </legalnotice> 
</articleinfo> 

<indexterm> 
  <primary>GConf Editor</primary> 
</indexterm>

<sect1 id="introduction">
  <title>Introduction</title>
  <para>The GNOME Desktop and many applications use
  <application>GConf</application> to store user preferences and
  system configuration data.  <application>GConf</application>
  provides a central storage location for preferences, simplifying
  configuration management for users and system administrators.  More
  information about <application>GConf</application> can be found in the
  <ulink url="ghelp:system-admin-guide#gconf-0">GNOME System
  Administrator's Guide</ulink>.</para>
  <para><application>&app;</application> allows users to modify their
  preferences for the entire GNOME Desktop and any applications which
  use <application>GConf</application>.  Additionally, system administrators
  can use <application>&app;</application> to set default and mandatory
  settings which will affect all users.</para>
  <para>Preferences are stored in <application>GConf</application> in a
  hierarchy of keys.  Each key has an associated value which specifies
  your setting for that preference.  For instance, the key
  <literal>/apps/glines/preferences/ball_theme</literal> stores which theme
  you use in the game <application>Five or More</application>.</para>
  <caution><para><application>&app;</application> enables you to modify your
  configuration source directly. If you are not an experienced user, do not
  use <application>&app;</application> to set preferences for the GNOME
  Desktop. Instead, use the preference tools in the GNOME Desktop. For
  information about how to use preference tools, see the latest version
  of the <ulink url="ghelp:user-guide">GNOME Desktop User Guide</ulink> for 
  your platform.</para></caution>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="getting-started"> 
  <title>Getting Started</title>

  <sect2 id="to-start"> 
    <title>To Start &app;</title>
    <para>You can start <application>&app;</application> in the following
    ways:</para>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><guimenu>Applications</guimenu> menu</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guisubmenu>System Tools</guisubmenu>
          <guimenuitem>Configuration Editor</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
          <note><para>Some distributions hide this menu. In this case, use the 
          second method described below.</para></note>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Command line</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>Execute the following command:
          <command>gconf-editor</command></para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </sect2>

  <sect2 id="when-you-start">
    <title>When You Start &app;</title>
    <para>When you start <application>&app;</application>, the following
    window is displayed.</para>
    <figure id="gconf_editor_window"> 
      <title><application>&app;</application> Window</title>
      <screenshot> 
        <mediaobject> 
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="figures/gconf_editor_anno_window.png"
                       format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
          <textobject>
            <phrase>Shows GConf Editor window. Callouts: Tree pane,
            Modification pane, Documentation pane.</phrase>
          </textobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    <para>The <application>&app;</application> window contains
    the following panes:</para>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Tree pane</term>
        <listitem><para>Enables you to navigate the hierarchy of keys in
        <application>GConf</application>.  Use this pane to display the keys
        that you want to modify in the modification pane. The tree pane is on
        the left side of the window.</para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Modification pane</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>Displays the keys in the selected
          <application>GConf</application> location in the tree pane. Use
          this pane to select keys that you want to modify and to modify the
          values of keys. The modification pane is in the upper part of the
          right side of the window.</para>
          <para>The icons beside the keys in the modification pane indicate
          what type of value you can enter for the key. For example, the check
          mark icon beside the
          <literal>/system/http_proxy/use_http_proxy</literal> key indicates
          that you can enter a Boolean value (true or false) for the key.  See
          <xref linkend="icons"/> for more information on each icon.</para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Documentation pane</term>
        <listitem><para>Displays documentation for the currently selected
        key. Use this pane to read more information about the
        <application>GConf</application> preference keys.</para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>Results pane (not shown)</term>
        <listitem><para>Enables you to view the results of a search or to
        search through the list of your recently viewed key names. The rest
        of the window will show the information for whichever key you have
        selected in this pane. The results pane will appear on the bottom of
        the window when you list the recent keys or perform a search.</para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="workwindows">
  <title>Working with Windows</title>
  <sect2 id="workwindows-opennew">
    <title>Opening New Windows</title>
    <para>There are a three types of window you can open in
    <application>&app;</application>: <application>Settings</application>,
    <application>Defaults</application>, and <application>Mandatory</application>.
    What values <application>&app;</application> sets depends on what type
    of window you have open.  You can open each type of window with the
    appropriate item under the <guimenu>File</guimenu> menu.</para>
    <note><para>Since the settings in <application>Defaults</application> and
    <application>Mandatory</application> windows affect all users of the
    computer, only a system administrator can use these types of windows.
    To change your preferences, you should use the
    <application>Settings</application> window.</para></note>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><application>Settings</application></term>
        <listitem><para>You can use the <application>Settings</application>
        window to set your personal preferences.  Changes made in the
        <application>Settings</application> window only affect your desktop.
        You cannot change the settings that the system administrator has
        made mandatory.</para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><application>Defaults</application></term>
        <listitem><para>If you are a system administrator, you can use the
        <application>Defaults</application> window to edit the default
        settings for all users.  If a user does not set the value of a key
        explicitly, the value will be taken from the default settings.  Users
        can always override the default settings.</para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><application>Mandatory</application></term>
        <listitem><para>If you are a system administrator, you can use the
        <application>Mandatory</application> window to edit the mandatory
        settings for all users.  When a mandatory value is set for a key,
        users are not able to change that value.  This can be used to lock
        down certain options.</para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </sect2>

  <sect2 id="workwindows-close">
    <title>Closing and Quitting</title>
    <para>You can close a <application>&app;</application> window by selecting
    <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Close Window</guimenuitem>
    </menuchoice> in that window.  To close all <application>&app;</application>
    windows and quit the application completely, select <menuchoice>
    <guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem></menuchoice> in any
    <application>&app;</application> window.</para>
  </sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="workkeys">
  <title>Working with Keys</title>
  <para>Keys are a way of looking up a value.  Every preference stored in
  <application>GConf</application> is assigned to a key.  Applications which
  use <application>GConf</application> access the values of keys to determine
  how to look and behave.  When you change something in the
  <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> of an application, you are changing the
  value associated to a key in <application>GConf</application>.</para>

  <sect2 id="copy-key">
    <title>Copying a Key Name</title>
    <para>To copy a key name to the clipboard, select the key name you want to
    copy in the modification pane.  Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
    <guimenuitem>Copy Key Name</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.  You can paste the
    key name into any other application.</para>
  </sect2>
  <sect2 id="list-key">
    <title>Viewing Recent Key Names</title>
    <para>To view recent key names, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
    <guimenuitem>List Recent Keys</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This action will
    open the results pane at the bottom of the current window. You can move
    through the results list by scrolling up and down with the scroll bar or
    the arrow keys. The information for the selected key or folder will appear
    in the rest of the window.</para>
    <para>Viewing recent keys is useful if you need to get back to a key you
    just changed and don't remember where it is.</para>
    <!-- REMARK -->
    <remark>A screenshot may be in order.  In particular, The close, copy, and
    clear buttons on the results pane should be explained.</remark>
  </sect2>
  <sect2 id="modify-key">
    <title>Modifying the Value of a Key</title>
    <para>The icons next to the key name show what kind of value that key can
    take. See <xref linkend="icons"/> for more information on each icon.  To
    modify the value of a key, perform the following steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>Use the tree pane to display the key that you want to modify
      in the modification pane.</para></step>
      <step><para>Select the key to modify in the modification pane.</para></step>
      <step>
        <para>To change the value of an integer key or a string key, click
        in the <guilabel>Value</guilabel> column of the key. Type the new value
        for the key.  Alternatively, right-click on the key and select
        <guimenuitem>Edit Key</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.</para>
        <para>To change the value of a Boolean key, click in the
        <guilabel>Value</guilabel> column of the key to select or
        deselect the check box.  Alternatively, right-click on the
        key and select <guimenuitem>Edit Key</guimenuitem> from the
        popup menu.</para>
        <para>To change the value of a list key, right-click on the key and
        select <guimenuitem>Edit Key</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.  The
        <application>Edit Key</application> dialog provides a list of the
        values associated to that key.  You can use this dialog to edit each
        particular value in the list, add or remove values from the list, and
        move each value up or down in the list.</para>
      </step>
    </procedure>
    <para>Your system administrator may have locked down certain keys by
    providing mandatory values.  If the selected key has a mandatory value
    set, you will not be able to edit the value.  The documentation pane
    will display the label <guilabel>This key is not writable</guilabel>
    if you are not allowed to edit the value of that key.</para>
  </sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="finding">
  <title>Finding Keys Quickly</title>
  <para>To locate keys quickly, <application>&app;</application> allows you
  to search the key names in <application>GConf</application>.  Additionally,
  you can use bookmarks to find directories of keys that you need to access
  frequently.</para>

  <sect2 id="using-bookmark">
    <title>Using Bookmarks</title>
    <para>To access a directory location in your bookmarks, choose the location
    from the <guimenu>Bookmarks</guimenu> menu. You can add and remove directory
    locations to your <guimenu>Bookmarks</guimenu> menu.</para>
    <para>To add a bookmark, select the location that you want to bookmark in the
    tree pane. Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Bookmarks</guimenu><guimenuitem>Add
    Bookmark</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
    <para>To delete a bookmark, perform the following steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Bookmarks</guimenu>
      <guimenuitem>Edit bookmarks</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></step>
      <step><para>Select the bookmark in the
      <application>Edit bookmarks</application> dialog, then click
      <guibutton>Delete</guibutton>.</para></step>
      <step><para>Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton>.</para></step>
    </procedure>
  </sect2>
  <sect2 id="search">
    <title>Searching for Keys</title>
    <para>To search for keys, perform the following steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
      <guimenuitem>Find</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></step>
      <step><para>Enter the keyword you want to search for in the
      <guilabel>Search for</guilabel> field. You can also select the
      optional check boxes <guilabel>Search also in key names</guilabel>
      and <guilabel>Search also in key values</guilabel>. If these check boxes
      are not selected, the search will only be performed on folder names.
      Selecting these boxes will expand the search parameters.</para></step>
      <step><para>Click <guibutton>Find</guibutton>.</para></step>
    </procedure>
    <para>The results from the search will appear in the results pane.  To move
    through the results list, first select that pane. Then you can move through
    the results with the scroll bar or the arrow keys. The information for the
    selected key or folder will appear in the rest of the window.</para>
    <!-- REMARK -->
    <remark>A screenshot may be in order.  In particular, The close, copy, and
    clear buttons on the results pane should be explained.</remark>
  </sect2> 
</sect1>

<sect1 id="defaults-mandatory">
  <title>Default and Mandatory Settings</title>
  <para>If you are a system administrator, you can set default and mandatory
  settings in <application>GConf</application> which will affect all users.
  Default settings are used when the user has not set a value explicitly, and
  users can always override them.  Mandatory settings are always used for all
  users, and they cannot override them.</para>
  <para>You can use the <application>Defaults</application> and
  <application>Mandatory</application> windows to edit and remove default
  and mandatory settings.  The <application>Defaults</application> and
  <application>Mandatory</application> windows will only show you those
  settings which have already been made default or mandatory.  You cannot
  use these windows to create new default and mandatory settings.  Instead,
  you can set settings from the <application>Settings</application> window
  to be default or mandatory.</para>
  <para>To open a <application>Defaults</application> window, choose
  <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>New Defaults
  Window</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.  To open a
  <application>Mandatory</application> window, choose <menuchoice>
  <guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>New Mandatory Window</guimenuitem>
  </menuchoice>.</para>

  <sect2 id="creating-defaults">
    <title>Creating Default Settings</title>
    <para>To create a default setting, perform the following steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>In the <application>Settings</application> window, use the
      tree pane to display the key that you want to set as default.</para></step>
      <step><para>Right-click on the key and select <guimenuitem>Set as
      Default</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.</para></step>
    </procedure>
  </sect2>
  <sect2 id="creating-mandatory">
    <title>Creating Mandatory Settings</title>
    <para>To create a mandatory setting, perform the following steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>In the <application>Settings</application> window, use the
      tree pane to display the key that you want to set as
      mandatory.</para></step>
      <step><para>Right-click on the key and select <guimenuitem>Set as
      Mandatory</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.</para></step>
    </procedure>
  </sect2>
  <sect2 id="modifying-defaults-mandatory">
    <title>Modifying and Removing Default and Mandatory Settings</title>
    <para>You can use the <application>Defaults</application> and
    <application>Mandatory</application> windows to modify and remove
    default and mandatory settings.  To modify a default or mandatory
    setting, use the appropriate window and modify the key as you would
    for keys in the <application>Settings</application> window.  See
    <xref linkend="modify-key"/> for more information on modifying
    keys.</para>
    <para>To remove a default or mandatory key, perform the following
    steps:</para>
    <procedure>
      <step><para>In the appropriate window, use the tree pane to display
      the key that you want to remove from the default or mandatory
      settings.</para></step>
      <step><para>Right-click on the key and select <guimenuitem>Unset
      Key</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.</para></step>
    </procedure>
  </sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="icons">
  <title>Icons and Key Types</title>
  <para>The icons beside the keys in the modification pane indicate what type
  of value you can enter for the key.  The following list shows the possible
  icons and what types of values they represent.</para>
  <variablelist>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
        <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-bool.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> Boolean key</term>
      <listitem><para>Can be either true or false.
      <application>&app;</application> will provide a check box for
      this type of key.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-number.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> Number key</term>
      <listitem><para>Can hold numbers.  These can be either integer or
      floating point (fractional) numbers.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-string.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> String key</term>
      <listitem><para>Can hold any string of text.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-schema.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> Schema key</term>
      <listitem><para>Used for documenting other keys.  The documentation
      for each key is provided by a seperate key, typically under the
      <literal>/schemas</literal> directory.  Users and system administrators
      usually will not need to work with schema keys directly.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-list.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> List key</term>
      <listitem><para>Lists of arbitrary length.  Each element of the list must
      be of the same type, and one of the primitive types of boolean, number, or
      string.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-blank.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> Pair key</term>
      <listitem><para>Can hold exactly two values.  The two values must
      be one of the primitive types, but they do not have to be the same
      type.  Currently, <application>&app;</application> is unable to edit
      pair keys.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term><inlinemediaobject><imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="figures/entry-blank.png" format="PNG"/>
      </imageobject></inlinemediaobject> Blank</term>
      <listitem><para>Used when <application>&app;</application> does not
      understand the type of key.  The blank icon is also currently used
      for pair keys.</para></listitem>
    </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>
</sect1>
</article>
