Moksha Basics




(An example of a Places Gadget)
Organize your Tasks with Virtual Desktops

(An example of a Places Gadget)
Virtual Desktops allow you to group applications of a certain type on one desktop and those of a different type on another. You have initially four virtual desktops, but you can change this number.

The pager gadget on the shelf shows small graphics of the available desktops with the applications running in each.

There are several ways to switch among them: 

  • With the Pager Gadget, simply click on the graphic of the Desktop you wish to be in.
  • Use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt + <ArrowKey> in the direction you wish to move.
  • Choose your desired desktop via Main Menu -> Desktop -> Virtual (with classic menu module only!).

(Main Menu)
The Entire Desktop is the Menu

A click on any empty space of the desktop will bring up the Main Menu, where you can launch applications, adjust settings, shutdown the system, and so on. This is the standard on a fresh Moksha installation. Most consider it very convenient. For the few that do not, the mouse-binding "Show Main Menu", can be easily removed/configured in: Main Menu -> Settings -> Settings Panel -> Input -> Mouse Bindings, along with any other mouse-bindings.

Right-clicking an empty space on the desktop will bring up the Favorites Menu. Since there are no favorited applications on a fresh Moksha installation, the Favorites Menu will show the empty list. It is waiting in anticipation for you to add applications! To do this, go to the Main Menu -> Settings -> Settings Panel -> Apps -> Favorite Applications


(Gadgets)
Many Gadgets Show System Info

Gadgets perform a wide variety of functions. Many display system information, such as battery level, time or CPU frequency. Others allow you to interact with the system in some way, such as adjusting the volume or the screen brightness. Most allow multiple instances in different locations, for instance on a shelf as well as on the desktop.

They can be found and added to the Desktop via: Main Menu -> Settings -> Gadgets

(Module Settings)



Modules Control Gadget Availability

A gadget will be available only if its module is loaded. Put simply, a gadget is an instance of a module. To load/unload modules, go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Modules. Moksha comes with a wide selection of modules installed by default, and more can be installed at your discretion through pacman




Shelves - The Taskbar/Systray/Dock's Home, Sweet Home

Moksha provides shelves to house your gadgets and launchers - a convenient alternative to having them on the desktop (most gadgets can be added to shelves). Shelves can be located anywhere on a border of your desktop and you can have more than one shelf on a desktop as well as different shelves on different virtual desktops. Managing the number of shelves as well as their location, size and other attributes is done under Main Menu -> Settings -> Shelves. To manage the content of a shelf (i.e. its gadgets), right-click on the shelf and choose Shelf -> Contents. (A standard Shelf with many Gadgets)

(An Example of Shading)
Shading - Alternative to Minimizing

Want to get a window out of your way but don't want to minimize it to the taskbar? Then Shade it! Just double click the title bar of any window to "roll it up", and double click the title bar to "roll it down" again.

The screenshot here shows two instances of Terminology, one that is Shaded and one that is not. Terminology is provided by the optional terminology package.


Some Handy Shortcuts:

Shortcuts are referred to as Bindings in Moksha and can be actioned by e.g. clicking the mouse at an edge of the screen, pressing a key combination, or pressing a key + mouse-click. They are categorized as follows:
  • Edge Bindings (edges of screen)
  • Key Bindings (keyboard)
  • Mouse Bindings (mouse+key)
  • ACPI Bindings (events)
You can set up your own bindings, but many have already been set up by default. These include:

Alt+<left-click> (mouse)
allows you to click anywhere in the window to grab it and reposition

<left-click> (mouse)
on an open portion of the desktop, opens the Main Menu

<right-click> (mouse)
on an open portion of the desktop, opens the favorites menu

Ctrl+Alt+X (key)
closes a window

Ctrl+Alt+<ArrowKey> (key)
switches to the Virtual Desktop in the direction selected

Ctrl+Alt+M (key)
brings up the Main Menu

Shift+F10 (key)
maximizes a window vertically

Alt+Shift+F10 (key)
maximizes a window horizontally

Alt+Tab (key)
switches between windows on the same desktop



All bindings can be located and configured at:
Main Menu -> Settings -> Settings Panel -> Input -> Key Bindings

For more information and a comprehensive list of all default keybindings, see Bodhi Wiki.

(Midori being selected from Everything Gadget)

Quick Launcher is a Moksha module which, as its name implies, allows you to find and open things on your computer. Want to get to the Favorite Applications dialog box to set up your Favorites Menu? Then just type fav into Everything and hit Enter. Want to launch Terminology? Then enter "term" into the Quick Launcher. This brief guide can only describe the basic features of the launcher; for more information follow the links on the Resources page at the end of this QuickStart Guide.

You can open the Quick Launcher by clicking its gadget on the shelf, or by pressing the key bindings Alt+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Space, or from Main Menu -> Quick Launcher. It will close automatically after performing the requested action, otherwise close it by pressing Esc or clicking outside its window.