Name
Icons
Synopsis
Strictly speaking, anicon is any small picture used to symbolize an object or a function in the interface. Icons commonly appear in menus and on toolbars, but the term is most often used to describe the objects that represent files and folders on your Desktop and in Windows Explorer.
Chapter 2 covers the basic use of icons, especially in the way they can be opened, moved, copied, and deleted. Right-click any icon to display its context menu. (See Context Menus, earlier in this chapter.)
The image used for a given icon depends on the type of object it represents, as does the procedure for customizing that icon. For example, the icons for My Computer, Recycle Bin and other Desktop “namespace” objects can be customized by right-clicking on an empty area of the Desktop and going to Properties → Desktop tab → Customize Desktop.
The icon used for a document depends on its type; all
.txt files use the same icon, all.jpg files use the same icon, and so
on. Icons for most file types can be changed by going to Tools
→ Folder Options → Files Types tab
in Explorer (see Figure 3-11). The exceptions are
application executables (.exe files), which have
their own icons. All folders (except special folders, like My
Documents and My Pictures) use the same icon, and cannot be changed
without a third-party add-on like Microangelo (Version 5.5 or later;
available from http://www.impactsoftware.com/).
You can change the icon for any Windows Shortcut or Internet Shortcut by right-clicking, ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access