Windows XP Professional: The Missing Manual

View Menu

The commands in the View menu apply only to the active desktop window: the one that’s open and in front of all the others.

Toolbars

Offers a submenu of toolbars you can add to the top of the window. For details on these toolbars and their functions, see Section 3.3. Keyboard equivalent: Alt+V, T.

Status Bar

Makes the status bar appear or disappear at the bottom of the window. The status bar displays information about the contents of the current window, or the selection you’ve made inside it. (It may say, for example, “3 object(s) selected” or “Type: Microsoft Word Document.”) Keyboard equivalent: Alt+V, B.

Explorer Bar

Splits the window, creating a new left-side pane. In this special panel, you can summon your choice of extra information; make your choice using the View→Explorer Bar submenu. The choices are described in Section 3.1.2. Keyboard equivalent: Alt+V, E.

Thumbnails, Filmstrip, Tiles, Icons, List, Details

Let you view the files in a window as icons (which you move by dragging freely), as a list (a neat list view that’s automatically sorted), as a filmstrip (a slide show of graphics files), and so on. Section 3.2.1 begins a complete description of these views and their relative advantages.

Arrange Icons By

Tidies a window filled with randomly spaced icons, placing them into an orderly grid according to the criteria you select from the submenu here. These commands appear only in windows you’ve displayed in icon (not list) views. Section 3.2.1.1 has complete details. Keyboard ...