Using Icon Gallery on the Desktop

There are three main steps to using any Icon Gallery icon:

* choosing an icon from a gallery disk
* copying it to the clipboard
* pasting it where you want it to be seen

Note: You should read this section even if you want to use icons someplace other than on the desktop.


Copying Icon Gallery to Your Hard Disk

Icon Gallery is distributed on four disks, each containing hundreds of individual icon files.  These files are distributed uncompressed, so you can browse through the disks to choose your icons.  You do not have to copy all the icon files to your hard disk—although you may if you choose.

Note: Even if you decide to keep the icons on the floppy disks, you should make backups.  While we'll replace any lost or damaged disks, there is a service charge you could avoid by simply making backup copies of each floppy and storing the originals in a safe place.


Copying an Icon from a Gallery Disk

The first step in using an icon from Icon Gallery is to look through your disks, opening folders, and exploring.  When you find an icon you like, do the following:

» Make sure you're in the Finder, not an application.  

» Click ONCE on the icon file.  
      Notice we said once...ONCE...ONCE...ONCE.

» Choose Get Info... from the File Menu.  The Finder will open a window called a "Get Info" window that will look like this (upper half):

 







» Click on the icon in the window. Make sure the square is drawn around the icon: 

 





Clicking on the icon in the Get Info window tells the Finder that you want to work on this icon image.

» Choose Copy from the Edit menu.  

Note: Don't choose Cut because that will permanently remove the icon image from the icon file.

At this point, your icon image is on the clipboard.  You can place it anywhere, from another desktop icon to someplace in a desktop publishing document to a multimedia presentation.  The icon is now a small, square paint image on the clipboard.  (Programmers: the icon is stored on the clipboard as a PICT).

» Close the Get Info window by clicking on the close box.  


Pasting an Icon on a File or Application

Adding an icon to a file is the same process as copying an icon from a disk, only in esrever (er, reverse).  Here's what you do:

Note: Make sure you've copied an icon to the clipboard as described above before beginning this procedure.

» Make sure you're in the Finder, not an application.  

» Find the icon for a file, document, or application where you'd like the new icon.

» Click ONCE on the icon file. Notice we said once...(we won't get carried away here, but make sure you only do a single-click)

» Choose Get Info... from the File Menu.  The Finder will open the Get Info window (this time for your file, document, or application).

» Click on the icon in the window. Make sure the square is drawn around the icon.

» Choose Paste from the Edit menu.  

The new icon is now displayed on your document.

» Close the Get Info window by clicking on the close box.  


 To Get Different Icon Styles

Icon Gallery provides six different icon styles: large and small 256-color, large and small 16-color, large and small black and white.

To display the large icons, just set your Finder window to View by Icon.

To display the small icons, set your Finder window to View by Small Icon.

To display 256-color icons, set your Monitors Control Panel to 256 colors (or more—this works with your Monitors control set at Thousands or Millions).

Note: You must have at least an 8-bit color monitor to see full-color icons.

To display 16-color icons, set your Monitors Control Panel to 16 colors (if you don't have this feature, the only way you'll see 4-color icons is by opening ResEdit.  See Tips for Techies in a later chapter).

To display black and white icons, set your Monitors Control Panel to Black and White.