The more I use the new Avant Window Navigator AWN 0.4, the more I like it. And here are some tips I found that I want to share with you dear readers.


1. Auto start your AWN

If you like AWN and want to have it all the time, make it automatically
start when starting up Ubuntu.

Dock Preferences -> Preferences -> Start Awn automatically.

2. Make sure to turn Icon effect on

With this effect turned off I found it's hard to determine that the
clicked application is actually responding or not.

Dock Preferences -> Preferences -> Icon effects.


3. Save Screen Estate by Autohide
Autohide is a great way to unclutter your desktop, new AWN offers better way to do so, and here's my favorite setup.
Dock Preferences -> Preferences -> Behavior : Intellhide.
With Autohide mode : transparency.

4. Extra AWN applet
To get extra and very useful applets, install awn-applets-python-extra (via menu -> administration -> synaptic package manager). Installing this will add more main menu applets, show desktop applet and more.

5. Un-clutter your dock by auto grouping
By default awn 0.4 will group common windows (Dock Preferences -> Task Manager -> Group common windows)  which is a great new feature, but this feature will make applications run under Wine (or application with similar command , e.g.: Prism web applications ) grouped as one icons and when not grouped they will use same icon. As I ranted earlier.
There's a fix to have auto grouping that will  not apply to Wine's applications but still have their own specified icons. Not actually a fix that involves patching since all we need are already in Dock Preferences menu. Here's how, open Dock Preferences :

• Task Manager -> Icons : Use application-specified icons
• Advanced -> Task Manager -> Matching Strength : 25
  so far this is the best value in my opinion, feel free to experiment.

AWN 0.4 is easy to configure, just explore the Dock Preferences and you'll find many things to explore. AWN offers further tweaking via Advanced tab, although it could be more user friendly if the values presented in slider and numbers.
Have different tips? Please share in comment.


keyword : avant window navigator, awn, 0.4 , tips

Update April 20, 2010 : Actually the new applets are not less than earlier AWN, I haven't install  awn-applets-python-extras when I wrote this post, I thought it would be automatically upgraded when I upgrade from 0.3 to 0.4. Sorry, my mistake.

Avant Window Navigator is my favorite dock. Docky is good, but the absence of Main Menu applet is the deal breaker (or am I missing something here?).
The latest version of awn is 0.4 and will be included by default in Lucid Lynx (10.04) repository. For earlier Ubuntu, it has to be added manually from here.

awn 0.4 configuration window

On the good side AWN 0.4 has :

• better auto hide mechanism,
• looking better look awesome,
• flexible dock placements and arrangement, other than in the bottom of screen, it's a good thing for people with dual monitors setting as you can place the dock freely.
• auto-grouping opened applications, but it comes with consequences
  
• more options to tune awn to your liking
  

The bad side :

• the auto grouping mentioned on the good side works when the applications grouped are actually have a same name. but for Wine and Prism applications it comes out messy. All Wine applications no matter how different they are, will be grouped as one application.
  There's an option to customize how much the matching factor (in advanced tab -> Task Manager -> Matching Strength), 25 will do, the Wine apps will be un-grouped alright, but they will shared same icon, and it looks confusing . On the other hand if grouped they will have their own icons when you expand the grouped icons.
  
  
  
  
  

  On the left hand side, the Facebook icon shows there are two grouped applications, actually they are two different Prism applications. On the right hand side there are 3 same icons used for 3 different Wine application. To group or not to group, tough choice.
• less dock applets than earlier awn (but it will grow, I believe)

Overall awn 0.4 is a good version especially if you can live with auto grouping issue until the fix arrive and limited applets for now.

keyword : awn 0.4, ubuntu 9.10, karmic koala