AfterStep Configuration

This is a short (but hopefully helpful) description of the AfterStep configuration files. It describes most of the configuration files you maybe want to edit for the versions 1.4.5 (should be the same for 1.4.3/4) and 1.5beta5/1.6.0. The descriptions are for the beta and the 1.6.0 version, in the case, the files differs, there will be a link to the respective older description.
Before reading all this stuff, you may want to look at the FAQ, because I didn't point out some thing that are already covered by the FAQ.

Let's have a look at the directory structure in AfterStep 1.4.4 and/or 1.5beta5/1.6.0. Some of the mentioned directories and/or files can or should remain in the AfterStep base directory (for example /usr/local/share/afterstep/). But that depends on your installation, if you use your machine alone at home, the most files can be edited there. Since I can not know where you installed AS, I used the ~/G/L/A/ structure.

General

Some general things, thanks to Neil Thomas for the idea.

General

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/

In this directory you find files to configure the modules, some apps, and the base configuration for AfterStep.

Contents of this directory

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/looks/

Here you find all the look files that will appear in you start menu. When updating from AS 1.4.0: Make sure that this is the only look directory in your structure. Other way problems will appear. Copy your files that you want to keep from desktop/look into the new directory and delete the old one.

Contents of this directory

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/feels/

In this directory you find all feel files that will appear in the start menu. When updating from AS 1.4.0: Make sure that this is the only feel directory in your structure. Other way problems will appear. Copy your files that you want to keep from desktop/feel into the new directory and delete the old one.

Contents of this directory

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/start/

Now we come to the start menu appearing when you click on the root window. Create a file for every menu entry you want to see in the menu and a folder for every sub menu. We will talk about this later again.

Contents of this directory

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/

In the actual version you should only have some directories in here. Nothing else to configure.

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/backgrounds/

Here are some background pictures for your desktop. Every picture you find here will appear in the start menu and you can change it there.

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/icons/

Here are only directories for the different color depths.

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/icons/8bpp/

Icons for 8bpp color depth, poor colors ;-) For users of 8bpp displays, I made an example of how it could work, go to my AS_on_8bpp_HowTo

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/icons/16bpp/

Icons for 16bpp color depth, which looks better. Copy the icons you want to use into the respective directory dependent on your color depth (from other locations on your harddisk, or from a directory for another color depth). Also tiles for the Wharf should take place here. If you use more colors, you should have a directory for them (e.g. 24bpp or 32bpp); I will skip these cases here.

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/desktop/buttons/

Here are the buttons for the windows (close, iconify, shade ...)

/home/yourname/GNUstep/Library/AfterStep/non-configurable/

You shouldn´t need to touch any files in here. If you got some trouble with look and/or feel files, then you should look into this directory. I made the experience that sometimes the look & feels files weren't updated. In that case you may want to copy the files into this directory and it's subdirectories. In 1.5beta4 there are no subdirectories anymore. Look into it and you will know how they have to be called!