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Workspace overview



You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. The workspaces of the different applications in Adobe Creative Suite 4 share the same appearance so that you can move between the applications easily. You can also adapt each application to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own.

Although the default workspace layout varies in different products, you manipulate the elements much the same way in all of them.
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Default Illustrator workspace

A.
Tabbed Document windows

B.
Application bar

C.
Workplace switcher

D.
Panel title bar

E.
Control panel

F.
Tools panel

G.
Collapse To Icons button

H.
Four panel groups in vertical dock

  • The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application controls.

  • The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements, and so on. Related tools are grouped.

  • The Control panel displays options for the currently selected tool. (Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks have no Control panel.)

  • Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks have a Property inspector that displays options for the currently selected element or tool.

  • The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be tabbed and, in certain cases, grouped and docked.

  • Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Examples include the Timeline in Flash, the Layers panel in Photoshop, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be grouped, stacked, or docked.

  • On the Mac, the Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window that lets you treat the application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all the elements within it respond to each other so none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or when you accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors. If you prefer the traditional, free-form user interface of the Mac, you can turn off the Application frame. In Illustrator, for example, select Window > Application Frame to toggle it on or off. (In Flash, the Application frame is on permanently.)

Hide or show all panels

  • (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels, including the Tools panel and Control panel, press Tab.

  • (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel, press Shift+Tab.

    You can temporarily display hidden panels if Auto-Show Hidden Panels is selected in Interface preferences. Move the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows®) or to the edge of the monitor (Mac OS®) and hover over the strip that appears.

  • (Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks) To hide or show all panels, press F4.

Display panel options

 Click the panel menu icon in the upper-right corner of the panel.
You can open a panel menu even when the panel is minimized.

(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness

  In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control panel.

Reconfigure the Tools panel

You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns. (This feature is not available in the Tools panel in Fireworks.)

In InDesign, you also can switch from single-column to double-column (or single-row) display by setting an option in Interface preferences.

  Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel.