The Red Hat Linux text mode installation program uses a screen-based interface
that includes most of the on-screen "widgets" commonly found on
graphical user interfaces. Figure 5-3 and
Figure 5-4 illustrate the screens you will
see.
Here is a list of the most important widgets shown in Figure 5-3 and Figure 5-4:
Window — windows (usually referred to as
dialogs in this manual) will appear on your
screen throughout the installation process. At times, one window
may overlay another; in these cases, you can only interact with the
window on top. When you are finished in that window, it will
disappear, allowing you to continue working in the window
underneath.
Text Input — text input lines are regions where you can enter
information required by the installation program. When the cursor
rests on a text input line, you may enter and/or edit information on
that line.
Checkbox — checkboxes allow you to select or deselect a
feature. The box displays either an asterisk (selected) or a space
(unselected). When the cursor is within a checkbox, press
[Space] to select an unselected feature or to
deselect a selected feature.
Text widget — text widgets are regions of the screen for the
display of text. At times, text widgets may also contain other
widgets, such as checkboxes. If a text widget contains more
information than can be displayed in the space reserved for it, a
scroll bar appears; if you position the cursor within the text
widget, you can then use the [Up] and
[Down] arrow keys to scroll through all the
information available. Your current position is shown on the scroll
bar by a # character, which moves up and down the
scroll bar as you scroll.
Button widget — button widgets are the primary method of
interacting with the installation program. You progress through the
windows of the installation program by navigating these buttons,
using the [Tab] and [Enter] keys.
Buttons can be selected when they are highlighted.
Cursor — although not a widget, the cursor is used to select
(and interact) with a particular widget. As the cursor is moved
from widget to widget, it may cause the widget to change color, or
you may only see the cursor itself positioned in or next to the
widget. In Figure 5-3, the cursor is
positioned on the OK button. Figure 5-4 shows the cursor on the
Edit button.
Navigation through the installation dialogs is performed through a
simple set of keystrokes. To move the cursor, use
[Left], [Right], [Up],
and [Down] arrow keys. Use [Tab], and
[Alt]-[Tab] to cycle forward or backward
through each widget on the screen. Along the bottom, most screens
display a summary of available cursor positioning keys.
To "press" a button, position the cursor over the button (using
[Tab], for example) and press [Space]
or [Enter]. To select an item from a list of items,
move the cursor to the item you wish to select and press
[Enter]. To select an item with a checkbox, move the
cursor to the checkbox and press [Space] to select an
item. To deselect, press [Space] a second time.
Pressing [F12] accepts the current values and proceeds
to the next dialog; it is equivalent to pressing the
OK button.
 | Caution |
|---|
| | Unless a dialog box is waiting for your input, do not press any keys
during the installation process (doing so may result in
unpredictable behavior).
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