This is a guide on howto modify and tweak Gnome 3.2 Gnome Shell on Fedora 16, easily with application called gnome-tweak-tool, using extensions and themes. With this guide you have two option, install all extensions and themes once or install just extensions and themes what you want to use. There’s a lot of other themes and the extension, but those which are presented in this guide can be installed via the YUM package management, as well as they are of good quality.

1. Install Gnome Shell Extensions and Themes on Fedora 16

1.1 Change root user

su -
## OR ##
sudo -i

1.2 Install dependency gnome-tweak-tool

yum install gnome-tweak-tool

1.3 Install Gnome-Shell extensions

Following command installs all Gnome Shell extensions at once

yum install gnome-shell-extension*

Or alternatively, you could install just selected Gnome Shell extensions with yum.
[learn_more caption=”Descriptions and Install Commands of all Gnome Shell Extensions”]

Classic Alt+Tab behavior (Window based instead of app based URL)

Lets you use classic Alt+Tab (window-based instead of app-based) in GNOME Shell. GNOME Shell groups multiple instances of the same application together. This extension disables grouping.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-alternate-tab

Replace Suspend with “Power off” on status menu / user menu

For those who want a power off item visible at all the time, replaces GNOME Shell status menu with one featuring separate Suspend and Power Off. Adds the ability to hibernate as well.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-alternative-status-menu

GNOME 2.x style application menu for GNOME Shell

Application menu for GNOME Shell. Add a GNOME 2.x style menu for applications.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-apps-menu

Assign specific workspaces to applications

Lets you manage your workspaces more easily, assigning a specific workspace to each application as soon as it creates a window, in a manner configurable with a GSettings key.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-auto-move-windows

Collection of extensions providing additional and optional functionality to GNOME Shell

GNOME Shell Extensions is a collection of extensions providing additional and optional functionality to GNOME Shell. Common files and directories needed by extensions are provided here.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-common

Show CPU temperature on GNOME Shell

Gnome Shell Extensions that adds an applet on the panel which reveals current CPU temperature in Degree Celsius and Fahrenheit.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-cpu-temperature

Shows a dock-style task switcher permanently

Shows a dock-style task switcher on the right side of the screen permanently.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-dock

Disk device manager in the status area

Adds a menu in the system status area that tracks removable disk devices attached and offers to browse them and eject/unmount them.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-drive-menu

GNOME Shell extension for GPaste

yum install gnome-shell-extension-gpaste

Manage icons in top bar

A gnome-shell extension to manage icons in top bar. Add/remove icons from top bar panel by simple editing gsettings.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-icon-manager

Control Mediaplayers

A gnome-shell extension to control mediaplayers. Gnome shell extension Mediasplayers is a simple extension for displaying player control, music and music cover in Gnome Shell.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-mediaplayers

Arrange Windows in Overview

Arrange windows in overview in a more native way. This extension employs an algorithm (taken from KDE) for layouting the thumbnails in the overview that more closely reflects the positions and relative sizes of the actual windows, instead of using a fixed grid.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-native-window-placement 

Remove Name and IM Status

A gnome-shell extension for removing the name and the IM status.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-noim

Disable Hot Corner Ripple Effects

This Gnome Shell extension disables Activities hot corner ripple effects.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-noripple

Pidgin Integration

This package contains the necessary components to integrate pidgin with GNOME Shell.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-pidgin

Gnome 2.x Style Menu

Places menu indicator in the system system status area that resembles the Places menu from GNOME 2.x.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-places-menu

Pomodoro Helper

This extension helps you to work with the pomodoro technique here. It provides a countdown timer in the gnome-shell and keeps track of completed 25 minute cycles.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-pomodoro

Presentation Mode (disable screen saver and the automatic suspend)

Gnome-Presentation-Mode is a tiny gnome-shell extension that adds a new entry to the power indicator (the menu that opens when you click the battery icon). While presentation mode is on the screen saver and the automatic suspend will not kick in, allowing you to sit back and enjoy whatever you are doing without having to wiggle the mouse every few minutes.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-presentation-mode

Remove Accessibility (a11y) Icon

A gnome-shell extensions for removing the accessibility icon. This simple extension does nothing more than to remove the accessibility icon in the top right corner of the GNOME panel.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-remove-accessibility-icon

Remove Bluetooth Icon

A gnome-shell extension for removing the bluetooth icon. This simple extension does nothing more than to remove the bluetooth icon from the GNOME panel.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-remove-bluetooth-icon

Remove Volume Icon

A gnome-shell extension for removing the volume icon. This simple extension does nothing more than to remove the volume icon from the GNOME panel.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-remove-volume-icon

Top Right Hot Corner

A gnome-shell extension for an additional hot corner to upper right of monitor.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-righthotcorner

Monitor Your System Status

yum install gnome-shell-extension-systemMonitor

Gnome Shell User Theme Selector

Gnome shell user theme selector with preview.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-theme-selector

Lets the User Select a Custom Theme for the Shell

Lets the user select a custom theme for the Gnome shell. It will allow you to apply a style from /.themes/[themeName]/gnome-shell/gnome-shell.css

yum install gnome-shell-extension-user-theme

eyboard Selection of Windows and Workspaces in Overlay Mode

Allow keyboard selection of windows and work-spaces in overlay mode in GNOME Shell. Switch to overview mode (press the windows or ALT+F1 key) and press the alt key to show numbers over windows. Press any number to switch to the corresponding window.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-windowsNavigator

Workspace Indicator

Put an indicator on the panel signaling in which workspace you are, and give you the possibility of switching to another one.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-workspace-indicator

Fast Switching Workspaces

A gnome-shell extension that add workspaces menu to status area of Gnome Shell for fast switching.

yum install gnome-shell-extension-workspacesmenu

Monitor Status Indicator

This extension adds a systems status menu for rotating monitors (overrides what is currently provided by gnome-settings-daemon).

yum install gnome-shell-extension-xrandr-indicator

[/learn_more]

1.4 Install Gnome-Shell Themes

Following command installs all Gnome Shell themes at once

yum install gnome-shell-theme*

Installs following themes atolm, dark-glass, elementary, gaia, orta and smooth-inset.

1.5 Fix Gnome Shell User Theme Bug

Simply run following command:

sed -i 's/THEME_EXT_NAME = "[email protected]"/THEME_EXT_NAME = "[email protected]"/' /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gtweak/tweaks/tweak_shell.py

1.6 Enable Extensions with Restarting the Gnome Shell

Press ALT+F2 -> write r (lower r letter) -> press Enter

2. Enable / Disable and Configure Gnome Shell Extensions and Themes on Fedora 16

2.1 Open gnome-tweak-tool

On menu it’s called Advanced Settings or on command line write:

gnome-tweak-tool

2.2 Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Basic Config Screens

Here is screenshots just basic options, like Gnome Shell fonts, Gnome Shell date & time settings, etc.

Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Main Screen
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) main

Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Shell
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Shell

Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Windows
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Windows

2.3 Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Enable User Themes

Turn “User Themes Extension” ON and then restart gnome-tweak-tool to enable user themes.
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Shell extensions enable user themes

2.4 Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Shell Extensions and Themes

Then you can enable / disable all extensions that you want…
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) Shell extensions turn on and off

Change User Theme:
Advanced Settings (gnome-tweak-tool) User themes shell theme

2.5 Configure Gnome Shell Extensions (Themes) with gsettings

Get all current Gnome Shell extensions settings:

gsettings list-recursively |grep "org.gnome.shell.extensions"

Example output:

org.gnome.shell.extensions.alternate-tab behaviour 'all_thumbnails'
org.gnome.shell.extensions.alternate-tab first-time false
org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock autohide true
org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock hide-effect 'resize'
org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock hide-effect-duration 0.29999999999999999
org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock position 'left'
org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock size 48
org.gnome.shell.extensions.auto-move-windows application-list @as []
org.gnome.shell.extensions.native-window-placement strategy 'natural'
org.gnome.shell.extensions.native-window-placement use-more-screen true
org.gnome.shell.extensions.native-window-placement window-captions-on-top true
org.gnome.shell.extensions.icon-manager desaturation-factor 1.0
org.gnome.shell.extensions.icon-manager top-bar @as []
org.gnome.shell.extensions.user-theme name ''

Modify settings with following command:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.[name] [key] [value]

Example

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dock size 60

3. Screenshots of tweaked Gnome Shell

Gnome Shell – Workspaces menu
Gnome Shell - Workspaces menu

Gnome Shell – Classic Gnome 2.x menu
Gnome Shell - Classic Gnome 2.x menu

Gnome Shell – Dock
Gnome Shell - Dock

Gnome Shell – Atolm theme
Gnome Shell - Atolm theme

Gnome Shell – Smooth Inset theme
Gnome Shell - Smooth Inset theme

Please let me know if you have some problems with Gnome Shell themes and extensions installation or usage?