The Physical Workspace: Customizing Icons and Backgrounds (BG)

Using Custom Icons

Icons that represent devices in Packet Tracer in both Logical and Physical mode can now be customized to an individual users taste. The images used for Physical and Logical mode can be differently customized or the default image can be used for either Logical or Physical with the other being customized. A customized icon must be created by an external painting type of program and saved as either a .PNG or .JPG file. The recommend size of a custom icon is 45 x 31 pixels. If the graphic is of a different size Packet Tracer will automatically resize the image to fit. So to maintain the best graphic control of the icons it is best to follow the recommended size. There is a way to resize icon now covered in the Logical Workspace section.

To change an icon for a device, click on the device, which brings up the device configuration pop-up window. On the Physical Configuration Tab below the device image there are two buttons. One changes the icon in Logical Workspace, the other changes the icon in Physical Workspace. To change an icon image in the Physical Workspace follow these steps:

- Click on the device to be customized.
- Click on the Customize Icon in Physical View button.
- Select the image you want by clicking on it or use the browse button to navigate to a new directory and select the image.
- Click on the OK button.

The new icon image is used in place of the default on the Physical Workspace. To change the image back to the default, follow these steps.

- Click on the device to be customized.
- Click on the Customize Image in Physical View button.
- Click on the Reset button.

Using Custom Backgrounds (BG)

The Physical Workspace comes with a default set of backgrounds (for the Intercity, City, and Building environments). You can replace the background of each environment with your own background images, just like in the Logical Workspace (see "Getting Started"). When using your own images, pay attention to the environment for which an image is appropriate. For example, an image with the map of San Francisco is appropriate for the City environment. To use such an image, perform these steps:

- In the city where you want to apply the background, click on the Set Background button on the Physical Workspace Bar.
- Select the image from the list provided or click the browse button to navigate to the directory where the graphic is located.
- Click on the Apply button.

To return to the default graphic:

- In the city where you want to reset the background, click on the Set Background button on the Physical Workspace Bar.
- Click on the Reset button.

There is also a scaling option available in the Set Background dialog box. This option specifies the distance scale for Packet Tracer in meters per pixel. This scale directly determines the length of cables and broadcast ranges of wireless access points in both logical and physical modes. The defaults are set to:

- Intercity = 8.98473 per pixel
- City = 1.18694 per pixel
- Office = 0.058072 per pixel
- Wiring closet (does not have scaling)

Note that the dimensions of your background images affect the scale and appearance of certain objects.

To create a graphic for a background the recommended sizes, in pixels are:

- Intercity = 2226 x 1382 pixels
- City = 1685 x 1043 pixels
- Office = 3444 x 2157 pixels

To save custom icons and backgrounds with either a PKT or PKA file, the creator of the file must use the Save As Pkz selection from the File menu. This process is covered in detail in the Interface Overview section.