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Configuring Compiz

The behaviour of each compiz plugin is determined by a number of parameters or preference keys. These 'key-value pairs' can be adjusted with the help of Gnome's Configuration Editor or gconf-editor. To use Configuration Editor, click on the "Applications" menu, select "System Tools" and navigate to "Configuration Editor". You can also run the Configuration Editor by invoking

gconf-editor &

from a terminal. In the editor's main window, navigate to apps>compiz.

Info <!> Note: Do not run gconf-editor as root i.e. with sudo.

Info (!) If you experience freezes or crashes while running gconf-editor from the terminal, start it with this command:

G_SLICE=always-malloc gconf-editor

Info (!) You can also run the Configuration Editor's command line tool,

gconftool-2

to set or display keys. For help with the command line tool, type "man gconftool-2" into the Help Browser.

General Settings

Note: Newer versions of Compiz may have some items moved, such as 'default_snap' from screen0 to allscreens or vice-versa. Also, newer versions are missing the Dock plugin.

Info (!) The rest of this document should be updated to reflect newer versions of Compiz available.

Loading Plugins

Info (!) It is recommended that you do not specify any compiz plugins except gconf in your startup script. Compiz will load the plugins automatically. (Once compiz loads the gconf plugin, further plugins specified on the command line will be ignored. Instead, the gconf plugin will override them with the list of plugins already stored in the gconf-editor's database.) A startup script could look like this:

gnome-window-decorator &  compiz --replace gconf &
# If you use AIGLX (instead of Xgl) use this instead:
#gnome-window-decorator &  compiz --replace --indirect-rendering --strict-binding gconf &

Info (!) To check if all plugins are loaded correctly, open gconf-editor and navigate to apps>compiz>general>allscreens>options:

  • gconf-active-plugins.png

Make sure active_plugins lists the plugins in the following order:

gconf, dbus, reflection, blur, miniwin, decoration, state, wobbly, fade, minimize, cube, rotate, zoom,
scale, move, resize, place, switcher, trailfocus, water, showdesktop

Info (!) The order of the plugins is important! Some plugins depend on other plugins and some plugins need to be loaded before other plugins in order to function properly. The plugin loader will not do anything to try and resolve issues relating to the load order - if a plugin can't be loaded due to a dependency problem, it will just be ignored (i.e. it won't load). Add, move or delete items in this list to load and unload plugins. Be aware that unloading a plugin might disable others.


Window Snapping

If you press <Shift> while moving a window, it will snap to the border of the workspace or to other windows. If you want to make snapping the default behaviour, open gconf-editor, navigate to /apps/compiz/plugins/wobbly/screen0/options and check the default_snap key:

  • gconf-default-snap.png


Focus follows the Mouse Pointer

By default, a window comes into focus when you click on it. If you'd like to move the input focus by simply moving the mouse pointer over the window, uncheck click_to_focus under /apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options.


Default Key Bindings (Keyboard Shortcuts)


Switch windows

Alt + Tab

Arrange and view all active windows on the current workspace/viewport

F12 (toggle); select a window by clicking on it. OLD: use the scale plugin of ccsm (CompizConfig Settings mananger)

Arrange and view all active windows across all workspaces/viewports

F10 (toggle); select a window by clicking on it.OLD: use the scale plugin of ccsm

Arrange and view active windows of the same application

F11 (toggle); select a window by clicking on it. OLD: use the scale plugin of ccsm

Slow motion effects & animations

Shift + F10

Switch to next workspace/viewport

Ctrl + Alt + Left/Right Arrow

Switch to next workspace/viewport and take the active window with you

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Left/Right Arrow

Rotate desktop cube/prism with the mouse pointer

Ctrl + Alt + Left-click on the desktop and drag

Make active window translucent/opaque (built-in)

Alt + mouse wheel up/down

Make active window translucent/opaque (with the opacity plugin)

Ctrl + Shift + Scroll, or right-click the window's title bar and select Opacity (seems to be absent in current compiz cvs.)

Saturate/desaturate active window

Control + mouse wheel up/down

Zoom in once

Super-key + right-click

Zoom in step-by-step

Super-key + mouse wheel up

Zoom out step-by-step

Super-key + mouse wheel down

Move window

Alt + left-click anywhere on the window's body

Snap window to workspace edges and window borders

Hold down Shift while moving the window

Resize window

Alt + right-click anywhere on the window's body

Water Effect

Ctrl + Super-key (I have to press the Ctrl key first) - (requires the 'water' plugin)

Rain

Shift + F9 (requires the 'water' plugin)

Info (!) Note: Super-key is the usually the same as the "windows-key" on most keyboards (adjustable in the keyboard preferences).


Custom Key Bindings

You can add your own key bindings to compiz. Under /apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options, you will find two sets of key pairs: command0 to command11 and run_command0_key to run_command11_key. First, add the terminal command or program you wish to run to one of the commandX key pairs. Then, add the key-binding to the corresponding run_commandX key pair. Suitable modifiers are <Alt>, <Shift> and <Control>.

Info (!) Example: To make Control + Alt + Delete bring up the Gnome System Monitor, set the value of command0 to gnome-system-monitor and the value of run_command0 to <Control><Alt>Delete.


Increasing the Number of 'ViewPorts'

Under apps>compiz>general>screen0>options, change the value of the size key. The minimal (and default) value is 4, the maximal value is 32.

Info (!) The 'cube' with its default of four desktops is actually a tetragonal prism. Increasing the number of 'viewports' will change your prism into a different type of prism -- an octagonal prism or dodecagonal prism for example.

Info (!) Increasing the number of viewports from the default 4 will currently cause images located on the caps of the prism to stop working.

Individual Plugins Settings

BS

This plugin controls brightness / saturation values.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

brightness_decrease

Key Command to decrease brightness.

<Shift>Button5

brightness_increase

Key Command to increase brightness.

<Shift>Button4

brightness_step

Step by which to change the brightness.

1-10

5

saturation_decrease

Key Command to decrease saturation.

<Control>Button5

saturation_increase

Key Command to increase saturation.

<Control>Button4

saturation_step

Step by which to change the saturation.

1-10

5


Cube

The 'cube' plugin controls various characteristics of the prism (the 'cube').

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

acceleration

Fold Acceleration (the switching speed of workspaces while 'unfolded')

1.0-20.0

4

color

Sets the background color of the cube caps

draw_caps

Toggle the top and bottom of the cube. Uncheck to keep them transparent and see-through to the skydome.

images_bottom

A comma-separated list of images that will be displayed on the bottom of the cube

images_top

A comma-separated list of images that will be displayed on the top of the cube

in

Check the 'in' checkbox to make it look like you are inside the cube/prism when rotating (instead of outside)

boolean

false

mipmap

Generate mipmaps when possible for higher-quality scaling

boolean

true

next_slide

Key Command for switching to the next image on *both* the top and bottom faces of the cube

space

prev_slide

Key Command for switching to the previous image on *both* the top and bottom faces of the cube

BackSpace

rotate_images

Toggles rotation of the images on the cube caps so that they will always be "face-up"

boolean

true

scale_image_bottom

Enables the scaling of images on the cube bottom.

boolean

false

scale_image_top

Enables the scaling of images on the cube top.

boolean

false

skydome

Check to have an 'skydome' image displayed behind the cube when rotating (no effect when in is checked)

boolean

false

skydome_animated

Check to make it look like you are moving around the cube when rotating with mouse

boolean

false

skydome_image

Insert path to the 'skydome' image to be displayed behind the cube

speed

Fold speed (speed of the 'unfold' effect)

0.1-50.0

1.5

timestep

Fold timestep (delay for the 'unfold' effect)

0.1-50.0

approx. 1.2

unfold

Key binding for the 'unfold' effect: the cube or prism is laid out like a film strip on your screen, allowing you to select a different screen by moving left or right. Somewhat similar to the 'switcher' feature, but for the desktop as a whole instead of active windows

<Control><Alt>Down

Info (!) Suggested image sizes for skydome feature are:

1024 x 1024, 1024 x 2048, 1024 x 4096, 2048 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 2048 x 4096, 4096 x 1024, 4096 x 2048, 4096 x 4096

Info (!) Images for the cube caps should be in either svg or png formats; the skydome images should be in png format.

Info (!) suggested directories for the images that go on the top or bottom cap of the prism:

~/.compiz
/usr/share/compiz


Decoration

The 'decoration' plugin offers parameters related to the drawing of window borders and drop shadows.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

shadow_color

Defines the color of window drop shadows

#87827d

shadow_offset_x

X-offset for drop shadows (can be negative for opposite direction)

-16 to +16

1

shadow_offset_y

Y-offset for drop shadows (can be negative for opposite direction)

-16 to +16

1

shadow_opacity

Opacity level of drop shadows

0.01 to 6

0.5

shadow_radius

Radius value for drop shadows

0.0 to 48

8


Dock

This plugin creates a Mac OS X-style 'Dock' for apps or windows.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

animation_time

Speed of window animations

0 to 2000

close_window_key

Key binding to close a docked window's parent

Button3

dock_color

Color of the Dock

0 to 16777215

11526384

dock_font

Font used by Dock

courier

dock_hidden_size

Size of the Dock when hidden

1 to 256

6

dock_hide_on_click

Hide the Dock with a left-click

boolean

true

dock_opacity

Opacity of the Dock

0 to 100

60

dock_position

Dock's position on the desktop

0=bottom, 1=right, 2=top, 3=left

0

dock_size

Size of the Dock

0 to 256

42

dock_spacing

Space between docked windows and the taskbar

-20 to 512

40

from_all_workspaces

Show docked windows from all workspaces/'viewports'

boolean

false

group_timeout

Hide a group of docked windows after a specified amount of time (in ms)

100 to 50000

1500

highlight_time

Highlight a window after a specified amount of time (in ms)

100 to 5000

500

icon_opacity

Opacity for all docked icons

0 to 100

75

icon_opacity_on_hover

Opacity of docked icons while hovering

0 to 100

95

icon_scale_on_hover_factor

Scale docked icons while hovering

0.90 to 10.00

1.25

icon_width

Standard width of docked icons

20 to 512

64

runs_on_aiglx

Enables dock functionality under AIGLX

boolean

false

show_maximized_windows

Show docked windows even when they are maximized

boolean

true

uniconify_key

Key binding for uniconifying a window

Button1

window_type

Window types that can be docked

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Splash, Normal, Dialog, ModalDialog


Fade

The 'fade' plugin makes windows, menus or tooltips fade in or out.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

fade_speed

How fast the windows fade in and out

0.1 to 10

5

fullscreen_visual_bell

Fullscreen fade effect on system beep

boolean

true

urgent

Flashing fade effect on urgent windows

boolean

true

urgent_center

Center brightness while urgent flashing

0 to 100

70

urgent_count

Number of flashes for urgent flashing

0 to 15 (0=forever)

5

urgent_speed

Flash speed for urgent flashing

5 to 50

15

urgent_swing

Maximum swing percentage for urgent flashing

0 to 100

20

visual_bell

Fade effect on system beep

boolean

false

window_types

Define the window types that should be affected by the 'fade' plugin

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Unknown

Info (!) Tip: Remove Splash from window_types to allow the switcher to terminate. See this compiz forum topic for details.


Minimize

The 'minimize' plugin makes windows "zoom in" when created and "zoom out" when closed or minimized.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

speed

The speed of the minimize effect

0.1 to 50

1.5

timestep

Minimize timestep

0.1 to 50

0.5

window_types

Window types that should be affected by the 'minimize' plugin

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Toolbar, Utility, Dialog, Normal

zoom_created_windows

Zoom windows in and out from/to the mouse pointer. Note: This takes priority over wobbly creation (the map_effect key in the wobbly plugin)

boolean

true

zoom_created_windows_from_center

Zoom windows in and out from/to their center, not the mouse pointer

boolean

false

Enable Zooming Menus

Info (!) To make menus zoom on creation, ensure that Unknown is included in the window_types key.

Info <!> Note: This option takes priority over wobbly menus.


MiniWin

This is an experimental plugin. It allows the user to create an icon of a mini-window, or even 'mindow', that shows a picture of the main window and can be clicked on to return the main window. It is a possible replacement for the minimize funtionality. More information and up-to-date links to the source can be found here on the compiz blog and in the compiz forum.

always_on_top

Toggles mindows being on top of other programs

bring_back_centered

deprecated?

deiconify_key

deprecated? Key binding to maximize a mini-window

demindow_key

dock_opacity

opacity of the dock

hide_dock_on_click

iconify_key

deprecated? Key binding to create a window

iconify_on_minimize

deprecated? Toggles miniwin as default behavior for minimize

mindow_key

mindow_opacity

Opacity of mini-window (0 - 100)

mindow_width

Width of mini-window

move_key

deprecated? Key binding to move mini-window

on_all_workspaces

Toggles mindows to be on all workspaces

only_move_up

opacity_on_hover

Opacity of mini-window while hovering (0 - 100)

runs_on_aiglx

scale_on_hover_factor

scale_on_hover_size

deprecated?

set_dock_background_key

show_dock

Toggles the dock feature

taskbar_hide_on_click

deprecated?

taskbar_opacity

deprecated?

taskbar_spacing

terminate_move_key

deprecated? Key binding to terminate moving of mini-window

use_as_taskbar

window_types

Valid window types for mini-windows. For Available windows see window_types


Move

The 'move' plugin allows you to move your windows by dragging anywhere on its body.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

constrain_y

Constrains the y-coordinate of windows to the workspace area (Prevents the window from being moved above the top of the screen)

boolean

true

initiate

Set the key combination for dragging a window by clicking anywhere on its body

<Alt>Button1

opacify_min_opacity

Only change opacity of windows whose opacity is higher than this value

0 to 100

80

opacity

Set opacity/translucency of windows while they are being moved (0 is fully translucent, 100 is opaque)

0 to 100

80

snapoff_maximized

De-maximize and don't snap to egdes while moving windows

boolean

true


Place

Places new windows in logical positions that will usually not overlap with other windows or toolbars.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

center_initiate

Center window

Button0

workarounds

Window placement workarounds

boolean

true


Resize

The 'resize' plugin controls the resizing of windows by key combinations or mouse clicks.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

initiate

Key binding which initiates the resizing of windows

<Alt>Button2

opacify_min_opacity

Only make windows translucent that have a higher opacity than this value

0 to 100

80

opacity

Opacity level while resizing a window

0 to 100

100


Rotate

The 'rotate' plugin sets the parameters for the cube/prism's rotation.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

acceleration

Set the acceleration of the cube/prism's rotation.

1 to 20

4

edge_flip_dnd

Flip to next viewport when dragging obejct to screen edge

boolean

true

edge_flip_move

Flip to next viewport when moving window to screen edge

boolean

true

edge_flip_pointer

Flip to next viewport when you bump the pointer against the edge of the screen

boolean

false

flip_time

Time taken to flip between viewports

0 to 1000

182

initiate

Set key combination to rotate the cube/prism while clicking on the desktop

<Control><Alt>Button1

invert_x

Invert x axis while rotating the cube/prism

boolean

false

invert_y

Invert y axis while rotating the cube/prism

boolean

false

rotate_left

Set key combination for rotating to the next viewport to the left

<Control><Alt>Left

rotate_left_window

Set key combination to take the active window with you while rotating to the next viewport to the left

<Shift><Control><Alt>Left

rotate_right

Set key combination to rotate to the next viewport to the right

<Control><Alt>Right

rotate_right_window

Set the key combination to take the active window with you while rotating to the next viewport to the right

<Shift><Control><Alt>Right

rotate_to_x & rotate_to_x_window etc..

Set key combinations to rotate directly to viewport x (or to rotate while taking the active window with you). Note: Only available for the first 12 viewports

Not Set

sensitivity

Changes the sensitivity of pointer movements while rotating the cube/prism.

0.01 to 100.00

1

snap_bottom

Enable snapping to the bottom face of the cube. Can be used for slideshows of images listed under images_bottom

boolean

false

snap_top

Enable snapping to the top face of the cube. Can be used for slideshows of images listed under images_top

boolean

false

speed

Set the speed of the cube/prism's rotation. (Does not apply to rotating with the mouse pointer)

0.1 to 50

1.5

terminate

Set key combination to terminate the function described in "initiate"

timestep

Sets the delay before rotating

0.1 to 50

approx. 1.2


Scale

This plugin scales all your active windows so that you can see them all at once, similar to the 'Exposé' feature in Mac OS X. Clicking on any window will activate it and cause all the windows to return to their original size. By default, F12 scales all windows; F11 scales all the windows from any specific application.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

all_screen_corners

Define a screen corner that will trigger the scale feature for all currently active windows on all desktops. For example, TopLeft will initiate scaled mode for all active windows from all desktops when moving the mouse to the top left corner.

TopLeft, TopRight, BottomLeft, BottomRight

Not Set

corners

Define a screen corner that will trigger the scale feature for all active windows on the current workspace.

TopLeft, TopRight, BottomLeft, BottomRight

Not Set

current_corners

Define a screen corner that will trigger the scale feature for windows that belong to the currently active application only.

TopLeft, TopRight, BottomLeft, BottomRight

Not Set

darken_back

Darkens the surrounding desktop and makes the scaled windows stand out more

boolean

true

darken_back_factor

Set the percentage of the darkening effect

0.00 to 1.00

approx. 0.67

head

Head on which windows are scaled

0 to 10

1

initiate

Key combination which triggers scaled mode for all active windows on the current workspace. See corners for a screen corner definition with the same effect

F12

initiate_all_screens

Key combination which triggers scaled mode for all active windows on all workspaces. See corners_all for a screen corner definition with the same effect

F10

initiate_current

Key combination which triggers scaled mode for windows of the active application only. Note: If this does not work as you expect it to, try to change "use_class". See current_corners for a screen corner definition with the same effect.

F11

opacity

Opacity percentage of unfocused windows in scaled mode

0 to 100

75

overlay_icon

Overlay an application icon on windows when hovering over them in scaled mode

None, Emblem, Big

Emblem

show_desktop

Show the desktop when clicking between windows in scaled mode

boolean

true

sloppy_focus

Enable 'Focus follows mouse pointer' behaviour in scaled mode

boolean

true

spacing

Space between scaled windows

0 to 250

25

speed

Regulate how fast windows move to their scaled size/position

0.1 to 50.0

1.5

terminate

Key to stop scaling and move windows back to their original size and position. Used if scaling was started with the key set in initiate. Left-click on a window also terminates scaled mode

F12

terminate_all_screens

Key to stop scaling and move windows back to their original size/position. Used if scaling was started with the key set in initiate_all_screens. Left-click on a window also terminates scaled mode

F10

terminate_current

Key to stop scaling and move windows back to their original size/position. Used if scaling was started with the key set in initiate_current. Left-click on a window also terminates scaled mode

F11

timestep

Delay before entering into scaled mode

0.5 to 50.0

approx. 1.2

use_class

Use the window type (WM_CLASS) when scaling (For scaling current application windows only)

boolean

false

window_types

Define the window types to include in scaled mode

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Toolbar, Utility, Dialog, Normal


State

Use the 'state' plugin to set various window attributes according to window type, window class, window title or owning program.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

List windows by type, class, title or by the application that controls them and adjust their translucency states.
For example, to set the opacity of all menus to 80, enter w:Menu:80.
w = window type (Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Normal, Dialog, ModalDialog, Unknown)
c = window class
t = window title (set translucency by specific window title. For example, try t:About the GNOME Desktop:80
and navigate to "System">"About GNOME")
p = window by owning program set translucency by program name as it appears in $PATH).

brightness

Set window brightness according to type, class, or owning process

opacity

Set window opacity according to type, class, or owning process

saturation

Set window saturation according to type, class, or owning process

viewport

Set initial viewport for windows according to type, class, or owning process

widget

(A Hack) Set to 2 to set widget state, 1 to clear.


Switcher

The 'switcher' plugin allows easy switching between applications or sets of windows on your desktop.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

all_desktops

Include all windows from all desktops in the switcher

boolean

false

brightness

Brightness of the desktop behind the switcher bezel

0 to 100

67

bring_to_front

Bring the selected window to the front

boolean

true

icon

Show application icon on the selected window

boolean

true

icon_placement

Placement of the application icon on the selected window

0=BottomRight, 1=BottomLeft, 2=TopRight, 3=TopLeft, 4=Center

0

initiate

Key binding for switching between windows on the current workspace.

Alt + Tab

initiate_all

Key binding for switching between windows from all workspaces/'viewports' (not just the current one).

Control + Alt + Tab

max_icon_size

Maximum icon size for use with non-minimized windows

4 to 128

64

minimized

Show minimzed windows in switcher

boolean

true

mipmap

Generate mipmaps when possible for better scaling

boolean

true

next_window

Key binding to move to the next window in the switcher

opacity

Opacity of the windows in the switcher bezel

0 to 100

60

prev_window

Key binding for 'going backwards' in the switcher bezel.

<Shift>

reverse_initiate

Reverse the order in which the windows are being switched

saturation

Saturation of the windows in the bezel

0 to 100

100

speed

Controlling the switcher speed

0.1 to 50.0

1.5

timestep

Switcher delay

0.1 to 50.0

approx. 1.2

window_types

Define the window types to include in switcher mode

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Toolbar, Utility, Dialog, Fullscreen, Normal

zoom

Distance to zoom away from the workspace while switching

0.0 to 50.0 (0=none)

0


Opaquefocus (deprecated)

Info (!) Note: The 'opaquefocus' plugin is deprecated as of version 0.0.7-0ubuntu10 (and, in fact, is not contained in any later releases). It should not be used as it causes some bugs with window drawing. You can emulate its behaviour with the 'trailfocus' plugin.

Info (!) To make 'trailfocus' behave like 'opaquefocus', set maximum_trail_count to 2 and adjust the values for the maximum_* and minimum_* keys to your liking. The currently focused window will have the maximum_* values, all other windows will have the minimum_* values.

(./) To remove 'opaquefocus' keys from previous installations from your gconf database, run the following command from a terminal

  gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz/plugins/opaquefocus


Trailfocus

The 'trailfocus' plugin adss a 'visual trail' to window focus (It changes brightness, saturation and opacity of your windows depending on how long you have not used them).

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

exclude

WM_CLASSES which will not be affected by 'trailfocus'. See WM_CLASSES.

maximum_trail_count

Number of recently used windows to keep track of.

1 to 64

6

maximum_window_brightness_level

Brightness of the most recently focused window

0 to 100

100

maximum_window_opacity_level

Opacity level of the most recently focused window

25 to 100

100

maximum_window_saturation_level

Saturation of the most recently focused window

0 to 100

100

minimum_window_brightness_level

Brightness of the least recently focused window.

0 to 100

50

minimum_window_opacity_level

Opacity level of the least recently focused window

25 to 100

100

minimum_window_saturation_level

Saturation of the least recently focused window

0 to 100

90


Water

This plugin adds water effects to differen desktop actions.

Info (!) This plugin is currently quite unstable. Reports say it uses intense CPU resources, and crashes X.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

initiate

Key binding to initiate the water effect

<Control><Super>

offset_scale

Water offset scale

0.0 to 10.0

1

rain_delay

Delay (in milliseconds) between rain drops

0 to 3600000

250

toggle_rain

Key binding to toggle the rain effect

<Shift>F9

visual_bell

Water effect on system bell

boolean

false


Widget

Enables a special layer for 'widget' windows.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

speed

Widget speed

0.1 to 50.0

1.5

timestep

Widget delay

0.1 to 50.0

approx. 1.2

toggle_widget_display

Show/Hide widgets

F9


Wobbly

The 'wobbly' plugin makes windows or menus wobble while they are being moved or resized.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

default_snap

Enable window snapping by default. See the snap key below.

boolean

false

edge_distance

Edge snapping distance

1 to 50

25

edge_velocity

Edge snapping velocity

1 to 50

13

focus_effect

Makes windows wobble when they receive focus.

None, Shiver

None

focus_friction

Defines the window's 'resistance' to the wobble effect described with focus_effect

0.1 to 10.0

3

focus_spring_k

Spring constant for focus_effect

0.1 to 10.0

8

focus_window_types

Window types that should wobble when focused.

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

grab_friction

'Resistance' to grab_effect

0.1 to 10.0

3

grab_spring_k

Spring constant for grab_effect

0.1 to 10.0

8

grab_window_types

Window types affected by grab_effect.

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

grid_resolution

The resolution of the grid which is wobbled

1 to 64

24

map_effect

Makes windows wobble when they first appear.
Info (!) Note: The zoom_created_windows key in the 'minimize' plugin will take priority over this key.

None, Shiver

None

map_friction

'Resistance' to the map_effect

0.1 to 10.0

approx. 0.8

map_spring_k

Spring constant for map_effect

0.1 to 10.0

approx. 0.3

map_window_types

Window types that should wobble when they first appear.

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Splash

maximize_effect

Makes windows wobble when maximized or de-maximized

boolean

true

maximize_friction

'Resistance' to the maximize_effect

0.1 to 10.0

approx. 0.8

maximize_spring_k

Spring constant for maximize_effect

0.1 to 10.0

approx. 0.3

min_grid_size

The minimum size of the grid which is wobbled

4 to 128

8

move_friction

'Resistance' to the move_effect

0.1 to 10.0

3

move_spring_k

Spring constant move effect

0.1 to 10.0

8

move_window_types

Window types which should wobble when moved.

Desktop, Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal, Fullscreen, Unknown

Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Dialog, ModalDialog, Normal

release_effect

Enable settings for windows release

boolean

true

release_friction

'Resistance' to the release effect

0.1 to 10.0

3

release_spring_k

Spring constant for release effect

0.1 to 10.0

8

snap

Key binding to toggle window snapping

<Shift>

urgent_effect

Make urgent windows wobble

boolean

false

urgent_effect_in

Make urgent windows wobble inward

boolean

false

urgent_effect_uniform

Make urgent windows wobble uniformly

boolean

true

urgent_friction

'Resistance' to the urgent wobble effect

0.1 to 10.0

3

urgent_spring_k

Spring constant for urgent wobble effect

0.1 to 10.0

8

urgent_velocity

Velocity of urgent wobble effect

0.1 to 10.0

1

visual bell

Urgent effect on system bell

boolean

true

visual_bell_friction

'Resistance' to urgent effect on system bell

0.1 to 10.0

3

visual_bell_spring_k

Spring constant of the urgent effect on system bell

0.1 to 10.0

8

Info (!) Tip: To make menus wobble, set the map_effect key to Shiver. Also ensure that Unknown is included in the map_window_types key.

Info (!) If zooming menus is currently enabled, it will take priority over this option.


Zoom

The 'zoom' plugin allows you to zoom in on any part of the workspace/viewport.

Key pair

Description

Values

Default

filter_linear

Use linear filter when zomming in

boolean

false

initiate

Key binding to initiate zooming

<Super>Button3

invert_y

Invert mouse pointer y-axis while zooming

boolean

true

max

How much you can zoom out. A value greater than 1 means you will be able to zoom out "outside" the cube

0.90 to 100.00

0.90

min

How much you can zoom in. A value between 0 and 1 where 1 is no zoom at all

0 to 1

0.05

sensitivity

Sensitivity of mouse pointer when zoomed

0.01 to 100.0

1

speed

Speed at which zooming occurs

0.1 to 50.0

1.5

step

Step at which zooming occurs

1.00 to 5.00

1.76

timestep

Delay

0.1 to 50.0

1.2

zoom_in

Key binding for zooming in

<Super>Button4

zoom_out

Key binding for zooming out

<Super>Button5

General Help

Remove black border when minimizing

Gnome (or gnome-panel, to be precise) has its own animation effects for use with the metacity window manager. When minimizing windows to the panel, Gnome draws a series of black borders around them. Most of the time, this looks out of place when using compiz. To disable these effects, open gconf-editor and uncheck enable_animations under /apps/panel/global:

  • gconf-enable-gnome-anim.png


Stick a window to all workspaces

Right-click on the window's titlebar and select "On All Workspaces".


Find the name of an application

Some plugins ("Trailfocus: exclude", "Transset", etc.) require you to fill in the names (to be more precise the WM_CLASS) of the applications which it will affect. To find out the name to fill in, enter this into a terminal and click on the application's window:

xprop | grep WM_CLASS | cut -d \" -f 4


Window Types

The window_types key pair allows to limit the effect of compiz plugins to certain types of windows. Window types are as follows:

Dock, Toolbar, Menu, Utility, Splash, Normal, Dialog, ModalDialog, Fullscreen, Unknown

Q. Are there any more window types? And what windows are part of each type?

FAQ

Info (!) I've got it working, but I don't know how to change a setting - where can I ask questions?

(./) Current discussion with a lot of people who can help you takes place in this thread. Please use the "Search this Thread" function before asking questions.

Info (!) I don't like the theme of Compiz, how can I change it?

(./) At present, compiz relies on 'gnome-window-decorator' to draw its window borders. It cannot use metacity's window themes but the colors used by gnome-window-decorator are those specified by your GTK-theme. Change it, and the color of your titlebar, tooltips, etc. will change, too.

Info (!) The shadows Compiz draws are so small and are not cast the way I want them to. Is there a way to change that?

(./) Not at the moment. The shadows are currently hardcoded and use pixmaps, but this might change in the future.

Info (!) My SDL apps are transparent and look strange, how can I fix this?

(./) Set the environment variable XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS to 1 and then run your SDL program. For instance, from a terminal, do this:

export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1
yourprogram

Info (!) Is there anything I can do if the water plugin freezes my desktop?

(./) It has generally been noticed that it does not lock up the system, so it can often be corrected by restarting compiz. Use <control><alt>F2 to open a terminal, and type

killall compiz.real

. You should now be able to come back into your desktop <control><alt>F6 and restart compiz:

compiz --replace gconf


CompositeManager/ConfiguringCompiz (last edited 2014-01-20 16:00:08 by cpe-67-242-170-182)