compiz + xfce

perbh · 2010-05-13 05:13:25

Probably a stupid question (in which case I apologize), but ...
can anyone tell me how I can use compiz (rather than xfwm) under xfce?? (I just love 'em wobbly windaes)

[edit]
sorry guys, found it under eye-candy in the wiki ...

[yet-another-edit]:
Guess I spoke too soon :-(
Has anyone ever managed the combination of xfce and compiz (without screwing up stuff royally)?
There is a total of 5 methods described in the wiki - and I have tried them all *sigh*. No matter what I do, all I end up with (in the best case) is no-decoration/frames so I cant resize or move any windows. I wont even tell you what it looks like in the worst case ....

Last edited by perbh (2010-05-13 16:18:11)

henrypootel · 2010-05-13 21:08:14

I use XFCE + compiz as my usual desktop, never really had any problems with it(and it's so pretty).

to get it to work, I added the 'fusion-icon' app to my list of startup programs. With that done it all works, but i wasn't getting any window borders or anything, so i checked the settings and turned on the 'Decoration' plugin in the compiz settings.

if you can't get to the setting for some reason, adding 'decoration' to the 'as_active_plugins' line in your ~/.config/compiz/compizconfig/default.ini will probably do the trick

I always set it to use gtk-window-decorator once it's running anyway, as the Elementary gtk theme is so much prettier than any emerald ones!

perbh · 2010-05-14 04:28:53

Thanks for your answer - unfortuneately it didn't work for me ... :-(
1) yup - added fusion-icon to autostart
2) when i restart, first xfwm4, then fusion-icon takes over and I have no decorations, no borders
3) even when explicitly enabling decorations, it doesn't help (and I have checked .config/compiz/compizconfig/Default.ini
which has the following:

[decoration]
as_command = emerald --replace
[core]
as_active_plugins = core;vpswitch;resize;decoration;wobbly;cube;rotate;3d;

Any other suggestions?

pseup · 2010-05-14 04:37:20

Any useful information if you run `emerald --replace` in a terminal?

smakked · 2010-05-14 05:27:38

i have done it sorta
Run standalone compiz and use xfdesktop

using .xinitrc

exec xfdesktop &
exec xfce4-panel &
exec fusion-icon

perbh · 2010-05-14 05:28:58

@pseup
nope - it just hangs there and never comes back!!
However - one good things about all this (cuz compiz only works the _first_ time I restart X after enabling it ... after that I only get a white screen with a cursor on it) is that I have found out how to disable it again (remove the file in .config/autostart/)
At least 4 times now, I have had to delete a lot of directories in .config in order to end up with a clean slate - and then have to tweak xfce to my liking each time ...

Last edited by perbh (2010-05-14 05:35:16)

perbh · 2010-05-14 05:34:35

@smakked
sorry no - same white screen with a solitary cursor

pseup · 2010-05-14 05:51:04

Have you cleared out ~/.cache/sessions?

I used the ~/.config/xfce4/.../xfce4-session.xml method to start compiz here, but had overlooked that step and compiz didnt work until i had.

perbh · 2010-05-14 06:14:47

... ignore this one - pushed a wrong button :-(

Last edited by perbh (2010-05-14 06:18:59)

perbh · 2010-05-14 06:18:16

@pseup
been there, done that!
That was my initial method - later, after things got really screwed up and I had to delete everything xfce-related from .cache and .config - that particular file no longer is the same - it's now more-or-less 'empty':

$ cat .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-session.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<channel name="xfce4-session" version="1.0">
<property name="general" type="empty">
<property name="FailsafeSessionName" type="empty"/>
<property name="SessionName" type="string" value="Default"/>
<property name="SaveOnExit" type="bool" value="false"/>
</property>
<property name="sessions" type="empty">
<property name="Failsafe" type="empty">
<property name="IsFailsafe" type="empty"/>
<property name="Count" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client0_Command" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client0_PerScreen" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client1_Command" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client1_PerScreen" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client2_Command" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client2_PerScreen" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client3_Command" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client3_PerScreen" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client4_Command" type="empty"/>
<property name="Client4_PerScreen" type="empty"/>
</property>
</property>
<property name="splash" type="empty">
<property name="Engine" type="empty"/>
</property>
<property name="compat" type="empty">
<property name="LaunchGNOME" type="bool" value="true"/>
</property>
<property name="security" type="empty">
<property name="EnableTcp" type="bool" value="true"/>
</property>
</channel>

When I first started up - it was - more-or-less an exact copy of the same file in /etc/xdg/xfce4/...

mike_r · 2010-05-14 22:11:59

Hang in there - compiz + xfce works well for me. Here is what I had to do (from memory, so cut me a break if you don't see literal things):

Clean out all the session stuff you can - start with a clean slate, to the point of (carefully) rm -rf'ing things.

In your .xinitrc, put the following single line:
exec ck-launch-session startxfce4

Don't put in the xfdesktop, xfce-panel, etc.

After starting xcfe, go to the Session and Startup link under Settings. Add Compiz to the Application Autostart panel. In the popup window, give it a name of Compiz (or Fred if you like), then type in fusion-icon for the program name.

Restart xfce.

Now call up the CompizConfig Settings Manager. Mine had almost nothing checked. Check Window Decoration under Effects, then anything else you may want (Expo, Viewport Switcher, Wobbly Windows, Minimize Effect, Place Windows, Ring Switcher, Put, Move Window, Resize Window for me).

That should do it. The key for me was realizing that Compiz had almost nothing activated the first time I tried it.

I don't like panels, so I killed that, but they should work just fine. When I start up, I have a blank screen with only my wallpaper. To start anything, I right click to get the menu, and I go from there. No muss, no fuss, and wobbly windows.

Mike

schen · 2010-05-14 22:17:03

For the best method of starting compiz, here's a good wiki article.

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Com … ow_borders

perbh · 2010-05-15 00:57:12

Thanks guy - appreciate your efforts!

As luck would have it - I tried it on another computer (just to be stubborn, dont want software to get the better of me!) - much as outlined by [bold]mike_r[/bold] - and lo and behold it worked! There must be something funny with my setup on the first machine ...
Now there is only _one_ thing left ... emerald does not seem able to let me choose anything other than its default theme ...

Arch Linux

#1 2010-05-13 05:13:25

compiz + xfce

#2 2010-05-13 21:08:14

Re: compiz + xfce

#3 2010-05-14 04:28:53

Re: compiz + xfce

#4 2010-05-14 04:37:20

Re: compiz + xfce

#5 2010-05-14 05:27:38

Re: compiz + xfce

#6 2010-05-14 05:28:58

Re: compiz + xfce

#7 2010-05-14 05:34:35

Re: compiz + xfce

#8 2010-05-14 05:51:04

Re: compiz + xfce

#9 2010-05-14 06:14:47

Re: compiz + xfce

#10 2010-05-14 06:18:16

Re: compiz + xfce

#11 2010-05-14 22:11:59

Re: compiz + xfce

#12 2010-05-14 22:17:03

Re: compiz + xfce

#13 2010-05-15 00:57:12

Re: compiz + xfce

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