How To Reset Unity, Launcher Icons Or Compiz In Ubuntu

If you're using Unity and you want to reset Unity to its default settings, want to reset the Unity Launcher icons or you've changed some Compiz settings which have messed up Ubuntu and want to reset everything, here's how to do it.

Reset Unity

If you want to reset Unity (this will only reset the Unity settings in CompizConfig Settings Manager and leave the other CCSM settings intact), open a terminal (or press ALT + F2) and enter:

unity --reset

Reset Unity Launcher icons

If you want to reset the Unity Launcher icons (dock bar on the left) to their initial state, run the following command:

unity --reset-icons

Reset Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04

Resetting Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04 is a bit different then in older Ubuntu versions because its settings in gconf are under /apps/compiz-1 and not under /apps/compiz like before.

Warning: only do this if you really must and have no other option! Use both commands, or else you might not see the Unity launcher and top panel anymore! Use it at your own risk.

To reset all the Compiz settings (this includes all the plugins settings, etc.) to the default values, open a terminal (don't run it with ALT + F2! The top panel and launcher will disappear after running the first command but will show up after the second one so use a terminal) and type:

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz-1
unity --reset

If something doesn't look right after this, log out and log back in.

How To Reset Unity, Launcher Icons Or Compiz In Ubuntu

If you're using Unity and you want to reset Unity to its default settings, want to reset the Unity Launcher icons or you've changed some Compiz settings which have messed up Ubuntu and want to reset everything, here's how to do it.

Reset Unity

If you want to reset Unity (this will only reset the Unity settings in CompizConfig Settings Manager and leave the other CCSM settings intact), open a terminal (or press ALT + F2) and enter:

unity --reset

Reset Unity Launcher icons

If you want to reset the Unity Launcher icons (dock bar on the left) to their initial state, run the following command:

unity --reset-icons

Reset Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04

Resetting Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04 is a bit different then in older Ubuntu versions because its settings in gconf are under /apps/compiz-1 and not under /apps/compiz like before.

Warning: only do this if you really must and have no other option! Use both commands, or else you might not see the Unity launcher and top panel anymore! Use it at your own risk.

To reset all the Compiz settings (this includes all the plugins settings, etc.) to the default values, open a terminal (don't run it with ALT + F2! The top panel and launcher will disappear after running the first command but will show up after the second one so use a terminal) and type:

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz-1
unity --reset

If something doesn't look right after this, log out and log back in.

Displex, Compiz from the notification area

A time ago I told them about compiz, How to install and its useful extensions ...

... Anyway, There used to get fusion icon from the notification area to Compiz options. And still there, but we made small to such new option under our control. Among them, little by little the notification area disappears and is giving way to the Applet miniindicadores, making the former is obsolete.

So we have a

The Compiz cube in danger of extinction

The famous desktop cube made us hallucinate many more than ever in video and pictures before entering the Linux world, probably gone forever.

And with the arrival of GNOME 3 and its new manager Mutter ,Compiz was beginning to get out of the next Linux desktops ,at least that would use GNOME Shell. But Canonical incorporates the development of Compiz for distribution to integrate it into in Unity

No More Compiz Desktop Cube Plugin In Unity [Ubuntu 11.04]

Update: the cube is back and working again!

Do you use the Compiz Desktop Cube plugin? I don't use it so I didn't notice this but it seems you can't enable the Desktop Cube in Ubuntu 11.04 if you use Unity - a bug about this has been submitted but it was marked as "opinion" so it doesn't look like it's going to be fixed, at least not in Ubuntu 11.04:

If you try to load the Desktop cube plugin, it asks you if you want to disable the Desktop wall plugin. If you say yes, it wants to disable the Unity plugin (which I'm guessing is a bad idea on a Unity desktop).

While for many of you this probably doesn't matter, I'm a fan of this plugin even though I don't use it. That's because thanks to it (and Compiz - but a lot of it thanks to this plugin), I've managed to convince people to start using Linux.

At least Compiz works with Unity - with Gnome Shell it gets even worse as you can't use Compiz with Gnome Shell but I guess you already know that by know.

Update: the cube is back and working again!

[via AskUbuntu]

Unity Keyboard Shortcuts List

A while back, Jorge Castro set up a page on the Ubuntu Wiki for all the Unity keyboard shorcuts and the page was always updated once Unity gained new keyboard shortcuts. For some reason that page is no longer available and the Unity keyboard shortcuts documentation moved to AskUbuntu:

This page will document the keyboard shortcuts for Unity as they get defined. Please feel free to add more!

Note: Some of these aren't implemented yet as Unity is in Alpha, but we're putting these here to document them ahead of time.

Wherever the page is located, it's nice to have this documented - I don't know about you but I for one have always missed a keyboard shortcuts list for Compiz.

If you discover some new / undocumented Unity (for Ubuntu 11.04) keyboard shortcuts, post them @ AskUbuntu Unity Keyboard Shortcuts page.

Set DockBarX To Use Compiz Scale Plugin (Unity-Like)

I don't know how many of you know this, but DockBarX has a cool feature that allows you to trigger the Compiz Scale plugin when clicking on a window group. This is the effect used in Unity that you've seen in many videos - well, it this was available in DockBarX for a long time.

That means that you can already use this Unity dock feature without Unity. Check out the video below:

To set DockBarX to use the Compiz Scale plugin for a window group, open the DockBarX Preference and on the "Group Button" tab, under "Select action options", for "Multiple windows open" select "Compiz scale".

If you also want an Expo shortcut like in the video, check out this post: Gnome Panel Icon For Triggering The Compiz Expo Plugin (Like In Unity). To add the Expo shortcut to AWN, add the "Simple Launcher" applet, then drag'n'drop the Expo icon (which you've created like in the post linked above) to it.

Post inspired by arzali @ Ubuntuforums.

Displex-Indicator Reaches Version 0.4, Adds Metacity Compositing And Disper Support

Displex, an application that provides similar functionality as "fusion-icon", but using an Ubuntu appindicator, was updated to version 0.4.

The new version finally fixes the issue with the appindicator icons - if you use Ubuntu Mono Dark or Light, Elementary Monochrome, Faenza or Faenza Dark -, Displex should integrate nicely with no further tweaking.

Displex 0.4 also adds support for Metacity compositing and basic support for Disper and AcerHK (if you need drivers for this, see HERE). Further more, Displex now doesn't display the menu items for the applications which are currently not installed (so if you didn't install Emerald for instance, no menu item for it will show up).

Here are screenshots showing the Disper and AcerHK menu items:

Please note that the Displex developer doesn't own an Nvidia graphics card so if you do and try out the Disper feature, let him know how it works!

Download Displex

Thanks to Arick McNiel-Cho for the tip and last 2 screenshots!

Displex: Fusion-Icon Alternative With Ubuntu AppIndicator Support

Displex (indicator-displex) is an application that provides similar functionality as "fusion-icon", but using an Ubuntu appindicator. It can be used to control Compiz, Emerald and the Gnome Display Manager.

You can use Displex to quickly activate / deactivate Compiz and window decorations (Metacity / Emerald), change screen orientation, toggle the Desktop icons on/off, quick access to CompizConfig Settings Manager and Emerald Theme Manager and more.

For now the applet doesn't seem to use Ubuntu Mono icons but this might be fixed in a future release (the author is still trying to figure how to do this).

Download Displex

Thanks to Arick McNiel-Cho for the tip!

Create A Gnome Panel Icon For Triggering The Compiz Expo Plugin (Like In Unity)

If you've tried (or seen some video) Unity, you've surely noticed the Compiz Expo icon on the Unity dock (launcher). There is no Gnome panel applet to do this but you can do this thanks to xautomation. Here is how to replicate this behavior in any Ubuntu version, using the normal Gnome desktop.

1. Install xautomation and CCSM:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager xautomation

2. Set a Compiz Expo plugin key binding:

Go to System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager and enable the "Expo" plugin. Then click it and on the "Bindings" tab, set a keyboard shortcut for the "Expo key" (first item on the list) - I've set "e" so that's what I am going to use for the commands in this post.

3. Optional: multiple desktop rows:

By default, expo displays one big wall, but if you want multiple rows (like in Unity - and in my screenshot), go to CompizConfig Settings Manager, click on "General options" and on the "Desktop Size" tab, set the "Vertical Virtual Size" to some number larger then 1. I've used "2" for both "Horizontal Vertical Size" and "Vertical Virtual Size".

4. Create a new custom application launcher:

Right click on a Gnome panel, select "Add to panel" and add a "Custom Application Launcher". Set the following image as its icon (this is the icon used in Unity, you can however use whatever icon you want):

(save it to your computer)

For your custom launcher name enter whatever you want and under "Command", enter this:

xte 'keydown Super_L' 'key e' 'keyup Super_L'

(This assumes you've used "e" as the Expo key binding under step 2, if not, modify it to whatever custom keybinding you've used). 

That's it! Save the custom application launcher and try it out.

See also:

• How To Add / Delete Workspaces In Compiz Using Keyboard Shortcuts
• Set Up Hot Corners For The Compiz Grid Plugin Using A Script

Post inspired by UbuntuLife, however the method used in this post is different.

Set Up Aero Snap In Ubuntu (w/ Compiz) Using A Script

I've recently seen a screencast by gotbletu about setting up hot corners for the Compiz Grid plugin which is a lot like Aero Snap but better in my opinion so I wanted to make this very easy to set up for everybody. After using the script in this post, you can move a window to a screen corner by right clicking the corner in which you want to move the active window to.

"Aero Snap" for Ubuntu (using Compiz) is not hard to set up but it requires a lot of copying and pasting so I though I'd make a script to do everything automatically so to achieve exactly what you see in the video, all you have to do is run the script I've created.

Bur firstly, what does the Compiz Grid plugin do?

The Compiz Grid plugin can be used to tile, position and resize your windows to fit an imaginary grid. All you have to do is press Ctrl + Alt + Keypad numbers to place the selected windows; for instance: Ctrl + Alt + 1 will move a window to the bottom left corner, Ctrl + Alt + 7 will move a window to the top left corner and so on.

By default you can't assign a Compiz hot corner to the Grid plugin which would be really helpful, but you can achieve this by using a package called "xautomation" and the Compiz Commands plugin.

Here is the screencast by gotbletu in which he is using the Compiz Grid plugin to set up Aero Snap in Ubuntu to see exactly what I'm talking about:

Set up Aero Snap in Ubuntu using Compiz and a script

Warning: by using this script, the commands from 0 to 7 from the Compiz Commands plugin will be overwritten so if you have some custom commands, save them in the last 4 command fields!

To get Aero Snap in Ubuntu, simply copy / paste the following commands in a terminal:

wget http://webupd8.googlecode.com/files/grid-corners
chmod +x grid-corners
./grid-corners

The script installs compizconfig-settings-manager, compiz-fusion-plugins-extra and xautomation, enables the Compiz Grid and Commands plugins and sets all the commands and keybindings to a screen edge and mouse button 3 (right click). If you want to use a different mouse button, you can either manually change this in the Compiz Commands plugin or edit the script (it's easier - use search and replace) and run the script again.

Once you run the script, click a window, then place your mouse pointer to a screen corner/edge and right click.

By using the Grid plugin, the windows will also get resized when moved to a corner. If you don't want this, disable the Compiz Grid plugin and use PyWO instead (all you have to do is run it on starup).

For a different way to get Aero Snap in Ubuntu (but you'll still have to use Compiz), check out THIS video on YouTube (also read the video description - it includes a file you can download that has all the commands required to set up Aero Snap in Ubuntu). P.s.: the video also includes instructions on installing 'cowsay' and 'figlet' - you can ignore those and skip to the Aero Snap part.

[video and xautomation commands via gotbletu]

Installing Compiz on Ubuntu 10.10

Recently published an update to the unstable one of the most powerful window manager, Compiz, from version 0.9 to 0.9.2.

This update includes many bug fixes and new features, including:Multianima class, which allows multiple copies of windows animations.
Preview of minimized windows in vivo (this has nothing to do with the "fudge" that makes Windows Vista and 7).
Plugin rewritten to group.

First Compiz Based Unity Screenshots [Ubuntu Natty PPA]

Starting yesterday, the Compiz based Unity is available in a PPA (ppa:unity/ppa) for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. Unity can be enabled on the Desktop version (you don't have to login to the Ubuntu Netbook Edition) from the CompizConfig Settings Manager (Unity is a Compiz plugin):

After enabling the Unity plugin, the first obvious change is that the Unity launcher becomes transparent:

However, there are still some issues with the Compiz based Unity (that's why it's only available in a PPA for now): Dash doesn't work so to launch applications you can only use the Unity launcher ("dock"). Also, the icons in the upper panel are aligned to the left for some reason.

Since Unity now uses Compiz, you can enable any plugin:

Add the Compiz Based Unity PPA in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty

The brave who run Natty already can install the Compiz based Unity using the following PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:unity/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unity

Also install CompizConfig Settings Manager

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Info and the last 2 screenshots thanks to mogorvamormota.hu as I couldn't get the Compiz based Unity to work in a virtual machine.

Install Compiz 0.9.2.1 In Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

Those of you who follow WebUpd8 on Twitter or Facebook saw a teaser about this yesterday. Well, after some further testing it seems everything works, so here it is!

Compiz 0.9.2.1 was uploaded to the official Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal repositories yesterday and to a PPA. I was hoping we'll also get a PPA with Ubuntu 10.10 packages but only part of the packages have been uploaded to that PPA (and they don't work even if you install the rest of the Compiz dependencies). But I though I'd copy the Natty packages in a PPA for Maverick and give it a try and I was surprised to see... it actually works.

However, most part of the plugins are not available yet so using the PPA I've set up (which is a temporarely PPA by the way - until Compiz 0.9.2 (or newer) packages will be uploaded to an official PPA) you'll only get the "main" (compiz-fusion-plugins-main) plugins. Also, Emerald won't work.

Before proceeding, I'll have to warn you that using this PPA may break stuff or make your computer explode (not really, but you get the idea). So use it at your own risk! I've set it up for me but I just had to share it since a lot of you might want to test the latest Compiz 0.9.2 which has been completely re-written. Also, this PPA only has packages for Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat.

Note: I've tested it on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat 32bit only!

Install Compiz 0.9.2.1 in Ubuntu 10.10 Mavrick Meerkat

Before installing the latest Compiz, you may want to backup your Compiz settings. To do this, go to System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager > Preferences and select "Export", then save the exported file.

1. Add the Compiz 0.9.x (currently 0.9.2.1) test PPA I've set up and upgrade Compiz:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/test3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install -f

The "apt-get install -f" command is required because when upgrading from Compiz 0.8.x, a file must from a different Compiz package mst be overwritten. I think I've fixed this by backporting a fix from Natty that came today, but I'm not 100% sure.

2. Now let's make sure you have all the packages installed (double checking is always good):

sudo apt-get install compiz compiz-fusion-plugins-main compizconfig-backend-gconf compizconfig-settings-manager python-compizconfig compiz-dev compiz-plugins compiz-core

3. Restart Compiz by pressing ALT + F2 and entering:

compiz --replace

At this point most stuff should be working except ALT + F2 and the window borders. Go to System > Prefereces > CompizConfig Settings Manager and check the "Window Decorator" plugin as well as "Gnome Compatibility" (important! this is required or else ALT + F2 won't work). Also check out some other plugins you may want to enable.

4. Now let's get the window decorations back. If you did everything as I've explained above, all you have to do is press ALT + F2 and enter:

/usr/bin/compiz-decorator --replace

5. Everything should be working fine now except for a glitch with focusing windows. This should be fixed if you log out and log back in. If not, try a restart.

Remove Compiz 0.9.2.1

In case something doesn't work right or you just want to go back to Compiz 0.8.x, use the following commands:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge
sudo ppa-purge ppa:nilarimogard/test3

Thanks to Didier Roche for the packages. All I did was copy them in a new PPA and build them for Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat instead of Natty.

Install Compiz 0.8.x Experimental Plugins In Ubuntu

Compiz 0.8.x has some very cool plugins which are marked as "experimental" and thus are not available in the Ubuntu repositories. Johnnyg posted instructions about installing these plugins @ Gnome Look - I gave it a try and everything seems to be working (though I've only tested 3-4 plugins so far).

Among the experimental plugins are: Static Windows, Anaglyph, Animatons Plus, the famous Cube 3D Models, Cube Snow Globe, Cube Atlantis, Photowheel, Wizard, Window Previews (not the KDE Plasma thumbnails!), Workspace Naming, Toggle Decoration, Put Plus, Snap Windows and more.

If you want to install these plugins (remember, they are experimental so use them at your own risk!), all you have to do is run the commands below (for both Ubuntu 32bit and 64bit - only if you run Compiz 0.8.x, preferably 0.8.6!):

1. Close CCSM (if open) and run the following commands to install the required dependencies and download the build script:

sudo apt-get install compiz-fusion-bcop compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-dev build-essential libtool libglu1-mesa-dev libxss-dev libcairo2-dev git-core
cd && git clone git://anongit.compiz.org/users/soreau/scripts compizexperimental
cd compizexperimental/
chmod +x compiz-addons

2. Now run the script:

a) To selectively install the plugins, use the following command:

cd ~/compizexperimental/
./compiz-addons

At this point you will be asked what to do about each plugin. Here, enter "i" and then press the ENTER key for each plugin you want to install.

b) To install all the plugins at once, with no prompt:

cd ~/compizexperimental/
./compiz-addons install all

2. Restart Compiz: press ALT + F2 and enter:

compiz --replace

Then go to System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager and enable some new plugins.

Uninstall all the experimental Compiz 0.8.x plugins

If you want to remove all the plugins installed by the instructions above, use the following commands:

cd ~/compizexperimental
./compiz-addons uninstall all

Then restart Compiz (see step 2 above).


Note: I've tested it on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat 32bit.

Thanks to johnnyg for the instructions and Scott Moreau for the experimental Compiz plugins build script!