Starting compiz from the command line

Question

I am making a custom session (using .xsession) and I want to use compiz. When I use the compiz or compiz --replace command in the .xsession and also using "recovery console" option, it seems to not load any plugins. After starting compiz, I start ccsm and no plugins are loaded.

Back when I used arch there were a bunch of arguments for compiz and I would use 3 or so, and one of them told compiz to load settings from my config at launch. Here is the compiz --help from Ubuntu 12.04:

Usage: compiz [OPTIONS] [PLUGINS ...]
Options:
  --replace             Replace any existing window managers
  --display DISPLAY     Connect to X display DISPLAY (instead of $DISPLAY)
  --sm-disable          Disable session management
  --sm-client-id ID     Session management client ID
  --keep-desktop-hints  Retain existing desktop hints
  --sync                Make all X calls synchronous
  --debug               Enable debug mode
  --version             Show the program version
  --help                Show this summary

Those are also the only options under man compiz

Here's the thing: when I run compiz --replace under the unity session, plugins load alright and all that good stuff. When I run that under my session, compiz loads nothing.

Info that may help:

• I have tried compiz --replace gconf
• I always have gnome-settings-daemon running
• I am using Ubuntu 12.04 (beta release)

Solution 1

Go to "startup applications" and create a application launcher.

Name = Compiz
Command = compiz --replace
Comment = start compiz

Solution 2

I had to modify compiz config to use gconf as configuration backend when upgrading 11.10 -> 12.04.

/etc/compizconfig/config:

[general]
#backend = ini
backend = gconf
integration = true
plugin_list_autosort = true

After this modification, running compiz --replace in .xsession resulted behavior I was used to in 11.10.

Comments

[TenorB]

Have you gone to CCSM and enabled the plugins?

[Admin]

How does this help me?

[Ringtail]

once the OS loads the startup application kicks in and loads compiz. The same as going to a terminal and typing compiz --replace give it a try....I use it for that exact reason

[Admin]

No, whenever i do that it doesn't load any plugins. I AM NOT REPLACING A RUNNING INSTANCE OF COMPIZ OR ANY OTHER WINDOW MANAGER! I need compiz to LOAD PLUGINS!

[Ringtail]

you know that "mutter" is the default composer so running compiz in 12.04 might not work

[Admin]

Unity uses compiz....

[Pini Cheyni]

I have to say this is simple solution to make compiz run on startup and still works on Ubuntu Mate 17.04