config.phundrak.com/docs/picom.org

#+title: Picom (Compton) Configuration
#+setupfile: headers
#+PROPERTY: header-args:conf :exports code :mkdirp yes :tangle ~/.config/picom/picom.conf

* Picom
Picom is the successor to Compton, a standalone compositor for Xorg. It provides
compositing for WM that do not provide any, such as i3. I am currently using
[[https://github.com/ibhagwan/picom][ibhagwan’s fork of compton]] which provides the ~dual-kawase~ blur from [[https://github.com/tryone144/compton][tryone’s
compton]] and rounded corners from [[https://github.com/sdhand/picom][sdhand’s compton]].

** Shadows
The following enables client-side shadows on windows. Note desktop windows
(windows with ~_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DESKTOP~) never get shadow, unless explicitly
requested using the wintypes option.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow = true;
#+END_SRC

The blur radius for shadows is measured in pixels, and it defaults to
12px.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow-radius = 17;
#+END_SRC

Picom can also apply some level of opacity on shadows.
| Default value | ~0.75~ |
| Min value     | ~0.0~  |
| Max value     | ~1.0~  |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow-opacity = 0.75
#+END_SRC

The left and top offsets for shadows are expressed in pixels.
| Default value | ~-15~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow-offset-x = -16;
shadow-offset-y = -16;
#+END_SRC

It is possible to set the color of the shadow with the string contained in
~shadow-color~ with a hexadecimal value. I haven’t included these values in my
config, but this value will override any value in ~shadow-red~, ~shadow-green~,
or ~shadow-blue~.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow-color = "#171A20"
#+END_SRC

It is possible to specify a list of conditions of windows that should
have no shadow.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
shadow-exclude = [
  "name = 'Notification'",
  "class_g = 'Conky'",
  "class_g ?= 'Notify-osd'",
  "class_g = 'Cairo-clock'",
  "_GTK_FRAME_EXTENTS@:c"
];
#+END_SRC

It is also possible to specify an X geometry that describes the region in which
shadows should not be painted in, such as a dock window region. For example,
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
# shadow-exclude-reg = "x10+0+0"
#+END_SRC
would make the 10 pixels at the bottom of the screen not have any shadow painted
on.
| Default value | ~""~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
shadow-exclude-reg = ""
#+END_SRC

Finally, it is also possible to crop the shadow of a window fully on a
particular Xinerama screen to the screen.
- Default value :: ~false~
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
xinerama-shadow-crop = false
#+END_SRC

*** Deprecated options
:PROPERTIES:
:HEADER-ARGS:conf: :tangle no
:END:
Options in this subheader *will not* be exported to my configuration file.

Thanks to this value, Picom can avoid drawing shadows on dock or panel windows.
This option is deprecated, and users should use the ~wintypes~ option in their
config file instead.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
no-dock-shadow = false;
#+END_SRC

This option allows Picom not to draw on drag-and-drop windows. It is
deprecated, and users should use the ~wintypes~ option in their config
file instead.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
no-dnd-shadow = false;
#+END_SRC
~shadow-ignore-shaped~ is also deprecated. It used to indicate Picom not to
paint shadows on shaped windows. Note shaped windows here means windows setting
their shape through X Shape extension. Those using ARGB background are beyond
Picom’s control. Since it is deprecated, you could instead use
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
shadow-exclude = 'bounding_shaped'
#+END_SRC
or
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
shadow-exclude = 'bounding_shaped && !rounded_corners'
#+END_SRC
| Default value | ~""~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
shadow-ignore-shaped = ""
#+END_SRC

** Rounded corners
Here we can see the declaration of the corners’ radius:
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
corner-radius = 10;
#+END_SRC

It is also possible to exclude some windows from getting their corners rounded.
I personally excluded any window generated by AwesomeWM.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
rounded-corners-exclude = [
  "_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE@[0]:a = '_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK'"
];
#+END_SRC

** Fading
Picom has the ability to create some fading effects on windows when opening or
closing or when the opacity changes. The following parameter toggles this
feature on or off. However, its behavior can be changed with
~no-fading-openclose~.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
fading = true
#+END_SRC

These values control the opacity change between steps while fading in
and out.
| Default value | ~0.028~ (fade-in), ~0.03~ (fade-out) |
| Min value     | ~0.01~                             |
| Max value     | ~1.0~                              |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
fade-in-step = 0.25;
fade-out-step = 0.23;
#+END_SRC

This value represents the time between steps in fade steps, in milliseconds.
| Default value | ~10~ |
| Min value     | ~1~  |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
fade-delta = 20;
#+END_SRC

It is possible to exclude some windows that should not be faded with a specified
list of conditions.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
fade-exclude = [ "class_g = 'mpv'" ];
#+END_SRC

This option allows Picom not to create any fade on windows opening or closing.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
no-fading-openclose = true;
#+END_SRC

Finally, this option is a workaround for Openbox, Fluxbox and others by not
fading destroyed ARGB windows with WM frame.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
no-fading-destroyed-argb = false
#+END_SRC

** Transparency and opacity
Picom is also able to create some opacity or transparency for windows, depending
on their state or on some user-defined rules. For instance, the following value
describes the opacity of inactive windows.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
inactive-opacity = 0.8;
#+END_SRC

On the other hand, it is possible to declare a default opacity for active
windows.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
active-opacity = 1;
#+END_SRC

This however describes the opacity of window titlebars and borders.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
frame-opacity = 1.0;
#+END_SRC
~menu-opacity~ describes the opacity for dropdown menus and popup menus.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# menu-opacity = 0.9;
#+END_SRC
~inactive-opacity-override~ allows the user to let inactive opacity set by ~-i~
override the ~_NET_WM_OPACITY_ values of windows.
| Default value | ~true~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
inactive-opacity-override = true;
#+END_SRC

While it is possible to alter opacity on inactive windows, it is also possible
to dim them.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# inactive-dim = 1.0
#+END_SRC

It is also possible to use a fixed inactive dim value, instead of adjusting
according to window opacity.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
| Min value     | ~0.1~ |
| Max value     | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# inactive-dim-fixed = 1.0
#+END_SRC

It is also possible to specify a list of conditions of windows that should
always be considered focused.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
focus-exclude = [
  "class_g = 'mpv'",
  "class_g = 'qemu'",
  "class_g = 'Qemu-system-x86_64'"
];
#+END_SRC

The user can also specify a list of opacity rules, in the format
~PERCENT:PATTERN~, like ~50:name *= "Firefox"~ . ~picom-trans~ is recommended
over this. Note we don't make any guarantee about possible conflicts with other
programs that set ~_NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY~ on frame or client windows.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
opacity-rule = [];
#+END_SRC

** Background blurring
The following are the parameters for background blurring, see the \*BLUR\*
section for more information.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
blur: {
  method = "dual_kawase";
  strength = 7;
  background = false;
  background-frame = false;
  background-fixed = false;
}
#+END_SRC

This value enables or disables the blur for the background of semi-transparent
or ARGB windows. It has bad performances though, with driver-dependent behavior.
The name of the switch may change without prior notifications.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
blur-background = true;
#+END_SRC

Blur background of windows when the window frame is not opaque. If true, this
implies the value ~true~ for ~blur-background~.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
blur-background-frame = true;
#+END_SRC

The following determines whether to use fixed blur strength rather than
adjusting according to window opacity.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
blur-background-fixed = false;
#+END_SRC

Specify the blur convolution kernel, with the format
~"5,5,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1"~.
| Default value | ~""~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# blur-kern = "3x3box";
#+END_SRC

It is possible to write exclude conditions for background blur.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
blur-background-exclude = [
  "window_type = 'desktop'",
  "class_g = 'Polybar'",
  "class_g = 'discord-overlay'",
  "_GTK_FRAME_EXTENTS@:c"
];
#+END_SRC

** General settings
Daemonize process. Fork to background after initialization. Can cause
issues with certain (badly-written) drivers.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
daemon = true;
#+END_SRC

Picom has three backends it can use: ~xrender~, ~glx~, and ~xr_glx_hybrid~. GLX
backend is typically much faster but depends on a sane driver.
| Default value | ~xrender~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
backend = "glx";
#+END_SRC

This enables or disables VSync.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
vsync = true;
#+END_SRC

Enable remote control via D-Bus. See the *D-BUS API* section below for more
details.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
dbus = false;
#+END_SRC

Try to detect WM windows (a non-override-redirect window with no child that has
~WM_STATE~) and markz them as active.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
mark-wmwin-focused = true;
#+END_SRC

Mark override-redirect windows that doesn't have a child window with ~WM_STATE~
focused.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
mark-ovredir-focused = true;
#+END_SRC

Try to detect windows with rounded corners and don't consider them shaped
windows. The accuracy is not very high, unfortunately.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
detect-rounded-corners = true;
#+END_SRC

Detect ~_NET_WM_OPACITY~ on client windows, useful for window managers not
passing ~_NET_WM_OPACITY~ of client windows to frame windows.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
detect-client-opacity = true;
#+END_SRC

Limit picom to repaint at most once every 1 / ~refresh_rate~ second to
boost performance. This should not be used with ~vsync
drm/opengl/opengl-oml~ as they essentially do sw-opti's job already,
unless you wish to specify a lower refresh rate than the actual value.
| Default value | ~""~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# sw-opti =;
#+END_SRC

Use EWMH ~_NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW~ to determine currently focused window, rather than
listening to ~FocusIn~/~FocusOut~ event. Might have more accuracy, provided that
the WM supports it.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# use-ewmh-active-win = false;
#+END_SRC

Unredirect all windows if a full-screen opaque window is detected, to
maximize performance for full-screen windows. Known to cause
flickering when redirecting/unredirecting windows. =paint-on-overlay=
may make the flickering less obvious.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
unredir-if-possible = false;
#+END_SRC

Delay before unredirecting the window, in milliseconds.
| Default value | ~0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
unredir-if-possible-delay = 0;
#+END_SRC

Conditions of windows that shouldn't be considered full-screen for unredirecting
screen.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
unredir-if-possible-exclude = [];
#+END_SRC

Use ~WM_TRANSIENT_FOR~ to group windows, and consider windows in the same group
focused at the same time.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
detect-transient = true;
#+END_SRC

Use ~WM_CLIENT_LEADER~ to group windows, and consider windows in the same group
focused at the same time. ~WM_TRANSIENT_FOR~ has higher priority if
detect-transient is enabled, too.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
detect-client-leader = true;
#+END_SRC

Resize damaged region by a specific number of pixels. A positive value enlarges
it while a negative one shrinks it. If the value is positive, those additional
pixels will not be actually painted to screen, only used in blur calculation,
and such. (Due to technical limitations, with use-damage, those pixels will
still be incorrectly painted to screen.) Primarily used to fix the line
corruption issues of blur, in which case you should use the blur radius value
here (e.g. with a 3x3 kernel, you should use ~--resize-damage 1~, with a 5x5 one
you use ~--resize-damage 2~, and so on). May or may not work with
~--glx-no-stencil~. Shrinking doesn't function correctly.
| Default value | ~1~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
resize-damage = 1;
#+END_SRC

Specify a list of conditions of windows that should be painted with inverted
color. Resource-hogging, and is not well tested.
| Default value | ~[]~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
invert-color-include = [];
#+END_SRC

Disable the use of damage information. This cause the whole screen to be redrawn
everytime, instead of the part of the screen has actually changed. Potentially
degrades the performance, but might fix some artifacts. The opposing option is
use-damage
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
use-damage = false;
#+END_SRC

Use X Sync fence to sync clients' draw calls, to make sure all draw calls are
finished before picom starts drawing. Needed on nvidia-drivers with GLX backend
for some users.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
xrender-sync-fence = false;
#+END_SRC

Force all windows to be painted with blending. Useful if you have a
glx-fshader-win that could turn opaque pixels transparent.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
force-win-blend = false;
#+END_SRC

Do not use EWMH to detect fullscreen windows. Reverts to checking if a window is
fullscreen based only on its size and coordinates.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
no-ewmh-fullscreen = false;
#+END_SRC

Dimming bright windows so their brightness doesn't exceed this set
value. Brightness of a window is estimated by averaging all pixels in
the window, so this could come with a performance hit. Setting this to
1.0 disables this behaviour. Requires ~--use-damage~ to be disabled.
| Default value | ~1.0~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
max-brightness = 1.0;
#+END_SRC

Make transparent windows clip other windows like non-transparent windows do,
instead of blending on top of them.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
transparent-clipping = false;
#+END_SRC

Set the log level. Possible values in increasing level of importance are:
- ~trace~
- ~debug~
- ~info~
- ~warn~
- ~error~
Case doesn't matter. If using the "TRACE" log level, it's better to
log into a file using ~--log-file~, since it can generate a huge stream
of logs.
| Default value | ~"debug"~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
log-level = "warn";
#+END_SRC

Set the log file. If ~--log-file~ is never specified, logs will be
written to stderr. Otherwise, logs will to written to the given file,
though some early logs might still be written to the stderr. When
setting this option from the config file, it is recommended to use an
absolute path.
| Default value | ~''~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# log-file = '/path/to/your/log/file';
#+END_SRC

Show all X errors (for debugging)
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# show-all-xerrors = false;
#+END_SRC

Write process ID to a file.
| Default value | ~''~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
# write-pid-path = '/path/to/your/log/file';
#+END_SRC

Window type settings. ~WINDOW_TYPE~ is one of the 15 window types defined in
EWMH standard:
- ~"unknown"~
- ~"desktop"~
- ~"dock"~
- ~"toolbar"~
- ~"menu"~
- ~"utility"~
- ~"splash"~
- ~"dialog"~
- ~"normal"~
- ~"dropdown_menu"~
- ~"popup_menu"~
- ~"tooltip"~
- ~"notification"~
- ~"combo"~
- ~"dnd"~
Following per window-type options are available:
- fade, shadow :: Controls window-type-specific shadow and fade settings.
- opacity :: Controls default opacity of the window type.
- focus :: Controls whether the window of this type is to be always considered
  focused. (By default, all window types except "normal" and "dialog" has this
  on.)
- full-shadow :: Controls whether shadow is drawn under the parts of the window
  that you normally won't be able to see. Useful when the window has parts of it
  transparent, and you want shadows in those areas.
- redir-ignore :: Controls whether this type of windows should cause
  screen to become redirected again after being unredirected. If you
  have =unredir-if-possible= set, and doesn't want certain window to
  cause unnecessary screen redirection, you can set this to =true=.
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
wintypes:
{
  tooltip = { fade = true; shadow = true; opacity = 0.75; focus = true; full-shadow = false; };
  dock = { shadow = false; }
  dnd = { shadow = false; }
  popup_menu = { opacity = 0.8; }
  dropdown_menu = { opacity = 0.8; }
};
#+END_SRC

*** GLX backend-specific options
Avoid using stencil buffer, useful if you don't have a stencil buffer. Might
cause incorrect opacity when rendering transparent content (but never
practically happened) and may not work with blur-background. Tests show a 15%
performance boost. Recommended.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
glx-no-stencil = true;
#+END_SRC

Avoid rebinding pixmap on window damage. Probably could improve performance on
rapid window content changes, but is known to break things on some drivers
(LLVMpipe, xf86-video-intel, etc.). Recommended if it works.
| Default value | ~false~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf
glx-no-rebind-pixmap = false;
#+END_SRC

Use specified GLSL fragment shader for rendering window contents. See
~compton-default-fshader-win.glsl~ and
~compton-fake-transparency-fshader-win.glsl~ in the source tree for examples.
| Default value | ~''~ |
#+BEGIN_SRC conf :tangle no
glx-fshader-win = '';
#+END_SRC