[PLASMA 5] Is it possible to auto-start a Desktop Effect after login?

[bradleypariah]

Specifically, I want to auto-start the Mouse Click Animation Desktop Effect.

Our HTPC's wireless keyboard is fickle, and sometimes I'll think I clicked on something, and end up staring at the screen like a maroon.... when it turns out I never actually clicked on anything. Visual feedback lets me know if I in fact clicked on something, or if I need to tap the touchpad again.

It's not a huge pain to tap the shortcut key combination - I just thought I'd ask, since I always want it on.

Kubuntu 22.04.1

[Snowhog]

Alt+F2 and type Desktop Effects and down arrow to Desktop Effects and press Enter. Mark Mouse Click Animation and click Apply. Done.

[bradleypariah]

Thanks for the reply, but I already have Mouse Click Animation checked. That's not the problem.
Although I have it checked, it turns itself off after every reboot, and I have to tap the shortcut key combination (Shift Meta 8) after I log back into Kubuntu to turn it back on.

What I was hoping for, is to have Mouse Click Animation already/always active when I log into Kubuntu.
I want to skip having to type the shortcut every time I log in. I just want it always on, no quick key to activate it necessary.

[Snowhog]

Well, here, clicking that option sticks, even after logging out and logging back in. But for me, it doesn't do anything.

[bradleypariah]

I think I'm describing the problem wrong.

My checkbox stays checked through logouts and reboots, just like your machine.

The problem is, after you check the box, the effect is not yet active.
You must type the associated quick key (which you can view by clicking the settings icon for that Mouse Click Animation) in order to make it work. The check box simply enables the quick key. Checking the box alone does nothing.

So, although the checkbox is already checked after I log into Kubuntu, I must always type the quick key after logging in to make it start working again.

I just want it always on, no quick key necessary.

[Snowhog]

So, although the checkbox is already checked after I log into Kubuntu, I must always type the quick key after logging in to make it start working again.

I just want it always on, no quick key necessary.

Okay. Now I understand (and I got it to work here). There is probably some esoteric way to accomplish this, but I don't know what that is, assuming there is an is.

[claydoh]

Effects and some other actions can be called like so:

qdbus org.kde.kglobalaccel /component/kwin org.kde.kglobalaccel.Component.shortcutNames SomeDesktopEffectShortCutName

To get a list of shortcut names that can be used:

qdbus org.kde.kglobalaccel /component/kwin org.kde.kglobalaccel.Component.shortcutNames

Long list shows up, but lots of cool potential uses for scripting.

Anyhoo, cutting to the chase:

qdbus org.kde.kglobalaccel /component/kwin org.kde.kglobalaccel.Component.invokeShortcut ToggleMouseClick

If you add this to a script to run as an autostart item, you might need to add some sleep time, I imagine it might possibly run too early in the login, perhaps, so there is a chance you might need to play around with adding some wait time if that happens.

[bradleypariah]

Thanks! I'll give this a shot.

[claydoh]

Thanks! I'll give this a shot.

The command works, for sure. I didn't test an auto-start script at all.

[ShadYoung]

I have been posting in a variety of places that auto-starting many applications/services/features does not work. The mouse effect should be working as soon as you log on. I have a couple of similar problems in that things like my nvidia-rc is not being read and colour adjustments not applied until I actually launch the NV control panel. I have a script I want to start at login, but its not triggered, and I have to launch it manually. The local pulse audio config does not get applied either, and I have to restart pulse manually to get it to read the local config.

I am starting to see a pattern. I have my suspicions about what is causing it. Snap. A few of the core packages within Kubuntu are Snaps (GTK/Gnome library stuff it seems). Snap wants to sandbox and isolate, so, I am exploring to see if its this part of the system that is causing these issues. None of the issues were present in 21.10, and the issues cropped up doing an upgrade or a completely clean install.

I get the feeling it is a bit of a subtle and inconsistent bug that shows up as oddities like these. I am just starting to see more and more little issues like this that seem unrelated... but in Linux, everything is related. A bug or misconfiguration can take on all kinds of weird and hard to track down properties that seem completely bonkers. Anyway, I would be interested to know if you get this working.

[Snowhog]

And thus is illustrated the inherent 'problem' associated with moving applications to Snap. Snap 'sandboxes' the application, and sandboxing means that nothing from outside the sandbox can affect what is running in the sandbox. That is the nature of a sandbox. If there was a way to allow outside entities (functions et al) to interact with what is happening in the sandbox, then the entire purpose of a sandbox is negated.

That, or I'm entirely wrong!

[claydoh]

Snap has zero to do with this sort of thing at all, but possibly Plasma's recent use systemd for login related items, if one has updated to Plasma 5.25
I have not had any issues with any autostart scripts myself with this, and on my system the mouse effect also reverts back to 'normal' for me as well. Maybe it is a bug, or by design, I have no idea.

One can revert to the old autostart behavior of course, and this is quite specific to Plasma 5.25, if systemd would be a cause.
kwriteconfig5 --file startkderc --group General --key systemdBoot false

The main problem is that the previous autostart was more forgiving of scripting and .desktop file formatting, the current one needs things to follow the rules a bit more strictly, so I think some of the .desktop files need editing by their maintainers. Which is not a KDE specific issue, iirc.

But for me, I actually since the move to systemd at login I have removed the last of my autostart scripts since this actually fixed my reason to run the dang thing to begin with -- I just need to give something a sleep timer for a couple of seconds, kinda similar to the timing issue causing startup sounds to not play at login.

[bradleypariah]

I just need to give something a sleep timer for a couple of seconds, kinda similar to the timing issue causing startup sounds to not play at login.

Yeah, my startup script is not working. -and related to what you're saying, both my login and my logout sounds have not been playing for several months now. Might coincide with upgrading to 22.04, but I'm not positive.

Whatever, still having a better experience than I would on Windows

[ShadYoung]

Snap has zero to do with this sort of thing at all, but possibly Plasma's recent use systemd for login related items, if one has updated to Plasma 5.25
I have not had any issues with any autostart scripts myself with this, and on my system the mouse effect also reverts back to 'normal' for me as well. Maybe it is a bug, or by design, I have no idea.

I am not convinced. I do not use Plasma 5.25. The behavior is new to 22.04. KDE-Frameworks is now deployed as a SNAP. It was not a SNAP in 21.10. I am not normally a betting man, but I would bet money SNAP is the problem. I like 22.04, but at this point, I am really thinking about moving back to 21.10. I may have to find another distro as I prefer to have security updates.

[claydoh]

KDE-Frameworks is now deployed as a SNAP.

You are mistaken
That is not true at all.

You might have this snap installed as a dependency of some other snap you have installed, but this has absolutely zero to do with your running system.
To se a good chunk of the actual Frameworks packages you actually have installed and in use on your system, search for packages including kf5 in the names

apt search kf5 | grep installed

The only snaps included on a stock Kubuntu install:

$ snap list
bare
core20
firefox
gnome-3-38-2004
gtk-common-themes
snapd