How to exclude windows from compiz Place Windows plugin

What do you do on the system once you connect using VNC? There may be a more graceful method to achieve your goal.

My specific need is that when I connect with VNC to a host that has multiple monitors, that the VNC viewer window be allowed to show me both of the host's monitors. vncviewer does this by default when Place Windows is disabled. When Place Windows maximizes the vncview window, I first have to un-maximize it and then drag the lower right corner of it to resize to show both of the host monitors in the vncviewer widow. (This resizing is tedious for me because that lower right corner is right on the break between my two monitors also.)

Note: even on hosts with only a single monitor, the maximized mode of vncviewer is not optimal, because most/all of the hosts to which I connect (remote support) have the same resolution as I do, so the maximized mode results in some scroll bars in the VNC viewer which I don't want.

but what apps and activities do you do on the remote system is my question..

> Place Windows wants to maximize this window

Place plugin has nothing to do with window size, rather with positioning.
If Unity is enabled, then have a look at Unity plugin in CCSM, tab 'Experimental':
automaximize value (default threshold is 75, related to display).

http://wiki.compiz.org/WindowMatching
http://wiki.compiz.org/Plugins/Place

@actionparsnip - It doesn't matter what I'm doing on the remote system. It is sufficient to say that I use VNC for remote support of my user base.

@Sam - I beg to differ. One of the placement modes in Place Windows is "maximize", and that is exactly what is happening to my VNC window. Also, when I disable Place Windows, the VNC window appears at the size set by the application itself, which by default is large enough to show the host's entire viewing space. The evidence strongly suggests that Place Windows is the one maximizing the window.

I tried playing with "automaximize value" but it doesn't have any effect on my situation.

There may be, and often is a better way to do things than VNC. Remote access maybe a good way but users often use it to apply system updates or manage updates which can be done in other ways. People just automatically think VNC when they want remote access which is a poor mindset to have, so I ask and it does matter. You may not have needed VNC atall which would by bypass the whole issue.

I understand your point. The support tasks for which I use VNC can only be accomplished via VNC, or some other way for me to see exactly what is on the user's screen, watch their mouse and see how the programs are responding to their input. For us, here and now, that tool is VNC.

> One of the placement modes in Place Windows is "maximize",...

Yep, sorry for overlooking the option.

> tried various placement mode and fixed position rules, but they don't do anything

e.g. place plugin is enabled with another option than maximized, nevertheless it does maximize vncviewer and other windows not?

Did you logout after various mentioned changes?

> what I really want is for it to be left completely alone.
> exclude certain windows from being touched by the Place Windows plugin

Using window rules you've already communicated Compiz to exclude vncviewer.
How else could the window manager know to exclude a specific window?

e.g.
any &!class=vncviewer