Lightdm [Kubuntu) not displaying user thumbnail photos

[Jonathan Reeve]

On the Kubuntu login screen (I'm assuming lightdm?), there are just generic pictures for users. I expected it to display my photo along with my user name, as I configured in System Settings -> Account Details -> Change your image.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: lightdm 1.3.3-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-16.25-generic 3.5.4
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Oct 1 21:53:35 2012
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Beta amd64 (20120928)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: lightdm
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Harald Sitter (apachelogger)]

the liblightdm-gobject library recommends accountsservice (thus installed by default) and that particular piece of art provides one icon path through its api (the default one --- default is $HOME/.face whereas kde software uses $HOME/.face.icon). accountsservice would have a user-defined icon too, though since the kde software in question does not use accountsservice that is utterly moot as nothing is set there (hence why the default is returned).

I am not sure this ought to be changed in accountsservice as I gather the point of it is to form a grand unified middleware piece to use for all that magic, not support things from the past. though the solution there would simply be to check if .face.icon is present and prefer that as default.

perhaps more reasonable would be to have lightdm check if the file returned by accountsservice is actually present and if not try .face.icon.

that is something to be discussed with the individual upstreams though.

PS: lightdm's fallback lookup code actually does it right -.-
PPS: both solutions are not particularly adequate in scenarios where a user is using gnome based environments and kde based environments as with either approach presented above one side is getting preference over the other. something that is only going to be fixed when and if kde switches to accountsservice. funny that it was not even suggested for adoption over in kde land yet.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Alan Bowden (alanbowden)]

As a very simple workaround you can create a symbolic link so that linux sees ~/.face and ~/.face.icon as the same thing. By doing this, should you change your picture using the GUI, the picture will also change in the login screen.

Open a terminal (e.g. konsole) and type the following:
cd
ln -s .face.icon .face

[jhoechtl (johann-hoechtl)]

So, what has happend? After a fresh install of Kubuntu 13.04 I still have to create the symlink

[shane (shane-animail)]

In my case I have 2 users. One has the thumbnail show on login screen and the other doesn't.
Both users have a .face.icon in their home directories but only one is showing??

[Implied Consent (impliedconsent)]

I had to go back to the basics (like forgetting to plug-in a USB cable). "chmod 644 image.file". I noticed all files copied from an NTFS partitions, the default permissions were 600. The "group" and "others" need to be able to read the file before using it.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

Is this still applicable?