xfce 4 session manager does not save session

[markling]

I told the xfce4 session manager to save my session but it won't listen.

I went: Applications > Settings > Sessions and Start-up
and selected: Automatically save session on logout.
then restarted machine.

Result: blank desktop; session not saved
Expected result: desktop cluttered with the daily horror that is my work.

So I went: Applications > Settings > Sessions and Start-up
and selected: Automatically save session on logout + Prompt on logout + Display Chooser on logon.
then restarted machine.

Slightly Different Result This Time: session did not prompt on shutdown; chooser came up on start/logon, but it didn't have any saved sessions; system went to blank desktop; session not saved
Expected result: desktop cluttered with the daily horror that is my work.

So I followed forum advice and deleted everything in ~/.cache
Then I went: Applications > Settings > Sessions and Start-up
and selected: Automatically save session on logout + Prompt on logout + Display Chooser on logon.
then restarted machine.

Result: as before. Session not saved.

It does appear that the save session feature may not be working properly. I have taken to leaving my machine on over night when my work is too instense to put it away. This kills trees. It eats at my conscience and makes me dream of unhappy mulch creatures in the rain forest.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.04
Package: xfce4-session 4.10.0-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.8.0-27.40-generic 3.8.13.4
Uname: Linux 3.8.0-27-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.9.2-0ubuntu8.3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Aug 21 23:36:58 2013
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-11-28 (266 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.1)
MarkForUpload: True
SourcePackage: xfce4-session
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to raring on 2013-05-14 (99 days ago)

[Stephen Michael Kellat (skellat)]

From the command line could you please run:

apt-cache policy xfce4-session

After running that could you please post the output as a follow-up to this bug?

[TK (tkrishan)]

I'm having a similar problem but my session is always saved, even when I have the Applications > Settings > Sessions and Start-up to NOT automatically save sessions.

I've run the apt-cache policy as requested from the reporter of this bug; as you can see, I am running Saucy.

xfce4-session:
  Installed: 4.10.1-1ubuntu1
  Candidate: 4.10.1-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 4.10.1-1ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[markling (markling)]

Please excuse me Stephen. It's taken me a while to see your request. There has been an update of the session manager since this report. I've not tried it yet.

Here's:

$ apt-cache policy xfce4-session
xfce4-session:
  Installed: 4.10.0-2ubuntu1.1
  Candidate: 4.10.0-2ubuntu1.1
  Version table:
 *** 4.10.0-2ubuntu1.1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring-updates/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     4.10.0-2ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring/universe amd64 Packages

[markling (markling)]

To confirm, its not working after the update.

Sessions and Startup has the following checked: Display chooser on login; Automatically save session on logout; Prompt on logout.

But my system does none of these things.

[Sergio Benjamim (sergio-br2)]

@TK (tkrishan) , your problem is it not the Bug #1204919 ?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[markling (markling)]

This problem seems to have been fixed. Has anything been updated or changed?

Session manager is now saving sessions successfully and presenting them as options on startup. Sessions are restoring. It is brilliant. One glaring problem remains: it seems that no applications bar Gedit can remember in which xfce4 workspaces their windows where open. Gedit handles it very well. All the other apps - including Firefox and Terminal - just pile up like a car crash in the current workspace. With a lot of windows in a session, across multiple workspaces, that amounts to one royal pain in the ass. It rather takes the glow off the session manager.

[Thaddaeus Tintenfisch (thad-fisch-deactivatedaccount)]

The initial issue seems be resolved now. I will close this report by changing the status to "fixed ".

Please continue the discussion about the workspace inconsistency in bug 1289793.

[wgoltz (wgoltz)]

Alas I am using Xubuntu 17.04 and I am afflicted by the same problem, so fixed - not.

[wgoltz (wgoltz)]

This behaviour is nothing like bug 1289793

[wgoltz (wgoltz)]

I seem to be getting bugs now that I never had with my previous 14.04 distro.

[wgoltz (wgoltz)]

I have finally made sense of this. Some running applications appear automatically in the 'Session' section, e.g. firefox, but others don't, like google-chrome. To get chrome running automatically you have to manually enter it in the 'Application Autostart' section. If you add firefox to the 'Application Autostart' you will get two firefox's starting. With this in mind autostart seem to work ok.

[sev si (severin-sigl3)]

This bug is not fixed. I am using a up to date Xubuntu 18.04.2, Xfce 4.12.
Having activated 'Session -> Automatically save session on logout', some active windows are saved and reopened, some not. And it is not random, it's completely reproducible and it's always the same applications.
As previously described Firefox is restarting fine, even on the correct workspace. Chromium, Pycharm, Evolution, Gajim are not.

Please reopen the bug.

@wgoltz: Your workaround doesnt quite fit my needs. I want my previous "work environment" to reopen, not always the same applications. My environment changes.

[Theo Linkspfeifer (lastonestanding)]

Bug 1371149 is still open and has a reference to https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10963.

[Elvis (return-desender)]

I am running Xubuntu 18.04.2 as well. This is relegated to a:

I won't work, and you can't make me. Is there any solution to this? Please re-open this bug. It still exists after 6 years.