Screen lock + Laptop lid close forces suspend

[Gary McCandless-Stone]

After install of Xubuntu 18.04

When the screen is locked (either ctrl+alt+l or through power manager settings (when laptop lid is closed selection)) and the laptop lid is closed, the system suspends.

It doesn't happen when screen is locked but left open or when lid is closed with no screen lock and screen is set to "switch off display" in laptop close lid settings in power manager.
After long periods in this state, it can become impossible to log back in. It may log back in to a black screen etc.

This is my first bug report and I'm not entirely sure what all information I need to include.
I can do an apport report as it doesn't crash the system directly but I have needed to do a hard reboot on occasion.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: xfce4-power-manager 1.6.1-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Linux version 4.15.0-20-generic (buildd@lgw01-amd64-039) (gcc version 7.3.0 (Ubuntu 7.3.0-16ubuntu3)) #21-Ubuntu SMP Tue Apr 24 06:16:15 UTC 2018
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Fri May 4th 2018
SourcePackage: xfce4-power-manager

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Theo Linkspfeifer (lastonestanding)]

Thanks for your bug report.

Does the system suspend when closing the lid on a fresh boot (when the login screen is displayed for the first time)?

[Gary McCandless-Stone (alt.dot-travelling)]

Hi I found a work-around which was to set close lid to do nothing. Can't remember how I did it now. But this was months ago and couldn't continue without doing something. Now I just lock the screen with ctrl-alt-l and close the lid.
Maybe someone else who still has the issue could help. Sorry.

[Theo Linkspfeifer (lastonestanding)]

Okay. I will close this report then.

Please let us know when you encounter this particular issue again, and we will reopen the report.

[Cesar Morel (cesaremorel)]

Why you closed issue?
How can we help to get this problem solved?

[3t0g0 (freetogo)]

The bug is still in xubuntu 19.10 eoan. I made a clear install with a new sudoer account. Whenever the lid is closed with screen lock on, it cannot be unlocked.

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

Also confirming still an issue on Xubuntu 19.10.

[Vyacheslav Lanovets (xentrax)]

For me Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then Ctrl-Alt-F7 enables the screen but shows a message "This session is locked", which never goes away.
But Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then Ctrl-Alt-F8 allows to unlock normally. This is a workaround #1.

This happens on a Dell laptop (7490, built-in Intel Graphics). Maybe Dell physically disconnects the screen when lid is closed.

Workaround #2:
Default Lid Close action in xfce Power Manager is "Lock". If I change it to "Suspend", the problem goes away.

[doublemeat (jim-collier)]

To the previous comment: I'm a long-time user of many Dell laptops, and I can confirm that Dell does NOT disconnect the display when it closes. Whether running Windows, you can clearly see the glow of the monitor still on, when closed, if configured to stay on. (Which is also proof that it is completely possible to close the lid, and neither lock nor turn off, if that's what you want.)

Between work and home, I run 6 physical installations of Xubuntu 18.04.3, 18.04.4, and 16.04.something.

And going back as far as I can remember, to at least 12.04, this has been an ongoing bug.

When I want to use my laptop "docked" (e.g. either physically docked or just all wired up by itself), I have to leave the lid ajar, to prevent it from going to sleep. Really annoying. But, I love me some XFCE so whaddayagonado. I really whish they'd just fix this already. (I've thought about taking it on myself but don't know C or GTK+ well enough, so kind of have to rely on the generosity, expertise, focus, and priorities of other...)