keyboard layout on greeter is not stored per user (function lost from 16.04 to 18.04)

[Bodinux]

We are using two keyboard layouts in my family (dvorak-like and standard).

With 16.04, upon selection of user on the greeter, the keyboard layout would default to the one of the user.

With 18.04 fresh install, the above is lost. Instead, the last selected keyboard layout remains selected. Therefore it is necessary to check and maybe change the layout to be able to set the password.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: gdm3 3.28.0-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-20.21-generic 4.15.17
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri May 4 19:39:08 2018
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-04-27 (6 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180426)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gdm3
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
mtime.conffile..etc.gdm3.custom.conf: 2018-05-01T15:06:51.113672

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Thanks for your report!

I think the info is stored; the problem is that GDM does not make use of it. The issue is also discussed in bug #1725676, see e.g. comment #11.

I also found an upstream bug report.

[Bodinux (bodinux)]

In my case, the two layouts are correctly available for choice. So that part is OK.

Indeed as per the comment you quote :
It may be motivated to ask upstream why they don't make use of the information provided by accountsservice in the same way as unity-greeter does.

When this happens with bugs#1766137, it makes 18.04 not usable for a family computer. (error on the password leading to a blank screen).

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

On 2018-05-08 09:25, Bodinux wrote:
> In my case, the two layouts are correctly available for choice.

Then I suppose they are both included in the file /etc/default/keyboard.

> When this happens with bugs#1766137, it makes 18.04 not usable for a
> family computer. (error on the password leading to a blank screen).

Right, but bug #1766137 is being worked on.

[Bodinux (bodinux)]

This is correct, both keyboards appear in /etc/default/keyboard.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Bodinux (bodinux)]

I would like to add the following information :

at login, there is the helper with the possibility to have a virtual keyboard.

Fist issue :
This virtual keyboard appears in qwerty regardless of the active layout

Second issue :
When I try to change the layout, the list of layouts is displayed. When I move my mouse to select the layout I want, the virtual keyboard disappears. So I can't change the layout of the virtual keyboard.

[Bodinux (bodinux)]

Following my previous comment :

-if the selected layout of the virtual keyboard would also be the default layout of the user, this bug(unable to change virtual keyboard layout) would be less important.