Unable to select alternate languages at login screen

[David Pires]

Performing ISO testing with Saucy Alpha 2, Version 20130723.2

Testcase: Desktop Xubuntu in Xubuntu Desktop i386 for Saucy Daily ( http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/testcases/1434/info )

After successfully installed different languages, loged out from the session, and when at the login screen tried to select alternating languages was unable to do it because the only available/enable items are 'Large Font / High Contrast' and 'Suspend / Shut Down...' options.

Hardware specs: http://phillw.net/hardware/Ed3c22qV

[David Pires (slickymaster)]

After adding a new user, and then login in as the new user not only the possibility to select alternating languages but also the session selector are available/enable, but when login back as the initial user they still remain unavailable as initially.

[Ubuntu QA Website (ubuntuqa)]

This bug has been reported on the Ubuntu ISO testing tracker.

A list of all reports related to this bug can be found here:
http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/reports/bugs/1204486

[Pasi Lallinaho (knome)]

These menus work when you boot up the machine for the first time.

When you log out, the menus stop working, but the login button also says "Unlock". Looks like the greeter thinks it is in a locked-screen mode.

[Pasi Lallinaho (knome)]

The system has logged the user out and not "switching users" – when you "Unlock" a previously logged user, because the apps you left open aren't open when you "Unlock".

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

This is very likely a bug in lightdm (possibly connected to this bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/lightdm/+bug/1209107) and not in the greeter.

Could you please install unity-greeter (or any other alternative greeter) and re-test with that just to make sure? We can then re-assign the bug to the lightdm-package. Thanks!

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

I have installed (and it was necessary to update/dist-upgrade to the current daily version of Lubuntu Saucy to make log in work with Unity-Greeter. I did the same with LightDM GTK+ Greeter.

It works better with LightDM GTK+ Greeter the first time (before logging in). The choices are available. But after logging out they are not there. So the problem persists.

It works differently with Unity-Greeter. I did not see any difference between the first time and the second time at the log in screen, so it is stable. But there was no other language than English even though they are present and available via the Lubuntu log in ( LightDM GTK+ Greeter). And the only available session was Openbox window manager without any desktop environment (no panels, only grey background and the right-click menu).

So it is hard for me to tell if the greeter is to blame or not. Maybe it is 'only' an error in a configuration file. If you want more details, please let me know soon, because I will keep the Unity-Greeter only to answer your questions.

[Pasi Lallinaho (knome)]

Can confirm that the bug is still effective in the Beta 1 images (20130902.1).

lightdm: 1.7.12-0ubuntu1
lightdm-gtk-greeter: 1.6.0-0ubuntu1

[Sean Davis (bluesabre)]

Hi Robert,

Was logout/locking changed in the 1.7.x series? In Ubuntu 13.04 with lightdm 1.6.0 and lightdm-gtk-greeter 1.6.0:

Logging out of your session makes lightdm-gtk-greeter show "Log In".
Locking your session makes lightdm-gtk-greeter show "Unlock".

Based on our code, we are checking if the user exists and whether lightdm_user_get_logged_in. I've not checked what each of these are returning yet, just wondering if you have any ideas.

    user = lightdm_user_list_get_user_by_name (lightdm_user_list_get_instance (), username);
    /* Show 'Unlock' instead of 'Log In' for an already logged in user */
    logged_in = user && lightdm_user_get_logged_in (user);
    if (logged_in)
        gtk_button_set_label (login_button, _("Unlock"));
    else
        gtk_button_set_label (login_button, _("Log In"));
    /* and disable the session and language comboboxes */
    gtk_widget_set_sensitive (GTK_WIDGET (session_menu), !logged_in);
    gtk_widget_set_sensitive (GTK_WIDGET (language_menu), !logged_in);

Thanks,
Sean

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

On 2013-09-03 13:45, Sean Davis wrote:
> Hi Robert,
>
> Was logout/locking changed in the 1.7.x series? In Ubuntu 13.04 with
> lightdm 1.6.0 and lightdm-gtk-greeter 1.6.0:
>
> Logging out of your session makes lightdm-gtk-greeter show "Log In".
> Locking your session makes lightdm-gtk-greeter show "Unlock".
>
> Based on our code, we are checking if the user exists and whether
> lightdm_user_get_logged_in. I've not checked what each of these are
> returning yet, just wondering if you have any ideas.
>
> user = lightdm_user_list_get_user_by_name (lightdm_user_list_get_instance (), username);
> /* Show 'Unlock' instead of 'Log In' for an already logged in user */
> logged_in = user && lightdm_user_get_logged_in (user);
> if (logged_in)
> gtk_button_set_label (login_button, _("Unlock"));
> else
> gtk_button_set_label (login_button, _("Log In"));
> /* and disable the session and language comboboxes */
> gtk_widget_set_sensitive (GTK_WIDGET (session_menu), !logged_in);
> gtk_widget_set_sensitive (GTK_WIDGET (language_menu), !logged_in);
>
> Thanks,
> Sean
>
Maybe you sent this mail to the wrong person, but I'll try to answer anyway.

The login and locking has been changed since Lubuntu 13.04 (Raring). The
login screen looks different, and the sub-menus (drop-down or pop-up)
are different. I think there is also the difference, that xscreensaver
was part of 13.04 but not of 13.10.

Best regards
Nio

[Sean Davis (bluesabre)]

Hi Nio,

I was correct in my comment. I tested using the same version of lightdm-gtk-greeter that is now being used in 13.10 (since it was developed and fully functional in Xubuntu 13.04) to find that it still works in 13.04 but longer in 13.10.

We developed the greeter to support session locking with version lightdm 1.6.0, but logging out no longer works as of lightdm 1.7.x. Instead, it seems to detect that the user is currently logged in and locked when you log out of your session, which is obviously incorrect.

I subscribed Robert Ancell as he is directly involved in the development of the lightdm backend and might have another idea of what we should be looking for.

Regards,
Sean

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

Hi Sean,

There wasn't any specific changes to behaviour for log out, but a reasonable amount of code in that area did change. The regression tests don't indicate that the lock hint is being set incorrectly, but I'm happy to be proven wrong there. lightdm.log should provide some information about what it thinks has happened with the session.

lightdm_user_get_logged_in (user) will indicate if the user is logged in at this time, but this could change. You'd have to connect to the signals to handle this correctly (i.e. the greeter might start while logind still considers the user logged in). If you've switched from ConsoleKit to logind that might also have caused some problems.

Finally, if the intention is to render the GTK greeter as a lock screen, you should do this if lightdm_greeter_get_lock_hint () is TRUE and select the user lightdm_greeter_get_select_user_hint (). At your option, you can let the user log into any other account as per normal.

[David Pires (slickymaster)]

Still persisting in today's image (20130916).

lightdm: 1.7.15
lightdm-gtk-greeter: 1.6.0

[amjjawad  (amjjawad)]

Any chance this could be somehow related?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/1213837

[Sean Davis (bluesabre)]

amjjawad, this is absolutely related. Simon and I are working on a fix for this now.

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

Folks, we've pushed our fix to a new greeter version and it would be great if you could test whether this works.
All you have to do add this PPA to your sources:https://launchpad.net/~lightdm-gtk-greeter-team/+archive/daily
(e.g. by running "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lightdm-gtk-greeter-team/daily", then "sudo apt-get update" in the terminal)

Then you can easily upgrade your greeter to version 1.6.1 via update-manager or via "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" in the terminal.
Please let us know how it goes so this fix can be uploaded asap.

[amjjawad  (amjjawad)]

@Simon

I am on Ubuntu GNOME Saucy right now and everything works just fine, as jbicha told you last night, I don't think we are affected by that :)

But anyway, I am subscirbed to these two bugs!

[Elfy (elfy)]

Confirm that works here for me - get login and can choose languages.

[David Pires (slickymaster)]

I can confirm it also. Using the new greeter I can now choose languages and login.