User photo is missing in login screen

[BertN45]

I inserted the photo using the Users and Groups package and the photo is accepted and displayed(see screenshot). It is also displayed in the authentication screens and the logout screen, but NOT in the login screen.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.04
Package: lightdm (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.19.0-12.13-generic 4.19.18
Uname: Linux 4.19.0-12-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.10-0ubuntu19
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Mon Feb 4 13:01:36 2019
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-11-08 (88 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 19.04 "Disco Dingo" - Alpha amd64 (20181107)
SourcePackage: lightdm
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

Lightdm is not used any more after the switch to gnome-shell.

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

The login screen is handled by gdm3.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Actually the login screen is rendered by 'gnome-shell'.

I wonder - can you please find the photo file and tell us what its permissions are?

You may want to try changing the permissions in a terminal with:

  chmod 644 yourphoto.jpg

then reboot and tell us if that fixes the problem.

[BertN45 (lammert-nijhof)]

Using chmod 644 did fix the problem and the photo is now also displayed
in the login screen.

Setting the permission to 660 did restore the old situation, the photo
is not displayed in the login screen but in all other screens after login.

I assume the permissions did not really allow root read access. That is
confirmed by looking at that same file on other locations, the
properties for others was none.

On 18/2/19 5:36 a. m., Daniel van Vugt wrote:
> Actually the login screen is rendered by 'gnome-shell'.
>
> I wonder - can you please find the photo file and tell us what its
> permissions are?
>
> You may want to try changing the permissions in a terminal with:
>
> chmod 644 yourphoto.jpg
>
> then reboot and tell us if that fixes the problem.
>
> ** Package changed: gdm3 (Ubuntu) => gnome-shell (Ubuntu)
>
> ** Changed in: gnome-shell (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

The login screen runs as a regular unprivileged user 'gdm' (not root) so it does (apparently) require that you make any images world-readable in order for user 'gdm' to be able to read them.

Although I find this slightly surprising. A better design might be for gnome-control-center to copy the image when you configure it, and ensure the copy is always world readable. Because the current design does not seem to be user-friendly...

Anyway, this doesn't seem to be a bug so I will close it.

[BertN45 (lammert-nijhof)]

Formally it is not a bug, basically it is a user error. However to avoid
these type of bug reports in future, you might define it as a low
priority bug or change request. There are reasons to block photo folders
from access by the world for privacy reasons. Anybody using a photo from
such a folder, could easily make the same error I did, despite my 42
years in ICT.

On 18/2/19 10:20 p. m., Daniel van Vugt wrote:
> The login screen runs as a regular unprivileged user 'gdm' (not root) so
> it does (apparently) require that you make any images world-readable in
> order for user 'gdm' to be able to read them.
>
> Although I find this slightly surprising. A better design might be for
> gnome-control-center to copy the image when you configure it, and ensure
> the copy is always world readable. Because the current design does not
> seem to be user-friendly...
>
> Anyway, this doesn't seem to be a bug so I will close it.
>
>
> ** Changed in: gnome-shell (Ubuntu)
> Status: Incomplete => Invalid
>

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Yes, I suggest logging a bug/enhancement request against gnome-control-center:

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/issues