No login prompt or user list on login screen [JS ERROR: TypeError: this._button is undefined]

[Jennifer Wilcox]

I installed the 24.04 beta ISO (the version from 2024-04-12) on a HyperV VM. Running through the installer itself seemed fine, but after rebooting GDM seemed to start but doesn't offer any users to login with. Not even an "Other" button. GDM itself has definitely started, as the current time is visible at the top of the screen, and the network and accessibility icons are visible at the top right of the screen. But the center of the screen is blank.

If I manually mount the drive and examine the journal logs, I see a "JS Error" from gnome-shell that seems likely to be related:

Apr 12 14:47:29 jwilcox-u24b gnome-shell[1735]: Starting Authd!!!
Apr 12 14:47:29 jwilcox-u24b gnome-shell[1735]: JS ERROR: TypeError: this._button is undefined
                                                _createSessionMenuButton@resource:///org/gnome/shell/gdm/loginDialog.js:663:13
                                                _init@resource:///org/gnome/shell/gdm/loginDialog.js:589:14
                                                LoginDialog@resource:///org/gnome/shell/gdm/loginDialog.js:487:4
                                                _ensureUnlockDialog@resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/screenShield.js:472:28
                                                showDialog@resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/screenShield.js:404:14
                                                _initializeUI/<@resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/main.js:317:26
                                                _prepareStartupAnimation@resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/layout.js:764:18
                                                _loadBackground/signalId</id<@resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/layout.js:693:26
                                                @resource:///org/gnome/shell/ui/init.js:21:20
Apr 12 14:47:29 jwilcox-u24b gnome-shell[1735]: Registering session with GDM

[Jennifer Wilcox (nat1192)]

I found another way to reproduce this same issue. I setup a second system on a QEMU/KVM/libvirt hypervisor, and it worked fine on the built-in libvirt spice client. But if I try and enable Remote Login via GNOME (not Desktop Sharing, but full Remote Login), I get the same GDM behavior and the same stacktrace in the journal.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. It seems an issue in the desktop components rather than due to the installer, reassigning

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Marco probably knows this but the bug comes from loginDialog-Port-sessions-menu-over-to-AuthMenuButton.patch

originating from: https://salsa.debian.org/gnome-team/gnome-shell/-/commit/9c69176ab6e60c92173039d8c7e9054bbeab93c6

originating from: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/merge_requests/3212

See also bug 2060893.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

It's not just Hyper-V. For some reason I get the same bug whenever I install the Nvidia 470 driver. And there's also bug 2061364.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package gnome-shell - 46.0-0ubuntu5

---------------
gnome-shell (46.0-0ubuntu5) noble; urgency=medium

  [ Daniel van Vugt ]
  * Drop loginDialog-Create-footer-container.patch - it's buggy and still
    under active development (LP: #2060893)

  [ Marco Trevisan (Treviño) ]
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-authd: Hide the right button if there are no
    sessions to choose (LP: #2061153)
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-authd: Do not start an unavailable authentication
    service (LP: #2060575)
  * d/p/ubuntu-authd: Fix selection of multi-factor auth modes (related to
    lp:2060546)

 -- Marco Trevisan (Treviño) <email address hidden> Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:45:42 +0200

[Jennifer Wilcox (nat1192)]

I'm not sure if there's any bug retest workflows to follow, but I can confirm this fixed the issue when using Gnome's remote connection. I will test HyperV later today.

Thanks Marco and Daniel!!