MDM - Have User List Displayed

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crossroadstech

MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by crossroadstech »

Does anyone know how to get MDM to display a user list instead of having to type in the username each time? Basically I want to make it work more like gdm3 did in the LMDE RC isos.

I've tried enabling the "face browser" from the login window settings gui as well as adding "Browser=true" to the [greeter] section of /etc/mdm/mdm.conf with no change.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
dezo

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dezo »

You have to edit the theme and insert a special tag to view the face browser, something like

Code: Select all

<item type="list" id="userlist">
   <pos x="109" y="200" height="180" width="286"/>
   <color iconcolor="#ffffff" labelcolor="#ffffff"/>
</item>
diazepan11

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by diazepan11 »

what about the username list?
dezo

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dezo »

If you don't provide images for users, the face browser is displayed as a list.
Arlos70

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by Arlos70 »

In case it helps anyone, and probably for my future reference:


I added to /usr/share/mdm/themes/linuxmint/theme.xml
right above: <!-- username/password label & entry container -->

Code: Select all

<item type="list" id="userlist">
     <pos x="150" y="200" height="100" width="250"/>
     <color iconcolor="#ffffff" labelcolor="#ffffff"/>
</item>
NOTE: monitor size 1280 x 800
w0wz3rz

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by w0wz3rz »

thanks!
holmberg

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by holmberg »

It seems odd to me that a theme, "Linux Mint", that advertises itself as "Themed with face browser" doesn't provide a face browser.

Also, entering a bunch of XML into some obscure file doesn't seem like a very friendly way to allow users to add a face browser.

My other problem with this solution, is that it doesn't display the image set for the user in the "User Accounts" tool. It just displays the default face image. There is no apparent way to customize that for each user.

Does anyone know how to report a bug against MDM? Here, perhaps? https://github.com/linuxmint/mdm/issues
dexl
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Posts: 182
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:16 am

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dexl »

I'd also like to know how to customize image for each user. MDM is really confusing, I preferred LM12 login manager, which made customization a breeze! :(
Linux Mint 20 MATE
dezo

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dezo »

It's not a friendly way, the face browser should be already present in the theme while "shipping". Which is currently not.
The faces are read from user's home/.face file. This way every user can set his own picture, although it's not very user-friendly.
Users and Groups does show the user's face.
Caffeine

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by Caffeine »

Is this going to be fixed in Linux Mint 13 or do we have to wait for the next release?
I was also wondering why the setting "Themed with face browser" doesn't display any face browser.

Typing in the username all the time on a multi-user system is kind of annoying... I really liked the lightdm solution.
dexl
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Posts: 182
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:16 am

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dexl »

I managed to have user list displayed by doing the following:

1. Administration/Login window/Local, and selecting Themed with face browser
2. in the Users tab uncheck Default face and change Global face dir to: usr/share/pixmaps/faces
3. rename the face pictures to their equivalent user names (user accounts on LM13), btw I had to resize the default pictures because they were too big for the login screen, e.g.:
if there are users abc and xyz, I chose the face pictures for them and renamed them to abc.jpg and xyz.jpg
4. Make sure "include all users from etc/passwd" is checked
Linux Mint 20 MATE
dinostabOMG

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by dinostabOMG »

The XML hack worked for me, thanks.

I'm working on a new install for my not-too-savvy uncle, and he is switching from Vista (ugh). However, in Vista, his name is selected by default so the text entry field is simply the password. Is there a way to get GDM to behave like this? In other words, so he doesn't have to click his face or enter his username before entering his password, so he can just enter his password directly. He is the only user account on this install.
cdaaawg
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Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:41 am

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by cdaaawg »

@dexi
Do you care to share with us the dimensions to which you resized the face pics for MDM? Are there any official guidelines posted as to image size for the standard screen resolutions? Thanks for any enlightenment.

Cheers,
Carl
cmost
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Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:36 am
Location: Newport, Kentucky

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by cmost »

Instead of trying to modify the existing MDM theme, it's a fairly simple matter to simply download one of the literally thousands of old GDM themes that display a user list, modify them quickly and painlessly for compatibility with MDM and install. Many of these are themed for Mint already. I'm using a very cool one as we speak.
Dual Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz, 24 Cores
192 GB DDR3 RAM
AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
rkmugen

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by rkmugen »

While the XML edit works perfectly for me in Mint XFCE, can we -please- have this thing fixed in future releases of Linux Mint?! Having to type my user name in AND THEN my password is so 1980's-ish!!! And before anyone suggests that I install a GDM theme, I'd like to say that I'm against downloading and installing anything that I absolutely don't need to, especially if it can be solved with only a few kilobytes worth of a text edit in the terminal... but having said that, an OS that takes care of that unnecessary chore by default..... absolutely that'd be SOOOOooo much better.

(sorry if I bumped this topic up to the top, but it's within the 6-month window from the last post/thread)
cmost
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Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:36 am
Location: Newport, Kentucky

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by cmost »

@ rkmugen

So because of some obscure made up rule you have not to download anything non-essential, you refuse to take five minutes to download a tiny theme file that does exactly what you want. Meanwhile, you expect the Mint developers to use their precious time and resources to modify the code in the official release just to suit your preferences. Evidently your requirements for a face browser ARE essential. Go download a theme and quitcherbeefin. :roll:
Dual Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz, 24 Cores
192 GB DDR3 RAM
AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
rkmugen

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by rkmugen »

cmost wrote:@ rkmugen

So because of some obscure made up rule you have not to download anything non-essential, you refuse to take five minutes to download a tiny theme file that does exactly what you want. Meanwhile, you expect the Mint developers to use their precious time and resources to modify the code in the official release just to suit your preferences. Evidently your requirements for a face browser ARE essential. Go download a theme and quitcherbeefin. :roll:
I'm not expecting anything, I'm only asking... or at most, throwing some ideas for improvements. What? Was it "how i said it" versus "what I said"? Come on, give me a break. The whole point of having a Linux forum is to share ideas so that the developers or anyone who is willing to delve into the code would know what areas can be improved. While I'm not a programmer/developer, I stand by my ideas and my opinions. Please, don't talk down to me. You don't see me stomping on anybody else's ideas.
zerozero

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by zerozero »

Development started on Linux Mint 14. The development team is looking into bringing improved “face” support to MDM, here
i guess that this answers this request.
rkmugen

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by rkmugen »

zerozero wrote:
Development started on Linux Mint 14. The development team is looking into bringing improved “face” support to MDM, here
i guess that this answers this request.
Wonderful! Thank you, zerozero!
DrHu

Re: MDM - Have User List Displayed

Post by DrHu »

zerozero wrote:
Development started on Linux Mint 14. The development team is looking into bringing improved “face” support to MDM, here
i guess that this answers this request.
And I hope the reverse also will work: if I don't want a user list (possibly to help with security for multiple users), then it should be easy to prevent the user list from showing up on a login screen
Locked

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