Not a big fan of the default KDM theme shipped with 12.2 so
looking to change to something that interests me a bit more.
However, I am unable to change the theme using the applet
supplied under configure desktop. I select a different theme,
click Apply and then it asks for root password which I supply,
then log out or reboot and KDM is the same. So I was wondering what I
might need to do or which file I may need to look at to
change it. Thanks.
On 09/27/2012 06:08 PM, GofBorg wrote:
> I select a different theme,
> click Apply and then it asks for root password which I supply,
> then log out or reboot and KDM is the same.
that sounds very strange! because your KDE theme is yours, there is no
need whatsoever for root to be involved…
another way to say that: i can change KDE themes on my machine without
providing root or any other password (well, of course i provided my user
password when i logged on—and that is all that is required)
well, i wonder if you and i are talking about the same thing? here is
the way i change themes:
-open Personal Settings - Configure Desktop > Workspace Appearance and
Behavior > Workspace Appearance > Desktop Theme (on the left) > then
click on any theme shown in the list on the right, then click “Apply”
button and the theme is changed almost instantly (no passwords asked
for, no need to shutdown or reboot, no nothing…just click Apply and
the theme changes, boom!)
so, i wonder how your system got so damaged…any ideas?
Desktop themes change fine, it’s the login greeter,
which imho should ask for root permission.
Try going to:
Start>Configure Desktop>Login Screen>Theme.
Select a different theme, then click ‘apply’.
It will ask for permission to set the kdm greeter.
Logout to see if kdm greeter is changed. On
my machine it doesn’t.
Effectively the ‘Login Screen’ applet is useless. Even setting it to
not use themes it stays with the default greeter. Definitely a bug here,
at the very least severe usability issues.
Indeed, the login screen applet has never worked on opensuse as far as i know. The only way i know you can change the kdm theme is via:
yast - etc/sysconfig - search for kdm - change value of a key similar to KDM_GREETER_THEME
That being said, i really like to know why opensuse does not make the login screen applet working. Why do we have to change theme on such unuserfriendly way? The same applies for the mouse cursor theme of kdm
On 09/27/2012 07:44 PM, GofBorg wrote:
> Desktop themes change fine, it’s the login greeter,
> which imho should ask for root permission.
sorry! i was pretending to be able to read–and can now easily see the
difference between KDE and KDM 
> Try going to:…
> It will ask for permission to set the kdm greeter.
yes, it does…and, here it does change to the selected theme…but, i
am using 11.4, so maybe 12.2’s is broken, BUT i think if it is a bug
(and not just a local phenomenon) it would have been reported
widely…and, i don’t recall seeing this problem before…
so, why not search bugzilla http://tinyurl.com/nzhq7j and see if it has
been reported…if so, and if you have new info please add to the
initial report AND return here with the bug number so the next seeing
the problem can follow along…
if you don’t find a bug there then i’d suggest if no others with 125.2
reading alone here can duplicate it, then maybe someone can help find
the nature of the corner case…or maybe what on your system got
corrupted and how…
say, tell us what version of KDE you are using and please show us the
terminal output and input from
zypper lr -d
copy/paste the in/output back to this thread using the instructions
here: http://goo.gl/i3wnr
–
dd
Thanks suskewiet,
That method works a treat.
Login Screen applet = FAIL
I’ll see about filing a bug report, although if it’s been broken as long as
you say, obviously it’s not going to be fixed.
I am using OS12.2 DVD downloaded, verified before installing.
Only repositories are the default configured at install time.
suskewiet has the answer in his post. The applet is just borked.
On 09/27/2012 09:08 AM, GofBorg wrote:
> Not a big fan of the default KDM theme shipped with 12.2 so
> looking to change to something that interests me a bit more.
> However, I am unable to change the theme using the applet
> supplied under configure desktop. I select a different theme,
> click Apply and then it asks for root password which I supply,
> then log out or reboot and KDM is the same. So I was wondering what I
> might need to do or which file I may need to look at to
> change it. Thanks.
>
There are two files/directories to consider:
(1) /usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/
This is where themes are stored.
openSUSE has three installed:
$ ls /usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/
ariya circles horos
(2) /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager
This file KDM-related settings.
For example, to use the “horos” theme,
become ‘root’:
$ su
[enter ‘root’ passwd]
run a text editor of your choice:
vim /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager
[find the line containing “DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME”;
edit the line to look like this:
DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME=“horos”
Save the file, log out.
You should see the “horos”-themed KDM screen.
For more examples of KDM themes, check out:
http://kde-look.org/
Look for and click on “KDM Themes” in the left-hand column.
Download a theme of interest.
Unpack the theme file.
Become ‘root’ and mv/cp the unpacked file to the directory,
/usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/.
Then edit /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager as above.
[Until a few versions back, it was a bit easier.
YaST2/System/’/etc/sysconfig Editor’:
‘Search’: kdm_theme (or DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME)
Click to go to the line.
Pick a theme in /usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/.
*Unfortunately, YaST no longer automatically presents
*the names of the themes in the directory to choose from.
*Now, the theme name must be entered manually.]
On 09/27/2012 09:21 PM, GofBorg wrote:
> I’ll see about filing a bug report, although if it’s been broken as long as
> you say, obviously it’s not going to be fixed.
as said, it works here on still supported 11.4 so it has not been broken
(if it is) for long…
so don’t use “it won’t be fixed” as an excuse for not reporting, please.
–
dd
I think that if you install “kdm-branding-upstream” (which will replace “kdm-branding-openSUSE”), then theme changes will work.
Note that I have not tested this.
The “Login Screen” applet has worked fine for me, for the things that I have wanted to change. But I never tried changing the theme.
> so don’t use “it won’t be fixed” as an excuse for not reporting, please.
How about, “I am lazy therefore it will not be reported.” 
For the record, I use 11.4 as my primary desktop, and the Login Screen
applet does not work there as well. However I am using KDE 4.8.4 r513 so
perhaps it is a KDE issue. I am currently testing 12.2 on a seperate machine
which is where I ran across the issue. Never had a need to try it on my 11.4
machine since the KDM theme there was appealing to me.
That does not work, I’ve got kdm-branding-upstream installed and changing the theme inside of the Login Screen applet does not work in 12.2 at least with KDE 4.9.1
I change my KDM theme all the time here’s how I do it.
- Find a theme I like on:
Eyecandy for your KDE-Desktop - KDE-Look.org
from the KDM Themes Then download it (lets call it kTheme) - Personally I then move kTheme.tar.gz(that’s what it’ll be) to a ~home file I call KDM Themes
- Once in there I rclick it select Extract Here
- A folder shows up called kTheme
- Move the ktheme folder to /usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/
- Open Yast go to System> /etc/sysconfig Editor
- Select Desktop>Display Manager>DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME
- In the box in the upper right where it will say openSUSE clear it out then type your theme in this case kTheme click OK
This way has been working for me since 12.0!
Same here… with opensuse 12.2 and kde 4.8.5…i dont understand how a so big ui bug is not solved yet. I cant also install themes in the menu ( install login themes). Hope this bug could be solved in the near future.