Username order on login screen in 11.2

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I just moved from openSUSE 11.0 to 11.2.

While I like to new login screen (I was using a face based theme previously), I am stumped on how to control the order that the user names are presented.

As best I can tell, they are presented in the order who logs in most frequently. While that makes a certain amount of sense, I would like to be able to force the list to remain alphabetical.

Is there any way to control this, and if so, where?

Thanks!

2

If you are using KDE4, Configure Desktop>Advanced>Login manager>Users and tick Sort list

3

I appreciate the pointer - regretfully it doesn’t work.

In my case, Sort was already checked. My first thought was that instead of sorting alphabetically (as documented), that it was now sorting by usage frequency (which seems to be the observed behavior). I tried unchecking the option and… it made no difference. Turned it back on, still no difference.

I then noticed that the theme shown selected in the KDE login manager is not the theme actually running. In fact, gdm-simple-greeter isn’t even on the list.

So we’re back where we started.

Any other ideas on how to regain control of the order that usernames are listed by this not-so-simple gdm-simple-greeter?

Thanks

4

What are you running? KDE or Gnome?
What is the output of:

grep "DISPLAYMANAGER=" /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager
5

Sorry for the long delay - illness and catching up kept me buried.

In any case, the reason the above didn’t work is because that tool is used to configure kdm, and I’m dealing with the simple-greeter of 11.2’s gdm.

The closest hint I’ve found so far - but not one I want - is how to disable the user list entirely. That can be done via:

gconftool-2 --set --type boolean /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list true

Looking at the schema in /usr/share/gconf/schemas/gdm-simple-greeter.schemas does not show any key related to user sorting, so presumably if the ability to sort exists, it is controlled at a higher level than this.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

6

To the op,
Did you check in yast if you can sort the order under user and group management.
Also in yast2 /etc/sysconfig editor desktop display manager kdm user

7

There doesn’t seem to be any sort option under user and group management. BTW - when initially installed, user names where displayed in the same order entered (i.e.: in user number order). It was only after use that they became scrambled and started to be displayed in what seems to be most often used logins firsts.

As for KDM USERS, I’m running gdm’s simple-greeter, so it would have no affect in any case. Even if I were running kdm, this key is used to limit the face list to the listed users instead of allowing kdm to display the full set of non-system users, so it wouldn’t allow me to automatically display a sorted list of my current users.

If I had a bit of free time, I’d go digging in source code to figure out what’s going on here. It seems to be really odd behavior to have been chosen as the default.

Although I can understand the good intentions behind putting frequent users at the top of the list, if you’re not in the top few spots, finding your name in a randomized list of user names is a real pain.

And not making an easy way to force the list to be alphabetical is just brain dead. (Unless I’m the brain dead one here for not finding what should be an obvious switch?)

I really like the default login screen and don’t want to have to bother with changing things, but this is really starting to bug me.

BTW - Are any other users of the default gdm simple-greeter seeing the same behavior of the user list order changing over time depending who uses the system most often?

Thanks!