GNOME User's Guide
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# Session

The Session Group provides you methods of controlling various items that occur with the startup of your GNOME Session. These include startup programs and startup hints.

## Startup Hints

This Capplet allows you to select any startup hints or messages displayed when you first log into GNOME. The capplet allows you to choose from various sources of messages.

The `Enable login hints` checkbox allows you to turn this feature on or off.

The `Display normal hints` checkbox will display a group of hints on how to use GNOME. This is a good choice for new users of GNOME.

The `Display fortunes instead of hints` checkbox allows you to make use of the `fortune` application which displays various "fortunes" and sayings. Please refer to the fortune documentation for how to set it up.

The `Display message of the day instead of hints` checkbox allows you to define a message of the day to be displayed instead of hints of fortunes. The `Message of the day file to use` text box allows you to define the text file that will be used as the message. This is a good choice for system administrators to use to inform many users of daily news.

Figure 13. Startup Hints Capplet

## Startup Programs

You may have asked different people about items in `Startup Programs`. They might have given you funny looks or you might have had to explain `Startup Programs` was a menu in the `Control Center` tree. The reason is simple; `Startup Programs` is the name given to all options that start applications in GNOME, including session management, in the `Control Center`. The options in `Startup Programs` control the behavior of GNOME's session manager . Session management can be a very useful tool for you in your use of GNOME and GNOME applications.

The main concept behind GNOME's session manager is to save your settings and work, at any point, when you log out. Probably one of the most useful features of session management is the ability to start applications you had open when you logged out of GNOME. You will see the applications reappear in the same location and with the same settings on your desktop as they were when you logged out. Session Manager lets you to log out of your GNOME session and when you log back in everything will appear the same way you left it. The idea behind Session Manager is simple, but the tools it uses to accomplish these tasks are powerful.

Figure 14. Startup Programs Capplet

The Session Properties dialog monitors the state of current running applications and capplets. It allows you to change the style and priority of each program. You can shut down applications, if you wish, and those applications will be removed from your GNOME session. The applications in Session Properties are mostly lower level applications and should not be shut down. However, if there is a part of GNOME that you do not wish to run, like the Panel, this is where you would shut it down and prevent it from being started when you initiate GNOME in the future.

| Note:
| Programs that are not GNOME compliant are not session managed so will not be restarted without being listed here. You do not need to put GNOME applications in here, you can simply leave them running and save the current session when you log out.

The `Priority Order` sets the order the applications and capplets will be run. This lets applications and capplets be started after other applications or capplets they are dependent upon. Usually most applications will have an order number of 50. If the application or capplet is a part of the window manager or critical system then it should be assigned a lower order number.

| Important:
| The `Priority Order` is for advanced users only. Unless you are familiar with the priority order you should have your applications running with a priority of 50.

The Style option sets the type of application running. There are currently four styles of applications and capplets.

- `Normal` - This style runs the application with the default style. It is used for applications you run which don't have any special properties attributed to them. The vast majority of applications you run will have this style and it is safe to assume this style when in doubt.

- `Respawn` - This style starts the application or capplet again once it has quit. It is used primarily for applications or capplets that need to continue running to keep GNOME running regardless of user intervention. Two examples of applications running with the `respawn` style is the GNOME Session Manager and the GNOME Panel.

- `Trash` - This style indicates applications or capplets that are only temporary. Applications and capplets with this style will not restart if you log out.

- `Settings` - This style indicates applications or capplets only used for storing and relaying your settings to GNOME and GNOME compliant applications. These applications and capplets usually have a lower priority order than most applications and capplets.

| Important:
| The Style option is for advanced users only. Unless you are familiar with the Style settings you should keep your applications running with a style of `Normal`.

Figure 15. Session Properties Manager

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