# Desktop Sessions

This chapter provides the information you need to start, manage, and end a desktop session.

## Starting a Desktop Session

A desktop session occurs between the time that you log in to the desktop and the time that you log out. The login screen, displayed by the Login Manager, is your gateway to the desktop. The login screen provides fields for you to enter your username and password. The Options menu on the login screen lists your login options, for example you can select the language of your session.

You start a session when you log in. The session manager starts after the Login Manager authenticates your username and password. The session manager enables you to manage the session. For example, you can save the state of your most recent session and return to that session the next time that you log in. The session manager saves and restores the following:

- The appearance and behavior settings, for example fonts, colors, and mouse settings.

- The applications that you were running, for example file manager and text editor windows. You cannot save and restore applications that the session manager does not manage. For example, if you start the vi editor from the command line in a terminal window, session manager cannot restore your editing session.

## Locking Your Screen

This section provides information on how to lock your screen, and how to configure your screensaver.

### To Lock Your Screen

Lock icon.

To lock the screen, perform one of the following actions:

- Choose Actions Lock Screen.

- If the Lock button is present on a panel, click on the Lock button.

  To add the Lock button to a panel, right-click on the panel. Choose Add to Panel Lock button.

When you lock your screen, the screensaver starts. To unlock the screen, move your mouse to display the locked screen dialog. Enter your username and password in the locked screen dialog, then press Return.

To lock your screen correctly, you must have a screensaver enabled.

### To Configure Your Screensaver

A screensaver is an application that you can use to replace the image on your screen when the screen is not in use. You can use screensavers in the following ways:

- Activate after a specified period of idle time.

- Activate when you lock your screen.

- Manage power used by your monitor when your system is idle.

To configure your screensaver application, perform the following steps:

1. Right-click on the Lock button, then choose Properties from the popup menu. An XScreenSaver dialog is displayed.

   If the Lock button is not present on a panel, you can add the button to a panel. To add the Lock button to a panel, right-click on the panel. Choose Add to Panel Lock button.

2. To configure your screensaver application, use the elements in the Display Modes tab. The following table describes the dialog elements on the Display Modes tabbed section:

   Setting | Function
   --- | ---

   Mode

   Use the drop-down list box to specify the behavior of the screensaver application. Select from the following options:

   - Disable Screen Saver: Select this option if you do not want to use the screensaver application.

   - Blank Screen Only: Select this option if you want your screen to become blank when your screen locks.

   - Only One Screen Saver: Select this option if you want to display a single screensaver display from the display list box when your screen locks.

   - Random Screen Saver: Select this option if you want to display a random selection of screensaver displays from the screensaver display list box when your screen locks.

   Display list box | Select the screensaver display that you require from the list box.
   Blank After | Specify how long to wait after the last use of the mouse or keyboard, to activate the screensaver.
   Cycle After | Specify how long to show a particular screensaver display before the next display.
   Lock Screen After | Select this option if you want the screen to lock after the screensaver is activated. Use the spin box to specify the delay between the activation of the screensaver and when the screen locks.
   Preview | Click on this button to preview the screensaver display that is selected in the screensaver display list box. To stop the preview, press any key or click a mouse button.
   Settings | Click on this button to display the options for the screensaver display that is selected in the screensaver display list box.

3. To configure advanced options, click on the Advanced tab. The following table describes the dialog elements on the Advanced tabbed section:

   Setting | Function
   --- | ---
   Grab Desktop Images | Some screensavers can take a screenshot of your desktop, then manipulate the screenshot to create your screensaver display. Select this option to enable screensavers to take a screenshot of your desktop.
   Grab Video Frames | Some screensavers can capture a frame of video, then manipulate the captured image to create your screensaver display. If your system has a video capture card, select this option to enable screensavers to capture a frame of video.
   Choose Random Image | Select this option to enable screensavers to use images from a directory that you select. Type the path for the directory in the field. Alternatively, click Browse to display a dialog from which you can select a directory.
   Verbose Dialognostics | Select this option if you want to display screensaver diagnostic information.
   Display Subprocess Errors | Select this option if you want to display errors related to screensaver subprocesses on screen.
   Display Splash Screen at Startup | Select this option to if you want Xscreensaver to display a splash dialog when Xscreensaver starts.
   Power Management Enabled | Select this option to enable power management of your monitor. Power management can reduce energy consumption by your monitor when you are not using the monitor.
   Standby After | Specify how long to wait to put the monitor in standby mode. When the monitor is in standby mode, the screen is black.
   Suspend After | Specify how long to wait to put the monitor in power-saving mode.
   Off After | Specify how long to wait to switch off monitor.
   Install Colormap | Select this option to install a private colormap when the screensaver is active. Use of a private colormap might improve the quality of the color in particular screensaver displays.
   Fade to Black When Blanking | Select this option if you want your display to fade to black when the screensaver activates.
   Fade from Black When Unblanking | Select this option if you want your display to fade from black to the screen contents when the screensaver stops.
   Fade Duration | Specify how long to take to fade to black when the screensaver activates.

4. Click on the Close Window window frame button to close the XScreenSaver dialog.

## Managing the Session

To configure the session management of the desktop, choose Applications Desktop Preferences Advanced Sessions. The Sessions preference tool recognizes the following types of application:

- Applications that are session-managed. When you save the settings for your session, the session manager saves all of the session-managed applications. If you log out, then log in again, the session manager automatically starts the session-managed applications.

- Applications that are not session-managed. When you save the settings for your session, the session manager does not save any applications that are not session-managed. If you log out, then log in again, the session manager does not start non-session-managed applications. You must start the application manually. Alternatively, you can use the Sessions preference tool to specify non-session-managed applications that you want to automatically start.

### Defining Session Behavior When You Log In and Log Out

To set how a session behaves when you log in and log out, choose Applications Desktop Preferences Advanced Sessions. Make the changes you require in the Session Options tabbed section. For example, you can select to display a splash screen when you log in.

### To Use Startup Applications

You can configure your sessions to start with applications that are not session-managed. To configure non-session-managed startup applications, choose Applications Desktop Preferences Advanced Sessions. Use the Startup Programs tabbed section to add, edit, and delete applications. If you save your settings and log out, the next time that you log in, the startup applications start automatically.

### To Browse Applications in the Current Session

To browse the applications in the current session, choose Applications Desktop Preferences Advanced Sessions. The Current Session tabbed section lists the following:

- All GNOME applications that are currently running, that can connect to the session manager, and that can save the state of the application.

- All desktop preference tools that can connect to the session manager, and that can save the state of the tool.

You can use the Current Session tabbed section to perform a limited number of actions on the session properties of an application or preference tool. For example, you can edit the startup order, and restart style of any GNOME application or desktop preference tool that is in the list.

### To Save Session Settings

To save your session settings, perform the following steps:

1. Configure your session to automatically save settings when you end the session. To configure your session, choose Applications Desktop Preferences Advanced Sessions. The Sessions preference tool starts. Select the Automatically save changes to session option on the Session Options tabbed section.

2. End your session.

If you do not select the Automatically save changes to session option, when you log out, a dialog asks if you want to save your current settings. To save your settings, select the option, then continue to log out.

## Ending a Session

Log Out icon.

To end your session, close all your currently active processes, then perform one of the following actions:

- Click on the Log Out button.

- Choose Actions Log Out.

- Open the GNOME Menu, then choose Log Out.

Before you end a session, you might want to save your current settings so that you can restore the session later. During the logout process, a dialog asks if you want to save your current settings. In the Sessions preference tool, you can select an option to automatically save your current settings.