[SOLVED] Why can't we change our user image?

[Snowhog]

KDE 4.5.4 (but it's been this way in earlier versions also)

System Settings > Account Details > Password & User Account > click to change your image and you get told "Your adminstrator has disallowed changing your image."

Launching either kdesudo systemsettings or kdesudo kcmshell4 kcm_useraccount results in 'root' being the user who is accessing the utility, so you would be changing the image for root only - not what I want to accomplish.

Is it even possible to change your image?

Added: Never mind. I think I asked this once before. I use a Themed Greeter, and I believe that is why you can't change your image. If I don't use a Theme, then I believe I can change/select an image.

SOLVED - See Reply #14

[woodsmoke]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Hi
I do not have a custom theme on this setup. I used your path to apply an avatar and it did not show up on the normal, default, Kubu login screen when I restarted but it did appear in the default kicker. It is not in the classic kicker.

woodsmoke

[kubicle]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Added: Never mind. I think I asked this once before. I use a Themed Greeter, and I believe that is why you can't change your image. If I don't use a Theme, then I believe I can change/select an image.

this is config for kdmrc to allow user set images in [X-*-Greeter] section:

# Specify, where the users' pictures should be taken from.
# "AdminOnly" - from <FaceDir>/$USER.face[.icon]
# "PreferAdmin" - prefer <FaceDir>, fallback on $HOME
# "PreferUser" - ... and the other way round
# "UserOnly" - from the user's $HOME/.face[.icon]
# Default is AdminOnly
FaceSource=PreferUser

As the default is adminonly, you have to set "preferuser" or "useronly" to allow user set images.
(the setting is also available in the kdm section of systemsettings)

[Snowhog]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

I resolved it by replacing the user_icon.png in my KDM theme directory with one I wanted. Now my KDM Login screen shows the user image I want to use.

[kubicle]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

I resolved it by replacing the user_icon.png in my KDM theme directory with one I wanted. Now my KDM Login screen shows the user image I want to use.

Ah...you use a theme that uses it's own custom images for user?

[Snowhog]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Ah...you use a theme that uses it's own custom images for user?

I'm using the default ethais theme, and it uses a static user_icon.png image file, contained in the directory, and referenced by the ethais.xml file.

[kubicle]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Ah...you use a theme that uses it's own custom images for user?

I'm using the default ethais theme, and it uses a static user_icon.png image file, contained in the directory, and referenced by the ethais.xml file.

Right. That's not technically a user icon (as it's not user specific), but a theme image representing the "Username:" field...so it's not related to the user icon that can be set in Systemsettings (which is shown in kickoff and user lists in kdm (if the theme supports user lists).

Anyway, seems like you already found a solution you wanted.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

there is another thread on this that advocates using "splashy" at KDE look and there is also "gnome theme manager" which I tried but it didn't work.

woodsmoke

[woodsmoke]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

I realize that the particular thread may not be what I was wanting to do, but what I usually like to do is to leave whatever login screen there is be as it be but to change "my" image in it.

So....noodling around I found this:


System settings/loginscreen/there are several tabs/theme.

This is using the stock, default, Kubu that I downloade.

In the Theme tab there is one, only one "theme". it is named:

Ethais and the author is Roman Shtylman

There is an image to the right and it is, indeed, the login window for name and password.

The critical thing here is, to me, that this is an "interactive" screen in that if one clicks the "arrow" or the shut down button, etc. the screen "does things".

On the screen is the generic "head and shoulders" for name and below is the generic "lock" for password entry.

Sooooooooooooooo the upshot of this is that the "generic head and shoulders" comes with the screen and cannot seem to be changed..... and that is maybe what happened when "ubu" or kubu" did what they did.

It would seem then, that to put a "user image" on the thing, one would have to find the "file" and that the file will have a pointer to "a generic head and shoulders" image. One would then have to go into root to change the image that is being used and change it.

If anybody tries to do this one should remember that one should probably change the original image's name to "whateverthenameis-1" so that one can then rename YOUR user image to "whateverthenameis" without a "1" and place that image in the folder that holds the image.

OR...

It may be that this is just ONE image, the blue box, head, lock etc. and cannot be changed without changing the setup of the whole thing and that might not be a good thing if one is not highly experienced in doing so.

Another option "might" be to contact the original guy....there is an e-mail addy, and somehow convince him to do you a new one and send it to you and then you are stuck with replacing the file, but it might be workable.

Of course, he may think that the idea is so ludicrous that he reaches through the net and slaps you! lol naa..I'm sure not, Im just jokin.

So..I will hereby quit thinking about changing my image on the login screen...

Although one can do it in SuperOS! With just a couple of clicks! lol

woodsmoke

[MoonRise]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Added: Never mind. I think I asked this once before. I use a Themed Greeter, and I believe that is why you can't change your image. If I don't use a Theme, then I believe I can change/select an image.

this is config for kdmrc to allow user set images in [X-*-Greeter] section:

# Specify, where the users' pictures should be taken from.
# "AdminOnly" - from <FaceDir>/$USER.face[.icon]
# "PreferAdmin" - prefer <FaceDir>, fallback on $HOME
# "PreferUser" - ... and the other way round
# "UserOnly" - from the user's $HOME/.face[.icon]
# Default is AdminOnly
FaceSource=PreferUser

As the default is adminonly, you have to set "preferuser" or "useronly" to allow user set images.
(the setting is also available in the kdm section of systemsettings)

Thanks Kubicle! I was wondering what controlled that! I always knew about the .face icon in the users root and never could change it through what Snowhog referenced but if changing that in the kdmrc config file allows it to work then I'll have to check it out.

[MoonRise]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Ahhh. OK, I know what that setting is for but is this not what is being asked, see screen shot below. Go there to change your "avatar" and get the message as seen.

[Snowhog]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Exactly. But if you make the change to the kdmrc file as kubicle as pointed out, then *we* are supposed to then have access to changing this. What I'd like to know, is why, by default, we can't. What's the rational behind that?

[MoonRise]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Let me try changing that then and see. I don't understand why that system setting is tied to that portion of the config file. That setting in KDMRC is to let the system know where the face files are located for users. As Admin in System Settings --> System Administration --> Login Screen under the Users TAB you can set FACE images which should be tied to the Admin account hence why that setting in KDMRC file, so it would seem to me. But I agree, what is the rational behind denying that?

[Snowhog]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

As Admin in System Settings --> System Administration --> Login Screen under the Users TAB you can set FACE images which should be tied to the Admin account hence why that setting in KDMRC file, so it would seem to me.

This is where I would expect to be able to change my users image. But, I can't. If I check User, then User Images greys out - I can't click on the large button to select an image. Only checking 'System', 'System, user', and 'User, System' allows for selection of an image. But again, I use a KDM Theme, so maybe that prevents a user image from being selected. Easy enough to test - just unselect 'Use themed greeter' and log out/log in and see.

[sithlord48]

Re: Why can't we change our user image?

Ok its very simple fix, really.
[code= krunner]kdesudo kcmshell4 kdm[/code]
under the "Users" Tab, you will see an section called "user Image source" change it to "User,system", you can also below that set the system's user images.
now when you go to System Settings -> About Me, and try to change your icon you can

basicly what happens if the user has not set an icon the "systems" icon for them is set , but if the user does set an icon theirs is displayed, by default its "system" meaning users can't change the users icon