path: root/gnome2-user-guide/C/gosstartsession.xml

<chapter id="gosgetstarted-1">
  <title>Desktop Sessions</title>
  <highlights>
    <para>This chapter provides the information you need to start,
manage, and end a desktop session.</para>
  </highlights>
  <sect1 id="gosgetstarted-69">
    <title>Starting a Desktop Session</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>sessions</primary>
      <secondary>starting</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <para>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 <application>Login Manager</application>, is your gateway to the desktop. The login screen
provides fields for you to enter your username and password. The <guimenu>Options</guimenu> menu on the login screen lists your login options, for example
you can select the language of your session. </para>
    <para>You start a session when you log in. The session manager starts after
the <application>Login Manager</application> 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: </para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>The appearance and behavior settings, for example fonts, colors,
and mouse settings. </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>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 <application>vi</application> editor from the command line in a terminal window, session
manager cannot restore your editing session. </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosstartsession-1">
    <title>Locking Your Screen</title>
    <para>This section provides information on how to lock your screen, and how
to configure your screensaver.</para>
    <sect2 id="gosstartsession-4">
      <title>To Lock Your Screen</title>
      <screenshot>
        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="figures/lockscreen_icon.png" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
          <textobject>
            <phrase>Lock icon.</phrase>
          </textobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>locking screen</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>locking screen</primary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>Lock button</primary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To lock the screen, perform
one of the following actions:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>Lock Screen</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>If the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton> button is present on a
panel, click on the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton> button. </para>
          <para>To add the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton> button to a panel, right-click
on the panel. Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Add to Panel</guimenu><guisubmenu>Button</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Lock</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>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 <keycap>Return</keycap>.</para>
      <note>
        <para>To lock your screen correctly, you must have a screensaver enabled.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosstartsession-3">
      <title>To Configure Your Screensaver</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>configuring screensaver</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>screensaver, configuring</primary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>XScreenSaver</primary>
        <see>screensaver</see>
      </indexterm>
      <para>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:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Activate after a specified period of idle time.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Activate when you lock your screen.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Manage power used by your monitor when your system is idle.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>To configure your screensaver application, perform the following steps:</para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Right-click on the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton> button, then
choose <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem> from the popup menu. An <guilabel>XScreenSaver</guilabel> dialog is displayed.</para>
          <para>If the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton> button is not present on a panel,
you can add the button to a panel. To add the <guibutton>Lock</guibutton>
button to a panel, right-click on the panel. Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Add to Panel</guimenu><guimenuitem>Lock button</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. </para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>To configure your screensaver application, use the elements
in the <guilabel>Display Modes</guilabel> tab. The following table describes
the dialog elements on the <guilabel>Display Modes</guilabel> tabbed section: </para>
          <informaltable frame="topbot">
            <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
              <colspec colname="colspec2" colwidth="40.38*"/>
              <colspec colname="colspec3" colwidth="59.62*"/>
              <thead>
                <row rowsep="1">
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Setting</para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Function</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
              </thead>
              <tbody>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Mode</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Use the drop-down list to specify
the behavior of the screensaver application. Select from the following options:</para>
                    <itemizedlist>
                      <listitem>
                        <para><guilabel>Disable Screen Saver</guilabel>: Select this option
if you do not want to use the screensaver application.</para>
                      </listitem>
                      <listitem>
                        <para><guilabel>Blank Screen Only</guilabel>: Select this option
if you want your screen to become blank when your screen locks.</para>
                      </listitem>
                      <listitem>
                        <para><guilabel>Only One Screen Saver</guilabel>: Select this option
if you want to display a single screensaver display from the  display list
 when your screen locks.</para>
                      </listitem>
                      <listitem>
                        <para><guilabel>Random Screen Saver</guilabel>: Select this option
if you want to display a random selection of screensaver displays from the
screensaver display list  when your screen locks. </para>
                      </listitem>
                    </itemizedlist>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>Display list</para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select the screensaver display
that you require from the list.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Blank After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Specify how long to wait after the last use of the
mouse or keyboard, to activate the screensaver.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Cycle After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Specify how long to show a particular screensaver
display before the next display.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Lock Screen After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>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.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guibutton>Preview</guibutton>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Click on this button to preview
the screensaver display that is selected in the screensaver display list.
To stop the preview, press any key or click a mouse button.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guibutton>Settings</guibutton>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Click on this button to display
the options for the screensaver display that is selected in the screensaver
display list. </para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
              </tbody>
            </tgroup>
          </informaltable>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>To configure advanced options, click on the <guilabel>Advanced</guilabel> tab. The following table describes the dialog elements on the <guilabel>Advanced</guilabel> tabbed section: </para>
          <informaltable frame="topbot">
            <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
              <colspec colname="colspec2" colwidth="40.38*"/>
              <colspec colname="colspec3" colwidth="59.62*"/>
              <thead>
                <row rowsep="1">
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Setting</para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Function</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
              </thead>
              <tbody>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Grab Desktop Images</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>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.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Grab Video Frames</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>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.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Choose Random
Image</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>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 <guibutton>Browse</guibutton> to display a dialog from which you can select a directory.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Verbose Dialognostics</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select
this option if you want to display screensaver diagnostic information.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Display Subprocess
Errors</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select this option if you want to display errors related to screensaver subprocesses
on screen.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Display Splash
Screen at Startup</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select this option to if you want <application>Xscreensaver</application>
to display a splash dialog when <application>Xscreensaver</application> starts.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Power Management
Enabled</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>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.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Standby After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Specify
how long to wait to put the monitor in standby mode. When the monitor is in
standby mode, the screen is black.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Suspend After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Specify
how long to wait to put the monitor in power-saving mode. </para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Off After</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Specify how long to wait to switch
off monitor. </para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Install Colormap</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>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.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Fade to Black
When Blanking</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select this option if you want your display to fade to black when the screensaver
activates.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry colname="colspec2" valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Fade from Black
When Unblanking</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry colname="colspec3" valign="top">
                    <para>Select this option if you want your display to fade from black to the screen
contents when the screensaver stops.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
                <row>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>
                      <guilabel>Fade Duration</guilabel>
                    </para>
                  </entry>
                  <entry valign="top">
                    <para>Specify how long to take to fade to black when the
screensaver activates.</para>
                  </entry>
                </row>
              </tbody>
            </tgroup>
          </informaltable>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>Click on the <guibutton>Close Window</guibutton> window frame
button to close the <guilabel>XScreenSaver</guilabel> dialog.</para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosstartsession-2">
    <title>Managing the Session</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>preference tools</primary>
      <secondary>Sessions</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>sessions</primary>
      <secondary>managing</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <para>To configure the session management of the desktop, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guisubmenu>Advanced</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Sessions</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <application>Sessions</application> preference
tool recognizes the following types of application: </para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <indexterm>
          <primary>startup applications</primary>
          <secondary>session-managed</secondary>
        </indexterm>
        <para>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. </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>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 <application>Sessions</application> preference tool to specify non-session-managed applications
that you want to automatically start. </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <sect2 id="gosstartsession-9">
      <title>Defining Session Behavior When You Log In and Log Out</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>login behavior</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>logout behavior</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To set how a session behaves when you log in
and log out, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guisubmenu>Advanced</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Sessions</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Make the changes you require
in the <guilabel>Session Options</guilabel> tabbed section. For example, you
can select to display a splash screen when you log in. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosstartsession-6">
      <title>To Use Startup Applications</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>startup programs</primary>
        <see>startup applications</see>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>using startup
applications</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>startup applications</primary>
        <secondary>non-session-managed</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>You
can configure your sessions to start with applications that are not session-managed.
To configure non-session-managed startup applications, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guisubmenu>Advanced</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Sessions</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Use the <guilabel>Startup Programs</guilabel>
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. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosstartsession-10">
      <title>To Browse Applications in the Current Session</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>browsing applications</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To browse the applications in the current session, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guisubmenu>Advanced</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Sessions</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Current Session</guilabel> tabbed
section lists the following:</para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>All GNOME applications that are currently running, that can
connect to the session manager, and that can save the state of the application.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>All desktop preference tools that can connect to the session
manager, and that can save the state of the tool.</para>
        </listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>You can use the <guilabel>Current Session</guilabel> 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. </para>
    </sect2>
    <sect2 id="gosgetstarted-74">
      <title>To Save Session Settings</title>
      <indexterm>
        <primary>sessions</primary>
        <secondary>saving settings</secondary>
      </indexterm>
      <para>To save your session settings, perform the following steps: </para>
      <orderedlist>
        <listitem>
          <para>Configure your session to automatically save settings when
you end the session. To configure your session, choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Applications</guimenu><guisubmenu>Desktop Preferences</guisubmenu><guisubmenu>Advanced</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Sessions</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. The <application>Sessions</application> preference tool starts.
Select the <guilabel>Automatically save changes to session</guilabel> option
on the <guilabel>Session Options</guilabel> tabbed section.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
          <para>End your session. </para>
        </listitem>
      </orderedlist>
      <para>If you do not select the <guilabel>Automatically save changes to session</guilabel> 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.</para>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="gosgetstarted-73">
    <title>Ending a Session</title>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>sessions</primary>
      <secondary>ending</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>sessions</primary>
      <secondary>logging out</secondary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>logging out</primary>
    </indexterm>
    <screenshot>
      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="figures/logout_icon.png" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
        <textobject>
          <phrase>Log Out icon.</phrase>
        </textobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </screenshot>
    <para>To end your session, close all your currently active processes, then
perform one of the following actions:</para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Click on the <guibutton>Log Out</guibutton> button.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>Log Out</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Open the <guimenu>Main Menu</guimenu>, then choose <guimenuitem>Log Out</guimenuitem>.</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para>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 <application>Sessions</application> preference tool, you can select an option to automatically
save your current settings.</para>
  </sect1>
</chapter>