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Apr 6, 2025 #2

(same session, just starting fresh notes)

  • Arch Wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/LightDM
  • /usr/share/xgreeters directory; each .desktop file represents an available greeter.
  • Themes are at /usr/share/themes/

OHHHH. It appears there are a bunch of alternatives to LightDM that provide different frameworks for creating themes. Ex Web Greeter allows customization via html/css/javascript and is built with nodejs.

I think I am actually using slick-greeter but i'm not sure.

  • Aether provides a login screen that uses text instead of an icon to say which DE is selected.
  • WebGreeter appears to have a Dracula theme with text for the DE selection

TBH, this is already more work than I care to have done for this. Looking at the theme files, it is not remotely obvious to me how I would actually modify the appearance of the login window.

Apr 6, 2025

The login screen for linux mint has a button/dropdown to select whether I want my cinnamon desktop, i3 desktop or variants of each of those. The icons are not colored, they are small, and they are not all that visually distinct IMO. It also requires using a dropdown to access them, which I find moderately annoying.

First, I would like to change the icons, so that it is more obvious which desktop I have selected before logging in.

Second, I would like to change the button/dropdown into an always-on multi-select, where AT LEAST two of the buttons are always visible, but probably just all of them.

First of all, I have to figure out where the code is for the existing login screen theme. Then, I need to figure out how to modify it (after backing it up), then start with some trial-and-error, i guess.

2015 post https://www.rainingforks.com/blog/2015/customize-your-linux-mint-login-screen.html points to /usr/share/mdm/html-themes/

  • /usr/share/mdm/distro.conf appears to have "greeter" settings, which I believe to be the login screen.
  • My existing confs ([greeter] unless otherwise marked)
    • [daemon] Greeter=/usr/lib/mdm/mdmwebkit
    • HTMLTheme=Mint-X
    • GraphicalTheme=linuxmint
    • GraphicalThemeDir=/usr/share/mdm/themes/
    • ChooserButton=false (what is this?)

My guess is that /usr/share/mdm/themes/ is for downloaded/user-created themes, and there is another directory for themes that come pre-installed.

I've also found https://github.com/linuxmint/slick-greeter which points toward /etc/lightdm/slick-greeter.conf

In usr/share/lightdm i find this conf: guest-wrapper=/usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm-guest-session

My Default theme: /usr/share/mdm/distro.conf

[daemon]
Greeter=/usr/lib/mdm/mdmwebkit
DefaultSessions=cinnamon.desktop,mate.desktop,xfce.desktop,kde-plasma.desktop,kde.desktop,plasma.desktop

[gui]
GtkTheme=Mint-X

[greeter]
DefaultFace=/usr/share/pixmaps/faces/user-generic.png
ConfigAvailable=false
ChooserButton=false
ShowGnomeFailsafeSession=false
ShowXtermFailsafeSession=false
GraphicalTheme=linuxmint
GraphicalThemeDir=/usr/share/mdm/themes/
HTMLTheme=Mint-X
SoundOnLogin=true
SoundOnLoginFile=/usr/share/sounds/linuxmint-gdm.wav
SoundOnLoginSuccess=true
SoundOnLoginSuccessFile=/usr/share/sounds/linuxmint-login.wav
SoundOnLoginFailure=false
SoundOnLoginFailureFile=/usr/share/sounds/LinuxMint/stereo/dialog-information.ogg

[debug]
Enable=false

/etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf.d/99_linuxmint.conf

[greeter]
background=/usr/share/backgrounds/linuxmint/default_background.jpg
theme-name=Mint-X
icon-theme-name=Mint-X
font-name=Ubuntu 11
xft-antialias=true
xft-dpi=96
xft-hintstyle=hintslight
xft-rgba=rgb
indicators=~host;~spacer;~clock;~spacer;~session;~a11y;~language;~power
keyboard=onboard
reader=orca
position = 50%,center 50%,center
default-user-image = #avatar-default
screensaver-timeout = 60
a11y-states=contrast;font;keyboard;reader
user-background = false
clock-format = %a %d %b, %H:%M