# Desktop Sessions

This chapter provides the information you need to log in to and shut down GNOME, and to start, manage, and end a desktop session.

## Starting a Session

A session is the period of time you spend using GNOME, between logging in and logging out. During a session, you use your applications, print, browse the web, and so on.

Logging in to GNOME begins your session. The login screen is your gateway to the GNOME Desktop: it is where you enter your username and password and select options such as the language you want GNOME to use for your session.

Normally, logging out ends the session, but you can choose to save the state of your session and restore it next time you use GNOME: see .

### Logging in to GNOME

To log in to a session, perform the following steps:

1. On the login screen, click on the Session icon. Choose the GNOME Desktop from the list of available desktop environments. Most users will not need to perform this step, as GNOME is usually the default desktop environment already.

2. Enter your username in the Username field on the login screen, then press Return.

3. Enter your password in the Password field on the login screen, then press Return.

When you log in successfully, GNOME will take a short amount of time to start up. When it is ready, you will see the Desktop and you can begin using your computer.

The first time you log in, the session manager starts a new session. If you have logged in before and saved the settings for the previous session when you logged out, then the session manager restores your previous session.

If you want to shut down or restart the system before you log in, click on the System icon on the login screen. A dialog is displayed. Select the option that you require, then click OK.

Your system distributor or vendor may have altered the login screen so that it no longer has a System icon. In this case, the option to shut down the computer may be found by clicking the Other icon, or by clicking a separate Shut Down button.

### Using a Different Language

To log in to a session in a different language, perform the following actions.

1. On the login screen, click on the Language icon. Choose the language you require from the list of available languages.

2. Enter your username in the Username field on the login screen, then press Return.

3. Enter your password in the Password field on the login screen, then press Return.

When you log in to a session in a different language, you are changing the language for the user interface but are not changing the keyboard layout. To choose a different keyboard layout, use the Keyboard Indicator applet.

Your system distributor or vendor may have altered the login screen so that it no longer has a Language icon. In this case, the option to change the session's language may be found by clicking the Other icon.

## Locking Your Screen

Lock screen icon.

Locking your screen prevents access to your applications and information, allowing you to leave your computer unattended. While your screen is locked, the screensaver runs.

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

- Choose System Lock Screen.

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

  The Lock Screen button is not present on the panels by default. To add it, see .

To unlock the screen, move your mouse or press any key, enter your password in the locked screen dialog, then press Return.

If another user wants to use the computer while it is locked, they can move the mouse or press a key and then click Switch User. The login screen will be displayed and they can log in using their user account. They will not be able to access any of your applications or information. When they log out, the screen will be locked again and you can access your session by unlocking the screen.

You can leave a message for a user who has locked their screen. Move the mouse or press any key and then click Leave Message. Type your message into the box and press Save. Your message will be displayed when the user unlocks their screen.

## Setting Programs to Start Automatically When You Log In

You can choose for certain programs to be started automatically when you log in to a session. For example, you might want a web browser to be started as soon as you log in. Programs which start automatically when you log in are called startup programs. Startup programs are automatically saved and safely closed by the session manager when you log out, and are restarted when you log in.

The Sessions preference tool allows you to define which programs are started automatically when you log in. It has two tabs, the Startup Programs tab and the Options tab.

### Startup Programs Tab

You can use the Startup Programs tab to add, modify, and remove startup programs.

A list of startup programs is displayed on this tab. The list shows a short description of each program, along with a checkbox which denotes whether the startup program is enabled or not. Programs which are not enabled will not be started automatically when you log in.

#### Enabling/Disabling Startup Programs

To enable a program to start up automatically, check the checkbox corresponding to that program.

To disable a program from starting automatically, uncheck the checkbox.

#### Adding A New Startup Program

To add a new startup program, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add. This will open the Add Startup Program dialog box.

2. Use the Name text box to specify a name for the new startup program.

3. Use the Command text box to specify the command which will invoke the application. For example, the command `gedit` will start the Gedit Text Editor. If you do not know the exact command, click Browse to choose the path of the command.

4. Enter a description of the application in the Comments text box. You will see this as the description of the program in the list of startup programs.

5. Click Add. The application will be added to the list of startup programs with its checkbox in the checked (enabled) state.

#### Removing A Startup Program

To remove a startup program, select it from the list of startup programs and click Remove.

#### Editing A Startup Program

To edit an existing startup program, select it from the list of startup programs and click Edit. A dialog will appear which allows you to edit the properties of the program. See for more information on the options available in this dialog.

### Session Options Tab

The session manager can remember which applications you have running when you log out and can automatically restart them when you log in again. If you would like this to happen every time you log out, check Automatically remember running applications when logging out. If you would like this to happen only once, click Remember Currently Running Application before logging out.

## Ending a Session

When you have finished using your computer, you can choose to do one of the following:

- Log out, leaving the computer ready for another user to begin working with it. To log out of GNOME, choose System Log Out username .

- Shut down your computer and switch off the power. To shut down, choose System Shut Down and click Shut Down on the dialog that appears.

- Depending on your computer's configuration, you can also Hibernate your computer. During hibernation, less power is used, but all of the applications and documents that you have open are preserved and will still be open when you resume from hibernation. You can resume from hibernation by moving your mouse or pressing a key.

Some vendors and distributors allow you to hibernate your computer in two ways, often called Hibernate and Suspend. Both of these will preserve your open files and applications, but one will switch off the power to your computer while the other will leave the computer running in a state that uses less power.

When you end a session, applications with unsaved work will warn you. You can choose to save your work, or cancel the command to log out or shut down.

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