[SOLVED] SDDM multi-monitor issues

coxe87b · 2019-12-08 12:27:41

Hi all,

I haven't been able to find anyone with the exact issue that I'm experiencing. I have 2 slightly annoying issues with SDDM;

1) The theme applied using the sddm-kcm GUI applet successfully applies the theme to SDDM for when I freshly boot the system (before Plasma has loaded) but when reverting to SDDM by manually locking the screen (Meta + L) or when the screen times out and I go to log in, then SDDM only shows the default Breeze theme and not my customised theme.

2) SDDM does not clone my screen like it does upon fresh login once Plasma is logged in (as described in (1)), instead it extends my screen, like I have set in Plasma (which is fine) but the issue with it is that typing my password is only active on the screen that has the mouse pointer on it and if moved to the second screen, then sometimes it will not appear to display typing progress for my password. I worked out that my pointer was on my left monitor (DVI-D-1), but the typing entry was only happening on the right monitor (HDMI-1) which had blacked out. This lead me to think that it was not accepting input for my password when it was, it was just not being displayed.

The typing bug doesn't seem to be present since I added this script to sddm:

File /etc/sddm.conf:

[XDisplay]
DisplayCommand=/usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup

File /usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup

#!/bin/sh
# Xsetup - run as root before the login dialog appears

xrandr --output DVI-D-1 --off

This script had the desired effect of disabling my left monitor (DVI-D-1) and only showing the login theme of sddm on my right monitor (HDMI-1), however once again, this only took effect for logging in to sddm before Plasma had loaded. When locking the screen once I was logged in, I was again presented with the default sddm theme and both monitors being active with password input dependant on which monitor contained the mouse pointer again.

Any advice on how to fix this for a consistant SDDM theme or alternative way to achieve this would be appreciated.

Last edited by coxe87b (2019-12-09 09:18:18)

V1del · 2019-12-08 15:45:16

Your entire post and the problems/behaviour inconsistencies stem from one common misconception:

SDDM is just a display manager, not a screenlocker, what you are seeing once you are logged in and locking your screen is kscreenlock and not SDDM. Any configurations you are doing for SDDM will not hold for kscreenlock and vice versa.

Afaik you can't really customize kscreenlock (except changing the background image), which as far as I know is intentional, as unlike SDDM kscreenlock has to actually protect an active session and external injection points are kept to a minimum.

Last edited by V1del (2019-12-08 15:49:59)

coxe87b · 2019-12-09 08:59:17

Thank you for the information. I was not aware of kscreenlock.

My reasoning for believing that sddm was responsible for that screen is because the sddm-kcm package contains the applet which allows customisation of this "lock screen".

I will look more in to kscreenlock and what settings I can adjust for it.

coxe87b · 2019-12-09 09:19:52

I was able to achieve my desired customisation via the "Screen Locking" system setting that I had overlooked previously.

Marking topic as solved.

Arch Linux

#1 2019-12-08 12:27:41

[SOLVED] SDDM multi-monitor issues

#2 2019-12-08 15:45:16

Re: [SOLVED] SDDM multi-monitor issues

#3 2019-12-09 08:59:17

Re: [SOLVED] SDDM multi-monitor issues

#4 2019-12-09 09:19:52

Re: [SOLVED] SDDM multi-monitor issues

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