Ubuntu – How to change the LightDM theme/greeter

Caution: Do not try this if you are not completely comfortable booting without X to repair lightdm configuration.

The package lightdm-webkit-greeter is not included in the ubuntu repository yet. To build your own greeter with HTML, CSS and Javascript, you'll have to download and install the lightdm-webkit-greeter code from Launchpad (lp:lightdm-webkit-greeter). I also merged in the changes in lp:~elementaryart/lightdm-webkit-greeter/fixes-ubuntu-old

You'll then have to alter the Lightdm configuration to use the webkit greeter as opposed to unity (or whatever was default).

I believe there is a bug in the lightdm-webkit-greeter.conf file, where it refers to a webkit-theme called "default", that should be "webkit".

I currently use the webkit greeter to log in and can tell you that it is slow and unpolished at the moment.

Step by step:

(be prepared to fix the greeter configuration without a GUI if this fails)

1. bzr branch lp:lightdm-webkit-greeter
2. cd lightdm-webkit-greeter
3. bzr merge lp:~elementaryart/lightdm-webkit-greeter/fixes-ubuntu-old
4. ./autogen.sh (you'll have to install some dependencies here - probably only libwebkit-dev)
5. make
6. sudo make install
7. gksudo gedit /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
8. Set greeter-session=lightdm-webkit-greeter (remember the old setting as a fallback if you can't log in with your new settings)
9. gksudo gedit /etc/lightdm/lightdm-webkit-greeter.conf
10. Set the webkit-theme=webkit

This should work to enable the default webkit login. Now you can edit the theme here:

gksudo gedit /usr/share/lightdm-webkit/themes/webkit/index.html

Edit: Another warning - you can seemingly lock yourself out of gnome if this does not work.

After you added you images to /usr/share/backgrounds you need to open the Change Desktop Background dialog by right clicking in your desktop and selecting it.

After the dialog is open you can click the + to add the backgrounds you just copied to /usr/share/backgrounds

Add all the images you have in /usr/share/backgrounds, after you have done that you can select one and it will become your background.

If you are using 12.04 that same image will become the dynamic background for the Unity Greeter. If it does not follow the Setting the dynamic switching off section of How do I change the wallpaper in LightDM? except instead of actually switching it off you use the command

gsettings reset com.canonical.unity-greeter draw-user-backgrounds

has described in the answer.

Note to summarise:

• Step 1: Add you custom wallpaper to `/usr/share/backgrounds

• Step 2: Is conditional if you want your custom wallpaper to appear in the dynamic unity greeter (log in) in 12.04. Right click on your custom image and select "Properties" then select the Permissions tab. Navigate to the "Other" permission and change it from None to "Read-only". Note: If you don't do this Unity's default wallpaper will appear in Unity Greeter.

• Step 3: Now you need to open the Change Desktop Background dialog by right clicking on your desktop and selecting it.

• Step 4: After the dialog is open you can click the + to add the backgrounds you just copied to`/usr/share/backgrounds.

• Step 5: Select your image to and change your desktop background`

• Step 6: Log out and see the Unity Greeters background is your custom image

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