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Olaf16

Member

Registered: 2025-04-24

Posts: 5

Missing log out buttons

Debian 13.2  Xfce4 4.2

The following was run in a 2nd user a/c (no sudo);-

xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -np '/shutdown/ShowSwitchUser' -t 'bool' -s 'false'

Caused Log Out menu to show only Log Out, no restart shutdown etc.

Tried to correct by changing 'false' back to 'true'  No change.

Tried by giving 2nd user sudo privledges
Running with 'true' - No change but returned error msg thus;-

Failed to init libxfconf: Failed to execute child process “dbus-launch” (No such file or directory).

When used with first user a/c (auto sudo, root locked) it worked as expected, (thanks ToZ)

**  Any ideas on how to restore the rest of the menu?

To get around the 2nd user problem - hide the logout menu and add a "Action Buttons" to the panel this gives control over what is displayed.

One other thought that might influence matters, have used ;-

sudo systemctl mask hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target

so systems only deal with "sleep & suspend" and logout, restart & shut down

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,562

Re: Missing log out buttons

**  Any ideas on how to restore the rest of the menu?

It's strange that happened. Try resetting (deleting) the property:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -p '/shutdown/ShowSwitchUser' -r

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Olaf16

Member

Registered: 2025-04-24

Posts: 5

Re: Missing log out buttons

ToZ many thanks for the swift reply.

"resetting (deleting) the property:" using your posted code;-

No change (and no o/p) when used as std user.

When used with sudo enabled in the std a/c there was no change to "Log Out".
With sudo the same error msg (as in first post, above) was returned.

Have double checked, 'switch-user.target' is NOT masked.

In the first user a/c (auto sudo enabled) Log Out displays fine.
With Log Out, Restart, Shut Down and Suspend being displayed.

$ systemctl list-unit-files | grep masked

shows that hibernate.target and hybrid-sleep are masked.
The std user a/c also returns the same result.

Any other ideas?

I can run with the Exit launcher I created.  However, one has some concern that not finding the problem will bite in future updates.

This is an Asus Vivobook that I am setting up for a Lady with a young son - so it will have unattended updates enabled, and needs to be locked down where possible.

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,562

Re: Missing log out buttons

[When used with sudo enabled in the std a/c there was no change to "Log Out".
With sudo the same error msg (as in first post, above) was returned.

Don't run xfconf-query commands with sudo - xfconfd a user based daemon and the root user won't have access to it.

Any other ideas?

Try creating another user account to see if the problem persists. If not, the easiest way might be to use this other account.

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Olaf16

Member

Registered: 2025-04-24

Posts: 5

Re: Missing log out buttons

Thanks again ToZ for the quick reply.

"Try creating another user account to see if the problem persists."

On creating another std a/c, log out shows all except hibernate and hybrid-sleep, (their .target's being 'masked' by the admin a/c).

As mask is a system wide cmd and not per/user this is what one would expect.  Switch user is still displayed; running;-

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -np '/shutdown/ShowSwitchUser' -t 'bool' -s 'false'

results in no error msg (at terminal) and it did remove Switch User from the Applications drop down Log Out menu.

Tried removing hibernate & hybrid-sleep masks, that did not work but did (for the same cmds) in Debian 12.)

A further investigation showed that the files in;-

/etc/systemd/system/

are quite different between Debian 12 & 13

Deb 13 has specific .wants folders for hibernate, hybrid-sleep, suspend etc.
These do not appear in Debian 12.  No doubt the reason I cannot unmask the same way in 13 as in 12 & 11.

As a result, and because I do not understand the Mask/Unmask changes I will wipe the laptop and do a bare metal reinstall.  This will make me comfortable that no automatic update will cause a screw up because of some misunderstood mask settings.

This might serve as a warning do not mask log out buttons unless you are sure unmask works in Debian 13 and above.

Many thanks for your help.