Gnome 3 GDM login using keyboard only? [closed]
Here's the scenario with the pretty GDM/Gnome 3 login screen that comes with Fedora 18, 19, etc.
When I've been using my computer for a bit I log out and turn off the monitor. When I return, often hours later, I'm presented with the 'screensaver' over the GDM login screen. I hit ESC to lift the screensaver and be presented with the GDM login with a list of users that I could select to log in with.
Now I have to switch to the mouse and click on the name I want to log in as, or hit 'not listed' to type a new name. Now, I'm a power-user, so I don't want to use the mouse unless I absolutely have to. But GDM enforces it here - I have to click, which is an inconvenience.
Unless someone has borrowed my mouse, in which case I have no way to log-in at all...
There must be a keyboard short-cut to select a user, or at least to flip focus to the user list that I can navigate with the cursor keys and Enter? For the life of me I can't find one.
Does anyone know how to do this? Or is this just another shortcoming of the new, whizzy Gnome UI?
I noticed the same problem (it also happens when you log off) and I don't think it is possible. From a superficial view it seems that the GDM user list widget doesn't get the input focus and so all keyboard events go somewhere else.
It only seems to be when the screensaver has dropped over the login page. If you log off, you can log on again immediately by pressing 'Enter'. I don't know what happens if you have multiple users listed.
Does Ctrl+Alt+Tab help?
Hmm, not really an 'obvious' shortcut... It's a bit finger-achingly difficult, almost the sort of shortcut that Microsoft would have thought up (alongside their tortuous CTRL-F4 to close the current document which is CTRL-W here in the world of common-sense). I'll give it a go when I'm back on my Fedora rig later on. Unless someone else wants to give it a try in the meantime. Thanks for the suggestion.
It’s the default “short-cut” for switching keyboard focus between elements of GNOME Shell, which is used by GDM, so I guess it should work.