[djohnson]

Does ayone know where the user preferences are stored for the login image? I know where the login images are located, but not the preference on who gets what image. This is releated to programming because I want to try and get the image for a user. Thanks!

[gatorparrots]

niutil -readprop . /users/$USER picture
To assign it:
sudo niutil -createprop . /users/$USER picture "/Library/User Pictures/yourpicture.tif"
(The picture can be anywhere in the filesystem, though. Just be sure to quote the path if it has spaces. Also, it wouldn't be good if the picture was moved or deleted, so you may want to choose a good static location for it.)

[djohnson]

How about where the preference is stored or maybe a way in cocoa to get the User Login Picture, same as

userName = NSFullUserName();

I could just use a location and get it that way... If I just knew the location to the preferences file of the login image.......

[Rickster]

Nope -- there's no such API, at least, not that's public. You used to be able to use the NetInfo C API (BSD-style) to accomplish the same thing as gatorparrots' niutil example (you still can if you dig up netinfo/ni.h on the net and link the private framework), but now the only public supported API for that is in the DirectoryServices.

[djohnson]

Ok that is what I thought. How about where the preference for the user image is located? I cant do a search right now b/c I am at work... I looked for about 20 minutes earlier and found nothing.

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by Rickster:
Nope -- there's no such API, at least, not that's public. You used to be able to use the NetInfo C API (BSD-style) to accomplish the same thing as gatorparrots' niutil example (you still can if you dig up netinfo/ni.h on the net and link the private framework), but now the only public supported API for that is in the DirectoryServices.

I was directed away from the ni* API by the Apple engineers responsible for NetInfo and towards DirectoryServices now that NIAccess/NIInterface have gone.

[itai195]

I wouldn't recommend trying to use the preference file, as I'd imagine Apple could move the file in the future or change its format.

[djohnson]

Hmm... without using the pref file, how can you get the users image? Well... I have an idea, let the user choose their own image again! Unless someone knows of unsupported or supported call, thanks!

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by djohnson:
Hmm... without using the pref file, how can you get the users image? Well... I have an idea, let the user choose their own image again! Unless someone knows of unsupported or supported call, thanks!

Uh, use NetInfo. As was suggested above...

[macgyvr64]

Using that command returns the path:
/Library/Caches/com.apple.user501pictureCache.userImage

If I try to read the file with something as simple as cp, it tells me that nothing exists with that name. What the...

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by macgyvr64:
Using that command returns the path:
/Library/Caches/com.apple.user501pictureCache.userImage

If I try to read the file with something as simple as cp, it tells me that nothing exists with that name. What the...

Works fine here. If I cp it to ./blah.jpg then open it with preview it's my user icon.

[suthercd]

Too hard. Use the Login Options of the Accounts System Preferences. Select the Picture option and click on Edit…

HTH
Craig

[macgyvr64]

Is your icon in /Library/Caches/?

I've tried several different things, and they all tell me this:
[PowerBook-G4:~] collin% niutil -readprop . /users/$USER picture
/Library/Caches/com.apple.user501pictureCache.userImage
[PowerBook-G4:~] collin% cp /Library/Caches/com.apple.user501pictureCache.userImage ~/Desktop/blah.jpg
cp: /Library/Caches/com.apple.user501pictureCache.userImage: No such file or directory

Strange.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by suthercd:
Too hard. Use the Login Options of the Accounts System Preferences. Select the Picture option and click on Edit…

HTH
Craig

I am not wanting to change it, I merely want to see the image set for the user. BTW, I still have not found it...