Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

phataccord04 · May 23, 2005, 03:23 PM

Hey,
Anyone have any idea how to deploy software under an admin/root account but have a shortcut go to all users on the dock, so they keep the dock they have but I just add an item?

In a lab I have its much easier i edit one mac copy the dock.pref file and copy it around, then I am done.

With each user having a diffrent account on these machines they have to be loged in, so I am trying to find an easier way.

ANY IDEAS?

ManOfSteal · May 23, 2005, 03:56 PM

Can they not add/delete items from the Dock within their account? If so, I would just put an alias of the program in the "Shared" Users folder and have the end user place it in the Dock themselves...and/or have them launch the application and then tell them to "Keep in Dock" from the application's dock icon.

smeger · May 23, 2005, 03:56 PM

man defaults. Look at the write command and the various domains. com.apple.dock is what you want.

phataccord04 · May 24, 2005, 08:01 AM

Well these users have full access or they are admin accounts. Problem is we go and upgrade to new software and want the old icon thrown out of the dock and the new icon put in, but we can not make a default dock becuase each user has a diffrent dock.

Manofsteal - good thinking but its just that some users have no clue how to drag and drop it in to the dock.

smeger - yea I know about that file but I would have to sit there for each user and change it each time

I am trying to find an easy way or a program that will do things to all acounts at once.

Forinstance windows has a default user account and all users, default user is whats used when a new account is used and then all users is what everyoen gets no matter what even after there account is created. Trying to find something like this for mac.

ManOfSteal · May 24, 2005, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by phataccord04

Forinstance windows has a default user account and all users, default user is whats used when a new account is used and then all users is what everyoen gets no matter what even after there account is created. Trying to find something like this for mac.

Hmm, I can help you with the 1st part (default User account), but not sure what the Mac equivalent of "All Users" is...you can edit and find the OS X default "User Template" in the following location:

Macintosh HD > System > Library > User Template (find your localization)

If you had an OS X Server running "Managed Preferences", this would all be done very easily.

chris v · May 24, 2005, 08:41 AM

If I have an app in my dock, and replace it in the same location with a newer vesion, the same dock icon will launch the new version. This doesn't seem like much of an issue, so long as the path remains the same.

ManOfSteal · May 24, 2005, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by chris v

If I have an app in my dock, and replace it in the same location with a newer vesion, the same dock icon will launch the new version. This doesn't seem like much of an issue, so long as the path remains the same.

This is true, good point.

phataccord04 · May 24, 2005, 01:56 PM

chris you are right but with software such as digital performer this is not the case. Each version has a new icon...lol

On a side note word, excel etc. use a new icon when you upgrade to a new version as well. You trash the old and drag and drop the new version, which is what I am doing.

Thanks guys for the responces keep the ideas coming

Xeo · May 24, 2005, 03:34 PM

Just a new icon? The icon will update as soon as they click on it. What's the problem?

analogika · May 24, 2005, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by phataccord04

chris you are right but with software such as digital performer this is not the case. Each version has a new icon...lol

On a side note word, excel etc. use a new icon when you upgrade to a new version as well. You trash the old and drag and drop the new version, which is what I am doing.

Uh, no - as Xeo said, you just click on the icon on the dock, and the icon is updated to the new look. (Provided the file path is the same)

phataccord04 · May 25, 2005, 07:57 AM

Analogika...your last part which is ohh so important...path is the same is what the issue is. Office 2000 is not the same path as Office 2004. Also some software as in Digital Performer update and new icon every time they do NOT use the same icon, even though the path is the same. If it was that easy I wouldnt be asking about this.

dcmacdaddy · Aug 8, 2005, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by ManOfSteal

Hmm, I can help you with the 1st part (default User account), but not sure what the Mac equivalent of "All Users" is...you can edit and find the OS X default "User Template" in the following location:

Macintosh HD > System > Library > User Template (find your localization)

If you had an OS X Server running "Managed Preferences", this would all be done very easily.

Sorry to bump this thread but I have been looking for this exact function for SO long now.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I managed ~50 Mac's in my organization and have been looking for a way to standardize the appearance of the desktop/dock for our machines--which is probably half of them--that regularly have multiple users on them. I now have an easy way of having all new accounts created look exactly the same.

Watson · Aug 8, 2005, 09:02 PM

There used to be some good information about this sort of thing on http://www.macosxlabs.org/

Waragainstsleep · Aug 9, 2005, 05:48 PM

If you have a server, you might be able to set up a netinstall service. Making your own packages is straightforward, and you can add scripts to put things in and out of the dock....

Detrius · Aug 9, 2005, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

If you have a server, you might be able to set up a netinstall service. Making your own packages is straightforward, and you can add scripts to put things in and out of the dock....

If you have a server, it's even easier to go through Open Directory and modify everyone's docks.

rickey939 · Aug 10, 2005, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

Sorry to bump this thread but I have been looking for this exact function for SO long now.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I managed ~50 Mac's in my organization and have been looking for a way to standardize the appearance of the desktop/dock for our machines--which is probably half of them--that regularly have multiple users on them. I now have an easy way of having all new accounts created look exactly the same.

No problem...best of luck with your project. Let me know if you need any assistance or ideas moving forward on your 50+ Macs.