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Lock Desktop Picture

  • February 24, 2016
  • 9 replies
  • 76 views
H
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I have a Configuration Profile with a number of Restrictions set, but I am having problems with the Desktop tab.

The wallpaper is set to /.corp/Wallpapers/Staff-Standard.jpg, but the Lock Desktop Picture option prevents users from changing the wallpaper even when it's unchecked.

Ideally we'd like for the corporate wallpaper to be set by default, but give people the opportunity to change it if they wish to (leaving the decision up to individual managers). Having the Lock Desktop Picture option unchecked should do this, but it's not working.

Any ideas?

Best answer by thoule

I found this on an rtrouton blog (https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/mavericks-desktop-background-picture-settings-moved-from-librarypreferencescom-apple-desktop-plist/)

Copy your image to /Users/Shared/CorpImage.jpg, then issue this command. I think for this one, the user needs to be logged in when you run it. 

osascript -e "tell application "System Events" to set picture of every desktop to "/Users/Shared/CorpImage.jpg""

This information is saved in "/Users/Hawky/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db" so you could distribute that file to your users in their user directories of course.

    9 replies

    R
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    • Rayfield
    • Contributor
    • February 24, 2016

    We've personally just used Composer for this. Open it up (New and modified), changed the desktop picture, and then set save it. I believe it's just one plist file that gets saved, apple.desktop.plist maybe?. You could do that, push it out, and it would change everyones desktop for that.

    For you it would be the plist file and also the desktop picture itself.

    We do it so our students can't change the desktop picture, we set it to reset on every logout, but you could always do it just once per computer.

    T
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    • thoule
    • Contributor
    • Answer
    • February 24, 2016

    I found this on an rtrouton blog (https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/mavericks-desktop-background-picture-settings-moved-from-librarypreferencescom-apple-desktop-plist/)

    Copy your image to /Users/Shared/CorpImage.jpg, then issue this command. I think for this one, the user needs to be logged in when you run it. 

    osascript -e "tell application "System Events" to set picture of every desktop to "/Users/Shared/CorpImage.jpg""

    This information is saved in "/Users/Hawky/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db" so you could distribute that file to your users in their user directories of course.

    S
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    • ShaunRMiller83
    • Valued Contributor
    • February 24, 2016

    My environment has the same requirement.

    I am using this

    I have a policy to "cache" the script and a second policy set to run once per user per computer.

    L
    bpavlov
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    • bpavlov
    • Esteemed Contributor
    • February 24, 2016

    The method @ShaunM9483 is using is what we will begin to use with 10.11.

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    • ShaunRMiller83
    • Valued Contributor
    • February 24, 2016

    (deleted - weird that I got a double post hours apart)

    S
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    • Sanchi
    • Contributor
    • February 25, 2016

    In my environment I change/replace the default wallpaper in /Libraries/Desktop Pictures/

    In Mavericks it's Wave.jpg
    In Yosemite it's Yosemite.jpg
    In El Capitan it's El Capitan.jpg

    I then drag it into Composer. Then I also add in our custom default login wallpaper located at /Library/Caches/com.apple.desktop.admin.png

    I make the two images similar so there's a seamless transition between the login screen and desktop. It's a nice effect.

    Then add a chflags script to the policy to lock the login wallpaper so OSX doesn't overwrite it.

    Lots of ways to skin this cat

    davidacland
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    • davidacland
    • Valued Contributor
    • February 25, 2016

    @Hawky sounds like a bug to me. Could be worth popping it over to JAMF support so they can log it.

    I just tried Graham's python script mentioned above on 10.11.3. Worked fine. I'm always in favour of python or bash commands/scripts over file copies, particularly in the later OS versions.

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    • Hawky
    • Author
    • New Contributor
    • February 26, 2016

    Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I'll give a few of them a try with the test group and see how they get on.

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    • Hawky
    • Author
    • New Contributor
    • February 26, 2016

    I've reported it to JAMF as a possible bug with 9.82 :)

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