Manage Google Chrome

Manage it how? Enable Auto Updates without needing an admin password, disabling updates completely, restricting certain settings?

If you are wanting auto updates without an admin prompt, we have been using this script without issues

#!/usr/bin/env python
# encoding: utf-8
"""
chrome-enable-autoupdates.py

This script enables system wide automatic updates for Google Chrome.
It should work for Chrome versions 18 and later. No configuration needed
as this is originally intended as a munki postinstall script.

Created by Hannes Juutilainen, hjuutilainen@mac.com

History:

2017-09-01, Hannes Juutilainen
- Ignore errors when installing keystone

2015-09-25, Niklas Blomdalen
- Modifications to include old KeystoneRegistration installation (python version)

2014-11-20, Hannes Juutilainen
- Modifications for Chrome 39

2012-08-31, Hannes Juutilainen
- Added --force flag to keystone install as suggested by Riley Shott

2012-05-29, Hannes Juutilainen
- Added more error checking

2012-05-25, Hannes Juutilainen
- Added some error checking in main

2012-05-24, Hannes Juutilainen
- First version

"""

import sys
import os
import subprocess
import plistlib

chrome_path = "/Applications/Google Chrome.app"
info_plist_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(chrome_path, 'Contents/Info.plist'))
brand_path = "/Library/Google/Google Chrome Brand.plist"
brand_key = "KSBrandID"
tag_path = info_plist_path
tag_key = "KSChannelID"
version_path = info_plist_path
version_key = "KSVersion"


class Usage(Exception):
    def __init__(self, msg):
        self.msg = msg


def chrome_installed():
    """Check if Chrome is installed"""
    if os.path.exists(chrome_path):
        return True
    else:
        return False


def chrome_version():
    """Returns Chrome version"""
    info_plist = plistlib.readPlist(info_plist_path)
    bundle_short_version = info_plist["CFBundleShortVersionString"]
    return bundle_short_version


def chrome_update_url():
    """Returns KSUpdateURL from Chrome Info.plist"""
    info_plist = plistlib.readPlist(info_plist_path)
    update_url = info_plist["KSUpdateURL"]
    return update_url


def chrome_product_id():
    """Returns KSProductID from Chrome Info.plist"""
    info_plist = plistlib.readPlist(info_plist_path)
    product_id = info_plist["KSProductID"]
    return product_id


def keystone_registration_framework_path():
    """Returns KeystoneRegistration.framework path"""
    keystone_registration = os.path.join(chrome_path, 'Contents/Versions')
    keystone_registration = os.path.join(keystone_registration, chrome_version())
    keystone_registration = os.path.join(keystone_registration, 'Google Chrome Framework.framework')
    keystone_registration = os.path.join(keystone_registration, 'Frameworks/KeystoneRegistration.framework')
    return keystone_registration


def keystone_install():
    """Install the current Keystone"""
    install_script = os.path.join(keystone_registration_framework_path(), 'Resources/ksinstall')
    if not os.path.exists(install_script):
        install_script = os.path.join(keystone_registration_framework_path(), 'Resources/install.py')
    keystone_payload = os.path.join(keystone_registration_framework_path(), 'Resources/Keystone.tbz')
    if os.path.exists(install_script) and os.path.exists(keystone_payload):
        ksinstall_process = [
            install_script,
            '--install', keystone_payload,
            '--force'
        ]
        p = subprocess.Popen(ksinstall_process, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
        (results, error) = p.communicate()
        if results:
            print results
        if p.returncode != 0:
            if error:
                print >> sys.stderr, "%s" % error
            print >> sys.stderr, "Keystone install exited with code %i" % p.returncode

        # Since we used --force argument, succeed no matter what the exit code was.
        return True
    else:
        print >> sys.stderr, "Error: KeystoneRegistration.framework not found"
        return False


def register_chrome_with_keystone():
    """Registers Chrome with Keystone"""
    ksadmin = "/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ksadmin"
    if os.path.exists(ksadmin):
        ksadmin_process = [
            ksadmin,
            '--register',
            '--productid', chrome_product_id(),
            '--version', chrome_version(),
            '--xcpath', chrome_path,
            '--url', chrome_update_url(),
            '--tag-path', tag_path,
            '--tag-key', tag_key,
            '--brand-path', brand_path,
            '--brand-key', brand_key,
            '--version-path', version_path,
            '--version-key', version_key
        ]
        p = subprocess.Popen(ksadmin_process, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
        (results, error) = p.communicate()
        if error:
            print >> sys.stderr, "%s" % error
        if results:
            print results
        if p.returncode == 0:
            return True
        else:
            return False
    else:
        print >> sys.stderr, "Error: %s doesn't exist" % ksadmin
        return False


def main(argv=None):
    if argv is None:
        argv = sys.argv
    try:
        # Check for root
        if os.geteuid() != 0:
            print >> sys.stderr, "This script must be run as root"
            return 1

        if not chrome_installed():
            print >> sys.stderr, "Error: Chrome is not installed on this computer"
            return 1
        if keystone_install():
            print "Keystone installed"
        else:
            print >> sys.stderr, "Error: Keystone install failed"
            return 1
        if register_chrome_with_keystone():
            print "Registered Chrome with Keystone"
            return 0
        else:
            print >> sys.stderr, "Error: Failed to register Chrome with Keystone"
            return 1

    except Usage, err:
        print >> sys.stderr, err.msg
        print >> sys.stderr, "for help use --help"
        return 2


if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(main())

Thank and sorry for the vague details. We are looking into adding a startup url and some standard bookmark tabs and remove ability to change download location.

Take a look at https://github.com/ProfileCreator/ProfileCreator

Quite a bit of Chrome settings available in there.

@malonso

Haven't done this in a very long time so please correct me if I'm wrong &/or missing a step - hope this helps

I believe by adding these lines to the users com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist (Located -> '/Users/$USERNAME/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices/com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist ') chrome will be the default application called when opening the following prefix for urls

    <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
                <string>-</string>
            </dict>
            <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
            <string>com.google.Chrome</string>
            <key>LSHandlerURLScheme</key>
            <string>http</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>LSHandlerPreferredVersions</key>
            <dict>
                <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
                <string>-</string>
            </dict>
            <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
            <string>com.google.Chrome</string>
            <key>LSHandlerURLScheme</key>
            <string>https</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>LSHandlerPreferredVersions</key>
            <dict>
                <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
                <string>-</string>
            </dict>
            <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
            <string>com.google.Chrome</string>
            <key>LSHandlerURLScheme</key>
            <string>ftp</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>LSHandlerContentType</key>
            <string>public.html</string>
            <key>LSHandlerPreferredVersions</key>
            <dict>
                <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
                <string>-</string>
            </dict>
            <key>LSHandlerRoleAll</key>
            <string>com.google.Chrome</string>
        </dict>

& then deploying a plist (i did it with a config profile -> "Custom Settings" with the plist passed as is displayed in secure plist above ie "com.google.Chrome" - you want to save the plist displayed BELOW as "com.google.chrome.plist" before uploading it.

Image Example Below - "Upload_Field_Custom_Settings_Filename" is where you upload the plist.

You can upload the following plist & config it how you see fit,

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>DefaultBrowserSettingEnabled</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageIsNewTabPage</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageLocation</key>
    <string>www.Website Homepage.com</string>
    <key>RestoreOnStartupURLs</key>
    <array>
        <string>www.Website 1.com</string>
        <string>www.Website 2.com</string>
        <string>www.Website 3.com</string>
    </array>
    <key>RestoreOnStartup</key>
    <integer>4</integer>
    <key>ShowHomeButton</key>
    <true/>
    <key>IncognitoModeAvailability</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

i dont manage chrome anymore, but this is almost everything you need. i dont know the key for setting default download location for the plist but hopefully this helps.

@Hugonaut will test and report

@mlizbeth Be aware that the chrome-enable-autoupdates.py script has been updated to handle changes to the keystone framework path introduced in Chrome v75. It's not shown in the History section of the script, but the keystone_registration_framework_path() definition has changed.

@malonso There is also the BASH variation that works very well as well, and was recently tweaked for the changes made by Google with the release of v75.

Located here: How to update Chrome automatically

@ryan.ball 's Script <-- lol can be located here: http://chrome-enable-autoupdates.sh/