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Setting a LoginWindowText via MCX/WorkgroupManager containing Umlauts - for example "Universität" (university) - works flawlessly. Using a Casper Suite's Managed Preference the same text fails:

admin@glamdring ~ $ sudo jamf mcx
Password:
Checking for Computer Level Managed Preferences from https://casper.domain.de:8443//...
Parsing MCX Data...
Applying Managed Preferences...
Error: Import of Managed Preference Setting "Login Window Text RRZE" failed.
Recompositing MCX settings for localhost...

The same with a LoginwindowText without Umlauts works:

admin@glamdring ~ $ sudo jamf mcx
Checking for Computer Level Managed Preferences from https://casper.domain.de:8443//...
Parsing MCX Data...
Applying Managed Preferences...
Recompositing MCX settings for localhost...

I think, this is a bug?

Yes, I can confirm this.

I have the same problem.

I did a test using Lion's ability to enter login window text under Apple menu --> System Preferences... --> Security & Privacy --> General tab.

Entering the umlaut there and viewing it in the login window worked.

I then viewed the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist file and checked the LoginwindowText key.

defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText

The character with the umlaut was replaced by a code: 344. You may want to adjust your Casper login window text to use Universit344t and see if that works.

If this does work then I wouldn't consider it a bug in Casper, MCX or even the login window. It's more than likely a necessary encoding for diacritical marks within Mac OS X system files itself.

OT: Hey, didn't know you guys at RRZE are using Casper!
How about an RUC in Erlangen? ;)

@talkingmosse nope, it doesn't work.
The login screen doesn't show the escaped character but the character code itself: "Universit344t", the same as I entered it in Casper.

@Chris Currently we are evaluating Casper - but it seems it does the job fairly good :-)

None of the hints or ideas I had did the trick: I am still of the opinion of a bug! I have no chance to set umlauts in the "LoginwindowText" managed preference.

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