Shuffling/Rotating Desktop Background Images

[kiltedtenor]

I have a request from our IT Director to find a configuration option (or a deployable app) that allows a set of images to be rotated/shuffled through as the desktop background image for our machines. We do this for our Windows computers and he wants the Macs to match. He'd love it if the images could be pulled down from our Azure cloud storage blob, so that as the images are updated there, they'd get added to the shuffle. I think that might be a bit too much of an ask, so mainly I'm here to see if anyone has done anything like the first part: Sending images to the Mac and then setting them as a rotating/shuffling desktop background. Thanks for any help!

[AJPinto]

The most stable way to do this would probably be to use multiple configuration profiles to define your wallpaper and cycle them out daily. Push multiple images to your Macs, and set up smart groups to cause the configuration profiles to rotate out changing the image set as the wallpaper. 

You could use an app like wallpaperer to rotate out wall papers. You would not necessarily be able to "force" the wallpaper as you would be giving up control to that app. 

As far as Azure integration. Maybe your IT director should be reminded Macs don't run Windows and are not made by Microsoft. 

https://docs.jamf.com/best-practice-workflows/jamf-pro/deploying-wallpaper/Deploying_Wallpaper_to_Co...

[kiltedtenor]

Yeah, I'm aware, but I'm also aware that I run a very small (by comaprison) pool of Macs in a very extensive PC shop. The default ask is to use the tools we already have for our PC stuff instead of making (and likely re-paying for) a duplicate solution for our Macs. I knew this wasn't likely or (if possible) super easy, but I do know that there are provisions to build access to Azure's blob storage into iOS and MacOS apps. That was more for that half of the question. If there was an app that anyone knew could do this.

[AJPinto]

Same here. About 400 Macs and 50,000 PC's. Its a constant "conversation" explaining why we cannot use GPO, or SCCM/Intune to manage our Macs or why Azure cannot integrate with macOS the same way it can with Windows with people who have no idea what they are talking about. Microsoft Tools are designed to work with Windows is something I say way too much. Its always someone trying to maximize the tools they spend millions on or trying to justify those tools expenses. 

I think it’s deeper than the Azure question. You can mount the Azure Blob with terminal simply enough,  and can script all of that with a service account to authenticate. Not something I would do as there are a lot of permissions to consider. I dont think you can tell macOS to use an SMB drive as its wallpaper host via MDM. It would have to be a manual process your users do, and if not set with a configuration profile its not managed so they could just change it back.

However this loops back to you can only set a static wallpaper with JAMF. You have to pick one image per configuration profile. If you try to hand this off to any app to handle, you lose any management over the wallpaper. The user could just change the wallpaper. Unfortunately I don’t think you can set a gallery as a wallpaper via MDM, though that may be a good feature request for both Apple and JAMF.

[kiltedtenor]

*edit* replied to the thread, not the user. @AJPinto Yeah, definitely a good feature request. And we don't really mind if they change it after the fact. It's not on our "to enforce" list. We don't enforce it in Windows either. We mainly just want it as the default, neat and shiny, out of the box. If it changes later, meh. We may be able to settle on just using a static image instead of rotating them. If not though, any details you have on what logic you'd use for the smart groups.

[AJPinto]

If you were to try to manage it with JAMF, which would force it also. You would need 

• a few policies to change something on the computer, say drop a .log file and run a recon. This could be as simple as using touch to put a file you will look for.
• An Extension Attribute to read that log file you placed in the previous step
• smart groups that care what that log file contains (or is named)
• Configuration Profiles targeting those smart groups to define the wallpaper
• A policy containing a package with all your wallpapers to be installed once (ideally with device provisioning)

In practice. 

Policy 1 to run on Monday and Wednesday to set drop a log file we will call Flag1.log. Your EA will pick up Flag1 is on the device, and add it to smart groups accordingly. The Configuration Profile that is looking for Flag1.log will install.

Policy 2 to run on Tuesday and Thursday to drop a log file we will call Flag2.log. Your EA will pick up Flag2 is on the device, and add it to smart groups accordingly. The Configuration Profile that is looking for Flag1.log will uninstall as the device is no longer in that smart group. And your configuration profile that is looking for Flag2.log will install.

At as many rotations of this as needed. You can user server side restrictions to have the policies only run on certain days. 

However, since management is not a concern at all for you. You could try to place several wallpapers in a directory, and have a script run from JAMF to use CLI to set the wallpaper. You may even be able to create a launch daemon that will randomly set or advance to next the wallpaper at login. That is a bit beyond my scripting wizardry though it sounds like a good challenge I may take up when I get time :).

[scottb]

I suppose you could download new images on a regular schedule and package them?  How often do they get updated/changed?  Deliver them to the Macs and have the setting to "Change picture every xx minutes"?

So if you have a folder and it's got them all in there, it would just rotate through them all...

Odd ask, but I get that it's "from above"...

[kiltedtenor]

Yeah, they don't change that often, so repacking or pushing another package with the new stuff wouldn't be too onerous. Is there a way to set the preference for "change picture ever xx minutes" through Jamf?

[scottb]

Good question.  The "find a way to make a Profile" routine...ugh.

Saw this, maybe it can help?

DeskToppr 

[scottb]

See this page (linked at the bottom of Desktoppr page...

Random Desktop Background Color with desktoppr