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Welcome to Techsurvivors => Tech => Topic started by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 05:40:54 AM

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 05:40:54 AM

A friend just upgraded her iMac 7.1 from 10.5.8 to 10.6.8. Starting with 10.6, the print dialog box is reduced in size by default and you must click the up arrow at the right of the Printer line to see the expanded dialog box. She has an Administrator account but her two daughters have Standard accounts.

I can make the expanded print dialog box appear by default via the command defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -boolean true but that should only affect the administrator account. How do I make this the default behavior across all accounts? If I go into the Standard accounts, will I be able to use Terminal? Is there some command for extending this command across all accounts when doing it from the Administrator account?

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: Paddy on July 25, 2013, 08:55:59 AM

I think you should be able to do it for the other accounts using sudo from the admin account, but I don't know the exact command, so I suggest a bit of research on how to use sudo as spaces etc. are critical in the command line! (I just read a post from some poor soul who set out to erase a particular file from the command line, and managed to take out his entire user folder because he put a space in front of the * at the end of the command!) Of course the all-powerful "rm" command needs to be treated with caution (or not used at all...)

Alternatively, I think TinkerTool System will allow you to do it. It's not free, unlike the regular version of TinkerTool, which only affects the admin user's account, but you can download it for evaluation purposes and use it 5 times without paying. At €10 it isn't expensive, but it doesn't sound like the friend would really need the paid version.

http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerToolSys2.html

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 09:26:33 AM

Thanks, Paddy. I thought of TTS but my friend really has no need of it, so she wouldn't want to pay. Still, if it can be used 5 times without paying, that's good. However, I was looking through my copy of TTS and couldn't find the option to expand the print dialog box, although I seem to remember seeing it. Can you enlighten me?

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 25, 2013, 10:45:26 AM

I just had my Grand-daughter log into a non-admin account on her 10.6.8 MBP. Had her create a text document, pressed command-P and the dialog came up minimized (default). Clicked the disclosure triangle to open it full sized. Canceled print request, Quit TextEdit (not saving the document.

Re-opened TextEdit, created an new document, asked to print it and the Print dialog came up full-sized, just as it was set earlier.

I know she does not have TTS or even TT nor any other utility, as far as I know.

Are you saying that the choice of Print dialog window is not being saved between uses?

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 12:16:22 PM

QUOTE

Are you saying that the choice of Print dialog window is not being saved between uses?

Actually, I'm not sure; I'll have to test it. I did a test print when I ran the upgrade for her but didn't try it again. Thanks for the heads up! BTW, I believe that the choice of Print dialog window is only saved on a per-application basis, not for all apps.

When I upgraded to 10.6 on my own computer, I ran that command and all was well. Every app shows the expanded Print dialog.

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 25, 2013, 01:11:16 PM

It could be a per app setting. If so, all you have to do is open every single app and try the Print command! You don't really have anything else to do today, right?!  

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 01:21:52 PM

That sounds sooo convenient...  

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 25, 2013, 01:23:44 PM

I'll be glad to tally your hours if you'll let me know when you start and finish. Please don't take any rest breaks or do any other tasks, of course.

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: jchuzi on July 25, 2013, 01:35:58 PM

I just realized that it wasn't TinkerTool System that allowed you to change the default. It's actually Cocktail via its Interface>General tab. I don't know, however, if the setting works across all accounts or just for the current user. At any rate, I doubt that Cocktail can be used in a Standard account because it calls for an administrator password, unless the user disables that feature.

Title: change setting across all accounts
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 25, 2013, 02:48:50 PM

I just don't think you even need Cocktail, just make the change in the dialog... once. And see if it sticks (Admin or Non). At least it seemed to on my GD's MBP.

As far as a non-admin account asking for your Admin PW, that should still work. Just give it the PW. Supposedly, the non-admin user won't know it and the 'admin' can then decide whether or not to allow that user to have the changes made. A non-admin account can still be changed if an Admin is around with the PW. Of course, I let my wife have Admin privileges even though that's dangerous. But I also know that she is so paranoid that she'll never use that power without checking with me.