Remotely configuring a user's dock

In a previous discussion [Remotely adding items to a user's dock|http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=5249596&messageID=3327383 ] Dave Sawyer's command to add an application to the Dock failed and the topic was closed and archived.

Here are some commands that worked in ARD's *Send UNIX Command* to replace the entire dock with specific apps and also folders. +Each of the commands consist of one line followed by a return.+ I've broken them up for clarity:

The following two lines delete the current Dock apps and folders; don't use them if you're just adding items to the current Dock

*defaults delete com.apple.dock persistent-apps*
*defaults delete com.apple.dock persistent-others*

• Add Safari
*defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '<dict><key>tile-data</key><dict><key>file-data</key><dict><key>_CFURLString</k ey>*
<string>/Applications/Safari.app</string><key>_CFURLStringType</key>
<integer>0</integer></dict></dict></dict>'

• Add MS Word (note the lack of .app suffix)
*defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '<dict><key>tile-data</key><dict><key>file-data</key><dict><key>_CFURLString</k ey>*
*<string>/Applications/Microsoft Office X/Microsoft Word</string><key>_CFURLStringType</key>*
<integer>0</integer></dict></dict></dict>'

• Add a folder
*defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '<dict><key>tile-data</key><dict><key>file-data</key><dict><key>_CFURLString</k ey>*
*<string>/Applications (Mac OS 9)/Educational</string>*
<key>_CFURLStringType</key><integer>0</integer></dict></dict></dict>'

• And finally restart the Dock
*killall -HUP Dock*

In ARD I ran the *Send UNIX Command* with +Run command as User: Student+ since that was the user whose Dock was being changed.

One could as well direct the *defaults write* command to /Users/ yourusersname/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock and run the command as a different user.