Cannot add dock items using profile manager

I have the same problem where I want to manage a whole list of applications installed on my clients on the dock but it looks like I need to install all the applications from the clients onto the server. Thats a big risk.

Also if you have 2 copys of the same app on the server it potentially pickup the version not installed in the Applications folder thereby when you assign it you will get a question mark on the client dock as the path assigned from the server points somewhere else.

This just rubbish. How can you provide a safe and stable network environment with this lack of functionality??

I have found a solution!! Add your applications as Dock Items which appears in the same dialog box but just a bit further down. You can add a full path to where the Apps are located. It means the apps will be on the file and folder side of the Dock but it works! 🙂

Glad I found your post, what a joke this 'Server' software is.

I see it finds every app on the server, even stuff in CoreServices, and yet I tried mounting a disk image of the client and it doesn't find the apps in that Application folder, you know the ones you would want in the Dock, but it finds all kinds of processes such as Apple Graphics Warning hidden away in the System folder.😠

You could only describe OSX10.8 server as "in progress"!! While I definately like a lot of the things they are doing especially around Profile Manager, what I don't like is the rushed and poor product thats been delivered. It just feels like there is a lack of focus and Q&A on getting it right first time. There are so many bug I found during a big site upgrade that cause no end of trouble and required be to pull out some of teh management that historically I woudl always apply. Simple stuff too.

In my only deployment so far, they login with AD credentials and have a local home directory folders or guest account, so what I did was turn off Dock in profile manager and put the desired

com.apple.Dock preference file in the

/System/Library/User Templates/English.prog/Library/Preferences

this means all users get the derired dock when they login and is also a fallback if Profile Manager screws up.

Use Automator to create any dummy app you want.

You can create, for example, a Word.app, place it in /Applications/Office 2011 whatever/ and than use Profile Manager to modify the Dock on your client.

Cheers,

Alex

**UPDATE** This seems to be a bit of a work in progress. Seems like if (as I did) you set the dock up as local admin, after following the steps below, it is necessary to login as that same local admin account before the preferences get pushed to other network users. In my defence, it is Friday afternoon and I should've left 8 minutes ago 😝

Found another way to do this:

1) Setup dock icons for local user on one mac,

2) Copy the ~/library/preferences/com.apple.dock.plist file to OD master

3) (maybe optional but just in case) increase Everyone rights on file to Read Only

4) in pain-in-the-*** Profile Manager, configure a Custom Settings payload for device/device group

5) Click Upload file and choose previously copied plist file.

This doesn't duplicate any icons added via dock preferences from what I can see, but it did require a couple of reboots to enforce it for network users.

Next year I'm tempted to just take all the macs off the network and let them do what they will........!

John

I've been using either the Dock plist or adding items to the dock profile settings as an Add Item to dock option. Not very flexible and you have to enter the full path to teh app but it works.

I personally like the PLIST option but I have had issues with it on 10.7 server.

Maybe 10.9 server might provide a solution. Only a few weeks to go????

Yes, that is pretty much it. you must type (or copy and paste) the full path.

I log into the the server using Workgroup Manager installed on a client machine. Works just as in earlier versions. Just drag the apps into the dock or folder window in the order you choose.

Continuing to use workgroup manager until an option is added to enter any app path is the best answer. Who installs user apps on their server!? Ridiculous.

Is there a way to sync Workgroup manager settings with profile manager? Like copy and paste the plist?

Dock Master

http://errorfreeit.com.au/blog/2015/4/28/dock-master

Using Automator works, but inconsistently, and i wonder if it's to do with having to match the path exactly.

e.g. the path to Microsoft Office Apps on my workstations are:

/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Microsoft Word.app

This doesn't work for me, the dock shortcut doesn't display an icon and won't open the App

However, creating a dummy App for Photoshop at:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS6/Adobe Photoshop CS6.app

works (Adobe Illustrator doesn't). I don't know enough about the file structure of .app directories to know why some work and other don't

I can confirm this works, thanks!