Where is com.apple.loginwindow?

Question

Where is com.apple.loginwindow?

Hi all

Just a short question: When I use

sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow some_key -string "blabla"

where will it write the "some_key = blabla" preference? It neither appears in /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist nor in ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist nor in /Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist, and I haven't found another instance of com.apple.loginwindow.plist... yet I can read this key with sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow. So where is that key stored?? I'm having a problem with a loginhook and I wanted to have a look at the plist file "in person", not only through the defaults command.

Tina

G5 Dual 1.8, 23'' Cinema Display, Mac OS X (10.4.5), iMac G4/800, iBook G3/700, G4/400, iBook G3/366, iMac G3/233, PM 7200, Mac SE

Posted on Jun 1, 2006 7:41 AM

Reply

Answer 1

reese_

Level 4

1,735 points

Jun 1, 2006 9:08 AM in response to Tina Siegenthaler

Tina,
Mine's at /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist
The command:
open /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist

opens the file with Property List Editor.

Reese

Reply

Answer 2

biovizier

Level 5

7,931 points

Jun 1, 2006 9:14 AM in response to reese_

Using ' sudo' with ' defaults' without including a path modifies the "root" user's preferences so the file would be in "/private/var/root/Library/Preferences".

I'm so glad "Tiger" moved login and logout hooks out of "/Library/Preferences" - it always bothered me that an "admin" (or trojan running in an "admin" account) could cause processes to run as "root" without entering a password.

Edit. kb for login hooks - the file's location is mentioned:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301446

Reply

Answer 3

Jun 1, 2006 12:38 PM in response to biovizier

Thanks a lot, I would NEVER have found it there! Just another little question: Why doesn't "locate" locate it?

Tina

Reply

Answer 4

biovizier

Level 5

7,931 points

Jun 1, 2006 2:07 PM in response to Tina Siegenthaler

I think it's because the permissions of "/private/var/root/Library" (700 like in other user accounts) prevents it from being indexed when updating the locate database...

Reply

Answer 5

Jun 1, 2006 4:06 PM in response to Tina Siegenthaler

Hi Tina,
Biovizier is correct as usual. The locate.updatedb script, in /usr/libexec, is run as user "nobody" by the 500.weekly periodic script. That user will certainly not be able to "see" inside root's home directory. I changed mine to run as me because user "nobody" couldn't see inside of my home directory and those are the files I most wanted to index.
--
Gary
~~~~
No proper program contains an indication which as an operator-applied occurrence identifies an operator-defining occurrence which as an indication-applied occurrence identifies an indication-defining occurrence different from the one identified by the given indication as an indication-applied occurrence.
-- ALGOL 68 Report

Reply