Create a login script on a single machine to create a file in library

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
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#1

Hi,

I am new to this, please be kind.

What I want to do is, have a script run when a user logs into their account. I would like the script to remove or delete a particular file in their /User/Library/Preferences folder.

I don’t understand scripting and I have just started to read some info about it. I would like to learn more and I think this is a great place to start, the problem is that I need this to be able to work now. I doesn’t seem to me that this is very difficult to do. So some help would be greatly appreciated.

The script would run on tiger machines (intel and PPC)

thanks

#2

Here’s the code that should work, just uncomment the deletion method you would like to use.

set prefPath to path to preferences folder as Unicode text
set filePath to prefPath & "your filename here"

-- This block to move to trash
-- tell application "Finder" to move file filePath to trash

-- This block to delete and bypass trash
-- do shell script "/bin/rm " & quoted form of (POSIX path of filePath)
#3

James,

Thanks so much for this.

I am a newbie to this so I hope that you understand.

How do I go about executing this on the machine? Do I add the path information for the file and then compile the script and then place the script into a folder? Or is there some exact place that it needs to go? I am also not sure what you mean by “uncomment the deletion method you would like to use”?

Sorry for the what I am sure are elementary questions, but I am hoping at the same time this will help further to understand how scripting works.

thanks

#4

I realized the header on this subject should read:

Create a login script on a single machine to delete a file in Library.

Sorry about that.

#5

So in my above script assuming that the file you wish to delete is not in a folder inside the Preferences folder than just replace the portion “your filename here” with your file name. Then compile the script and save it somewhere on the machine. I, as a mac SysAdmin, like putting all scripts and what not in /Library/Management on my end users machines. Anyways once you have the file there drag it into startup items for the account in question in System Preferences.

Hope that helps.

#6

James,

Thank you very much.

Where would you suggest I start to get to know how to learn scripting?

Thanks again for your help, it is greatly appreciated.

#7

Well there are a few good books on the AppleScript: The Definitive Guide and Sal is coming out with a book soon to. Aside from that there are a series of excellent tutorials on this website and I learned most of what I know from reading the forums here.