macOS Now This Is A Handy App!!!

[allbrokeup]

You know on Windows 2000 and higher, how you enter a keyboard combo and it locks your computer..Mac OS X can now do that too.

The app I have just created is entitled "Locked" and it does the following

The included face-less app, called Selector, displays a Bevel with Options to Lock, Turn off Bevel and Close Options.

The actual "Locked" application, Pulls up a full screen window with the Leopard Aurora, and a Window modeled on the Login Screen, requiring the User Account Password and Name to return to the Desktop.

Post back on my idea, and give me feedback on how it is going. I am going to venture in further, to make it auto-detect any User Passwords and Names and require them without prior Hard-Coding. Any suggestions on that???????

allbrokeup.

 

[mr.stinki]

I really like it!! I like the idea of this more than the default option for entering password when waking from sleep!!

Also, can you make it so we can change the background/ use a .qtz file for out BG?

 

[Trip.Tucker]

...or you could just enable it with Keychain. In Keychain, select Preferences, then Show Status in Menu Bar which displays a black padlock symbol. Click on the padlock and select Lock Screen. A shortcut key sequence can also be created in Sys. Prefs. Far more elegant.

 

[CaptainZap]

...or you could just enable it with Keychain. In Keychain, select View, then Show Status in Menu Bar which displays a black padlock symbol. Click on the padlock and select Lock Screen. A shortcut key sequence can also be created in Sys. Prefs. Far more elegant.

How would you go about adding a key sequence for it??

 

[Nutter]

... or you could write a shell script to switch to the actual login window.

 

[GirthP]

or you could actually write the app for the rest of us

 

[Monkaaay]

Haha, yeah, that'd be nice.

 

[Mactropolis]

allbrokeup... excellent idea.

Would like to test it out and perhaps even do a little review on my site. I could see an app like that coming in handy!

 

[lazydog]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't get what's so great about this app. So it locks the screen and then you have to enter a password to unlock it. Is that it?

b e n

 

[Krevnik]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't get what's so great about this app. So it locks the screen and then you have to enter a password to unlock it. Is that it?

b e n

While one can 'just' use fast user switching, what the Windows world has had for awhile is the Windows-L combo. Locks your computer really quickly. Now, I don't care if someone can login using their account, but I do like the quickness of it.

On my own systems, I use Lock My Mac, and leave it in the dock.

 

[lazydog]

While one can 'just' use fast user switching, what the Windows world has had for awhile is the Windows-L combo. Locks your computer really quickly. Now, I don't care if someone can login using their account, but I do like the quickness of it.

On my own systems, I use Lock My Mac, and leave it in the dock.

Ah right. Haven't used Windows for a long time! But can't you achieve the same thing with Screen Saver configured to use a hot corner and password?

b e n

 

[killmoms]

Ah right. Haven't used Windows for a long time! But can't you achieve the same thing with Screen Saver configured to use a hot corner and password?

b e n

Quoted for extreme truth. Simple, effective, built-in.

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

While this seems like a look-and-feel app that does the same thing as going to the login window or open screensaver while needing a password to get back in, I thought I just wanted to throw these out there:
Dockables combined with Quicksilver or Launchbar are much more versatile and has the same functionality as the famous Windows-L combo.

 

[Mernak]

Have you tried bypassing the lock using Apple+option+escape and force quitting it? Just interested if that would work, since it is just a normal app, and only trying to fool people into thinking that it is locked.

 

[Krevnik]

Quoted for extreme truth. Simple, effective, built-in.

Yes, except as I said, I like the lock going to the login window better.

 

[Jeremy1026]

Ah right. Haven't used Windows for a long time! But can't you achieve the same thing with Screen Saver configured to use a hot corner and password?

b e n

Quoted for extreme truth. Simple, effective, built-in.

The only problem is, what if you accidentally hit that hotcorner, it could become bothersome quickly. I have 3 of my 4 corners hot cornered (expose, spaces, and sleep display) and I find that 1 out of every 5 times or so I accidently go too far and activate the corner. Especially when using spotlight, or when trying to change from the iTunes miniplayer to full window (its in the bottom left hand corner)

 

[jeremy.king]

... or you could write a shell script to switch to the actual login window.

Yep. To make it better, save the following Applescript code as a script in /Library/Scripts (I call it Lock) and then assign a keyboard shortcut (Trigger) in Quicksilver to execute this script. I use Command+Option+L

do shell script "/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend"

Be sure to include Scripts in your catalog and rescan to see your new script.

Who needs an app?

 

[Krevnik]

Who needs an app?

Script + Quicksilver != App? Eh?

I don't use Quicksilver, so using that to create the trigger still requires me to add an app to my system either way.

 

[Nutter]

But if all you need is a trigger, isn't it better to use a general purpose app, rather than to create one specifically for the purpose?

 

[allbrokeup]

Experimenting with the Shell Script in version 2 to be public (version one is for me ) I have tied in the Shell Script with my iFaceless 2.0 to open up the app. iFaceless is set at 0.1 opacity and Locks when Command+Option+L is pressed. It calls the Shell Script, suspending the User (or so I gathered ). There is also a Volume Bezel in the Launcher that sets the system volume so you don't have to unlock to Change the iTunes Volume either, although I think I may axe that upon release.

Let me know what you think.

allbrokeup.

 

[allbrokeup]

Version 2, entitled 'Lock 2' just hit intense testing stage. Expect a full Release soon on a Soon-to-Be 'Google Code' page. will post URL.

allbrokeup.

 

[allbrokeup]

Update 2 - Someone asked whether it would force quit. Sadly no, I made it Quit Finder through an AppleScript and relaunch it upon Unlock. You cant Quit it via Cmd+Q either!

allbrokeup.

 

[allbrokeup]

Update 3 - Somebody asked about Quartz Backgrounds, It uses an 'Aurora.qtz' File in the Resources Package installed into ~/Library. Simply rename a custom .qtz to 'Aurora.qtz' and drag it into the mentioned folder. It will show up as the Background.

allbrokeup.

 

[jeremy.king]

I don't use Quicksilver

You should give it a try, you won't use your Mac the same.