Script to start and stop screen sharing

Question

I've had no luck finding an applescript that will launch system preferences and select screen sharing in the sharing tab. I want to use this as a rule in Mail so I can open screen sharing and subsequently close after use with Jaadu on my iphone for only the time while I want to access my home computer.
Is there anyone skilled at writing that for me?
Thanks,
Michelle

Answer 1

You can do it on the command line but you have to have admin privileges
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -help
kickstart -- Quickly uninstall, install, activate, configure, and/or restart
components of Apple Remote Desktop without a reboot.
kickstart -uninstall -files -settings -prefs
-install -package <path>
-deactivate
-activate
-configure -users <user1,user2...>
-access -on -off
-privs -all -none
-DeleteFiles
-ControlObserve
-TextMessages
-ShowObserve
-OpenQuitApps
-GenerateReports
-RestartShutDown
-SendFiles
-ChangeSettings
-ObserveOnly
-mask <mask>
-allowAccessFor
-allUsers [-privs <priv options>]
-specifiedUsers
-computerinfo -set1 -1 <text>
-set2 -2 <text>
-set3 -3 <text>
-set4 -4 <text>
-clientopts
-setmenuextra -menuextra yes
-setdirlogins -dirlogins yes
-setdirgroups -dirgroups ardadmin,ardinfo
-setreqperm -reqperm no
-setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes
-setvncpw -vncpw mynewpw
-setwbem -wbem no
-stop
-restart -agent -console -menu
-targetdisk <mountpoint>
-verbose
-quiet
-help ## Show verbose documentation
Examples:
- Uninstall program files (but not preferences and settings), install the given package, and then restart the service.
kickstart -uninstall -files -install -package RDAdminInstall.pkg -restart -console
- Install the given package and then restart the ARD agent.
kickstart -install -package RDClientInstall.pkg -restart -agent
- On 10.4 and earlier, stop the Remote Management service but, if activated, it will start after the next computer restart.
- On 10.5 and later, use kickstart -deactivate instead.
kickstart -stop
- Stop the Remote Management service and deactivate it so it will not start after the next computer restart.
kickstart -deactivate -stop
- Restart the agent.
kickstart -restart -agent -console
- Activate the Remote Management service and then restart the agent.
kickstart -activate -restart -agent -console
- Activate the Remote Management service, enable access, and restart the agent.
kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent
- Disable user access.
kickstart -configure -access -off
- Give admin and bob all access.
kickstart -configure -access -on -privs -all -users admin,bob
- Use Directory Server accounts for authentication. Users must be a member of one of the directory
- groups to authenticate.
kickstart -configure -clientopts -setdirlogins -dirlogins yes -setdirgroups -dirgroups ardadmin,ardcontrol
- Disable the Remote Management menu extra.
kickstart -configure -clientopts -setmenuextra -menuextra no
The following examples are only for Mac OS X 10.5 and later.
- Allow access for only these users (the users must be specified in a separate command).
kickstart -configure -allowAccessFor -specifiedUsers
- Allow access for all users and give all users full access.
kickstart -configure -allowAccessFor -allUsers -privs -all
- Start the Remote Management service.
kickstart -activate
Version 0.9
RUNNING FROM THE COMMAND LINE
This script can be run like any UNIX tool from the command line or
called from another script.
Before starting:
- Use this script at your own risk. Read it first and understand it.
- Log in as an administrator (you must have sudo privileges)
- Copy this script to any location you like (such as /usr/bin/local/)
- Ensure this file has Unix line endings, or it won't run.
Running:
- Run the script using "sudo" (enter your password if prompted)
sudo ./kickstart -restart -agent
Command-line switches:
The optional "parent" switches activate the top level kickstart features:
-uninstall
-install
-deactivate
-activate
-configure
-stop
-restart
These features can be selected independently, but will always be done
in the order shown above.
For anything interesting to happen, you must specify one or more of
the parent options, plus one or more child options for those that
require them. Child options will be ignored unless their parent
option is also supplied.
All options are switches (they take no arguments), except for -package
<path> -users <userlist> and -mask <number>, as noted below.
-uninstall ## Enable the "uninstall" options:
-files ## Uninstall all ARD-related files
-settings ## Remove access privileges in System Preferences
-prefs ## Remove Remote Desktop administrator preferences
-install ## Enable the "install" options:
-package path ## Specify the path to an installer package to run
-configure ## Enable the "configure" options:
-users john,admin ## Specify users to set privs or access (default is all users)
-activate ## Activate ARD agent in Sys Prefs to run at startup
-deactivate ## Deactivate ARD agent in Sys Prefs to run at startup
-access ## Set access for users:
-on ## Grant access
-off ## Deny access
-privs ## Set the user's access privileges:
-none ## Disable all privileges for specified user
-all ## Grant all privileges (default)...
## ... or grant any these privileges...
-DeleteFiles ##
-ControlObserve ## Control AND observe (unless ObserveOnly is also specified)
-TextMessages ## Send a text message
-ShowObserve ## Show client when being observed or controlled
-OpenQuitApps ## Open and quit aplicationns
-GenerateReports ## Generate reports (and search hard drive)
-RestartShutDown ##
-SendFiles ## Send and/or retrieve files
-ChangeSettings ## Change system settings
-ObserveOnly ## Modify ControlObserve option to allow Observe mode only
-mask number ## Specify "naprivs" mask numerically instead (advanced)
-allowAccessFor ## Specify the Remote Management access mode
-allUsers ## Grant access to all local users
-specifiedUsers ## Only grant access to users with privileges
-computerinfo ## Specify all four computer info fields (default for each is empty)
-set1 -1 <text>
-set2 -2 <text>
-set3 -3 <text>
-set4 -4 <text>
-clientopts ## Allow specification of several opts.
-setmenuextra -menuextra yes|no ## Set whether menu extra appears in menu bar
-setdirlogins -dirlogins yes|no ## Set whether directory logins are allowed
-setdirgroups -dirgroups grp1,grp2 ## Set directory groups allowed
-setreqperm -reqperm yes|no ## Allow VNC guests to request permission
-setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes|no ## Allow VNC Legacy password mode
-setvncpw -vncpw mynewpw ## Set VNC Legacy PW
-setwbem -wbem yes|no ## Allow incoming WBEM requests over IP
-stop ## Stop the agent and/or console program (N/A if targetdisk is not /)
-restart ## Enable the "restart" options: (N/A if targetdisk is not /)
-agent ## Restart the ARD Agent and helper
-console ## Restart the console application
-menu ## Restart the menu extra
-targetdisk ## Disk on which to operate, specified as a mountpoint in
## the current filesystem. Defaults to the current boot volume: "/".
## NOTE: Disables the -restart options (does not affect currently
## running processes).
-verbose ## Print (non-localizable) output from installer tool (if used)
-quiet ## No feedback; just run.
-help ## Print this extended help message
ARD has four main components:
1) ARD Helper
2) ARD Agent & associated daemons
3) ARD Menu Extra (controlled by the SystemUIServer)
4) ARD Admin Console (if you have an Administrator license)
What this script does:
1) Any running ARD components will be stopped as needed. For example,
they'll be stopped before an uninstall, reinstall, or restart
request. They will not be restarted unless you specify the
-restart options.
2) Components will be restarted as required. For example, restarting
the administrator console forces a restart of the agent.
Restarting the agent, in turn, forces a restart of the helper.
3) If you -uninstall but don't specify a new installer to run, then
the -restart family of switches will be ignored.
4) Options can be specified in any order, but remember that the
options are ignored unless their parent options are specified. For
example, -package is ignored unless -install is specified.
RUNNING THIS SCRIPT FROM A GUI
You can make yourself a GUI-based kickstarter program to run this
script if you like. The options, set in the console, can be conveyed
via environment variables to this script, per a spec shown in the
source code for this script (or the traditional way using command-line
switches). Be sure the console application runs this script with sudo
privileges. The console should also specify its own location in the
APP environment variable, and may specify the location of a
STRINGS_FILE to use to load string definitions for any localizable
messages produced by this script.
A GUI console could stay up & running between runs of the script but
should avoid running multiple instances of this script at the same
time.
WARNING
This script can be used to grant very permissive incoming access
permissions. Do not use the -activate and -configure features unless
you know exactly what you're doing.