User Templates

On Mac OS X 10.4.x I have used the User Template folder (/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/*) to create a common screen for any user logging on to the campus network of my university. This seems to have changed with 10.5: I have found two template folders (User Templates and user.template); and neither seems to work.
Is there any way to create and save a set of common settings for network users -- and for the Guest Account, which seems to hold so much promise?

I found that if I copy folders and settings to both the User Template folders English.lproj and non-localized, then this would let everyone -- even those with lower-case aliases -- log on to the Macs.

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Server 2003: make user template with read-only access for shared folders

I have need to make a type of user (like Administrator, Power User, Mobile User, User, etc.) that has read-only acess to shared folders. So when I make a new user and assign the "read-only user" template I wish to have, the user can open files
in the shared folders on the server, but not edit, save or delete files. Other users can and should remain able to edit, save & delete.
Before I dig in, is this even possible?

You could create a Group called ReadOnly, and set that to have Read on the ACLs of the relevant files or folders.
Make that template user a member of that group.
As long as they are not also a member of another group that gives them higher permissions, this would work.
Otherwise set the ReadOnly group to deny Write, which would over ride any other permission set.
So,
Folder A
ACL:
ReadOnly : R
Users: Read/Write
If a user is a member of Users & ReadOnly, they would get read/write to Folder A. As permissions are cumulative.
If you did the following:
Folder A
ACL:
ReadOnly : R
ReadOnly: Deny Write
Users: Read/Write
The users in ReadOnly would be denied write, as it overrides the cumulative permissions.
Robert Pearman SBS MVP
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Best practice for Active Directory User Templates regarding Distribution Lists

Hello All
I am looking to implement Active Directory User templates for each department in the company to make the process of creating user accounts for new employees easier. Currently when a user is created a current user's Active directory account is copied, but
this has led to problems with new employees being added to groups which they should not be a part of.
I have attempted to implement this in the past but ran into an issue regarding Distribution Lists. I would like to set up template users with all group memberships that are needed for the department, including distribution lists. Previously I set this up
but received complaints from users who would send e-mail to distribution lists the template accounts were members of.
When sending an e-mail to the distribution list with a member template user, users received an error because the template account does not have an e-mail address.
What is the best practice regarding template user accounts as it pertains to distribution lists? It seems like I will have to create a mailbox for each template user but I can't help but feel there is a better way to avoid this problem. If a mailbox is created
for each template user, it will prevent the error messages users were receiving, but messages will simply build up in these mailboxes. I could set a rule for each one that deletes messages, but again I feel like there is a better way which I haven't thought
of.
Has anyone come up with a better method of doing this?
Thank you

You can just add arbitrary email (not a mailbox) to all your templates and it should solve the problem with errors when sending emails to distribution lists.
If you want to further simplify your user creation process you can have a look at Adaxes (consider it's a third-party app). If you want to use templates, it gives you a slightly better way to do that (http://www.adaxes.com/tutorials_WebInterfaceCustomization_AllowUsingTemplatesForUserCreation.htm)
and it also can automatically perform tasks such as mailbox creation for newly created users (http://www.adaxes.com/tutorials_AutomatingDailyTasks_AutomateExchangeMailboxesCreationForNewUsers.htm).
Alternatively you can abandon templates at all and use customizable condition-based rules to automatically perform all the needed tasks on user creation such as OU allocation, group membership assignment, mailbox creation, home folder creation, etc. based on
the factors you predefine for them.

New account not picking up template from "User Template" folder.

With past OS'es I've successfully managed to create a new "Staff" account on my main staff image-maker Mac, drag and copy all of that account's folders into: System>Library>User Template>English.lproj
This is very helpful when a staff member leaves, I can simply create a new account, and the Mac would/should pick up all the settings and items found within the English.lproj folder in order to complete the creation of a new "Staff" account.
This is not working for me in Snow Leopard for some reason. I'm assuming it's a rights issue on either the User Template folder or the English.lproj folder...or both.
Problem: The original "Staff" account and all new "Staff" accounts pick up a generic set of folders for that account, even though my self-created account folders are still located in the English.lproj folder mentioned above.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, Gramps.

Can you share which permissions you ended up looking at? I'm having the same issue. I'm doing exactly what I've always done but for some reason 10.6 is giving me grief.

Location of User Template - English.lproj for AD Plugin

When OSX creates accounts on a local machine, it pulls the default set of account folders (/Library, /Pictures, /Music, etc) from /System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/... This is an excellent way to pre-configure new user accounts with specific prefs, etc.
When setting up the AD plugin to authenticate from an AD server, one checks the "Use UNC path from Active Directory to derive network home location" button to have the users' home folder mounted as a sharepoint from whatever is specified in the AD for the user. This works as expected for both WIN and OSX users.
BUT
New users' home folders (empty) are populated with a /Library folder which does not come from /System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/...
Can anybody point me to 'real' location of these template files?
Derek Smith
eMacs,g4s,QSs,B/Ws,iMacs,G5,G5 XServe, etc Mac OS X (10.4.3)
eMacs,g4s,QSs,B/Ws,iMacs,G5,G5 XServe, etc Mac OS X (10.3)
eMacs,g4s,QSs,B/Ws,iMacs,G5,G5 XServe, etc Mac OS X (10.3)

My Bad. A Loginhook script was causing all sorts of weirdness. No problem now.

User template folder moved to trash how to put back in sytem library

moved user template folder to trash by mistake how do i put it back in the system library

Then, you should have gotten an authentication dialog box, assuming that the account is an admin one. If not, then you'll have to change the permissions on the folder. To do that, launch the Terminal.app in /Applications/Utilities/, copy and paste in this one-liner into the window that pops up, hit the return key. at the Password: prompt, carefully enter your admin password (since nothing shows up in the window), and hit the return key.
sudo chmod -R root:admin ~/Desktop/Library
When the normal $ prompt returns, copy & paste this one-line in and hit the return key:
sudo mv ~/Desktop/Library /System/
That should do the trick, moving the correctly permissioned folder back to its normal place. If so, it should be safe to restart the machine. If not, then my next suggestion is to reinstall the software.

Question regarding "User Template" folder in system library

Hello everyone,
I was cleaning out some files that were no longer needed on my computer and I noticed a folder named "User Template" in the System Library. This folder had a small, red "minus" sign in its lower right corner. I tried to open the folder and it said that I did not have permission to view its contents.
I am the administrator on my computer, and the only user.
Can anyone tell me what this folder contains, and is it normal to be denied access to it?
Thanks much!!
joe

I was cleaning out some files that were no longer needed on my computer
Consider everything in the System folder to be necessary.
Can anyone tell me what this folder contains
The default settings and files for each new user account created on the computer.
is it normal to be denied access to it?
Yes.
(47786)

Altering default user template in 10.6

Hello,
Can anyone post explicit instructions for the simplest way of altering the default new user template in Snow Leopard? I need to alter the template so when a new account is created, it already has the bookmarks, settings, desktop image, etc that my office requires.
I'd prefer to do it Terminal because I'm guessing it will be a lot quicker than any GUI method (if there even is one). I've gotten conflicting information whether it's necessary to log in as root for this. Can it be done with sudo commands? I'm a relative UNIX noob, so explicit directions are appreciated!
Thanks!

The only thing UNIX about it is to make sure you get all the permissions correct.
Run "sudo bash" to get a root shell. Then copy the folder "/System/Library/User Template" somewhere else so you can work on it. Change permissions on the COPY so that you can work on it. You could use the Finder or "chmod". After adjusting all the settings the way you want, copy it back, adjusting permissions to match the original.

AD users not downloading user template from AD+OD Leopard server

I have an OD master Leopard server that is also bound to AD for user accounts. The AD users are added to OD groups. The OD groups have managed preferences including mobile account settings. When I log into the AD+OD bound Leopard client as an AD user, the user template is not copied from the Leopard server to the client. The user template does get copied down to the client if I log into the Leopard client as an OD user in the same OD group. I noticed that the home folder path of an AD user is set to use SMB instead of AFP. I have tried to change this in WGM to use the AFP path but the setting does not hold after I click save. Always reverts back to the SMB home folder path which is the same as the AFP path except for the SMB at the beginning for example: smb://servername/networkusers/username instead of afp://servername/networkusers/username. I have set the AD plugin on the clients to use AFP but that still did not work.
Has anyone had any luck with this? Using a Leopard OD master server also bound to AD to host synced mobile accounts. On Leopard clients the user template is copied down to the clients from the server when the AD user first logs into the client?

Hi Fred,
That worked! I thought it was something on the AD side not knowing the correct afp home folder path. And I thought the mobile account settings were enough using WGM. Never thought of also needing to set create mobile acount on login for the AD plugin but that makes sense.
Thanks again for your help.
-Bob

What is the User Template folder in the /System/Library? Can I delete it?

hi, looking for a little help. i was just perusing stuff on my macbook pro and came across this in finder:
macintosh>system library>user template. it's a folder with a little red circle and minus sign in the corner and the dates it was created, modified and last used were before we bought the computer. clicking on 'more info' tells me i don't have access to it. does anyone know what it is and if it can be trashed without adversely affecting my laptop? the size says 'calculating size' but it never gets off of that. thanks.

does anyone know what it is
The source files for all newly created user accounts.
if it can be trashed without adversely affecting my laptop?
No, and nothing else in System can be unless instructed otherwise.
(55885)

Problems customizing the user template

Hi,
I'm trying to customize the user template on 2 laptops. I've done this before with no problems, but this time it doesn't appear to be working correctly. I'm using the following command
cp -R /Users/TEMPLATE/* /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj
where TEMPLATE is the name of the user account I want to use as my custom template.
When I enter this command I receive the following:
usage: cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-fi | -n] [-pvX] source_file target_file
cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-fi | -n] [-pvX] source_file ... target_directory
Can anyone help me?
I'm using Leopard and am logged in as root.

I thought a typo may have been possible too. So I even copied and pasted the command string from the website which gave the directions for customizing the user template and it still wouldn't work. I ended up finding a post somewhere where someone else had problems with this and they simply suggested logging in as root and manually copying the files to the User Template folder which worked for me. Still like to know why it didn't work through the Terminal. Strange. Anyway, I have a workaround if I run into it again. Thanks for your help and the advice about the keychain!

Bridge Output - user template

There are a number of templates available to create PDF output from Bridge. Is there a way to create custonm user templates? I cannot find a way to save and/or create them.
John

It appears that this can be done in CS4 (I still have CS3 so can't check). The Adobe help file says "Adobe Output Module provides a variety of templates for your gallery, which you can select using the Output panel. Each template has one or more style options, which you can select and customize to suit your needs. If the Output workspace is not listed, select Adobe Output Module in Startup Scripts preferences".
I don't see that option in CS3. Is this what you were looking for?

User Template can't be opened

I found a User Template folder in my hd with a red circle with a dash in it. It's the only folder that has this. When I click on it, it
says it can't be opened because I don't have permission to see its contents. What's so secret that I can't see what's on my
own computer? I asked a friend with the same operating system to check their hd library folder. They don't have this file.
I just tried to download Macports--does it have to do with that? Or is it some sort of malware? thanks.

How would a newly-created user account jibe with what's in this folder (as I describe) and put screenshots. Why wouldn't I be able to see what's in a newly-created user account? And why, suddenly, does this file open, when it didn't before I drug it to the trash?

User template in Lion?

Hello everybody..
Why can't i make user templates in Lion like i could with snow leopard and leopard etc.
I follow the same guide as Snow Leopard but, it won't work?
/System/Library/User Templates
Do anybody know, what i am doing wrong?
Greetings Alex...

What up fellow MacHeads. Try this:
Found it on MacWorld
1: Still valid for 10.7 Lion.
2: Remeber to NOT copy(or remove) the Login.keychain on the account you use to set it up.
Otherwise the login will complain that it could not unlock the keychain, and promt for your setup-password.. ;-)
The first login will auto-create the login.keychain anyway, so simply delete it in the Template.
3: Don't leave Finder windows open. They will point to your setup account, and not have access.. ;-)
4: On Lion, clear out ~/Library/Saved Application State
Otherwise the apps you had open under the setup user will open in states not so good (like web sessions etc..)
5: Remember to copy the files into the language of the Login Window language!!!
Pr. default, that is English, but if you selected something else during the OS install, like Danish, you need to copy the files into "User Template/da.lproj" and not "User Template/English.lproj" !!
/Marook
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20011010033851924

I accidentally deleted user template folder

Soooo, I accidentally deleted the locked User Template folder in the Mac Library. Yes, I am an idiot. Not sure why. I unlocked it thinking it was something for my Adobe Photoshop that I recently got rid of and I'm trying to free up space on my computer.
It hasn't effected my computer YET, but I am a little afraid to turn the computer off.
What do I need to do?
I have a 10.7 Mac OS X Lion. It's a Macbook Air, 11', Mid-2011.

Since applications are much smaller generally then the data is their deletion is usually not very productive. A far more productive way is to delete data files such as movies, videos, music and photos.
How much free space do you currently have on your disk drive?

[warn] mod_bonjour: Cannot read template index file '/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites/index.html'.

Operating System: Lion 10.7.5
I was getting this warn in the logs
[warn] mod_bonjour: Cannot read template index file '/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites/index.html'.
and looking to the System directory on;
System/Library/User Template
User Template was locked and onwned by the System.
I went to the terminal and type;
sudo mkdir "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites/"
sudo touch "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites/index.html"
re-started Apache
The warn went away gracefully

I am adding here that this seems to be a permissions bug since the "User Template" is owned by the system and no one else have access to it. The warn went away temporarily because the permissions still wrong in that directory. I changed the permissions on the User Template directory to read and see what is inside and it loops to the user system structure. Most of the directories in the system structure are locked leaving only the public and sites directory with the correct permissions. Inside of the sites folder have a blank index.html file with read access.
So I am not sure if what I did until now will resolve the warn issue.
What I did was to get info on the User Template directory, authenticate as root and change the permission to the admin to read only. That is harmles since not even the admin can change its content. The warn seems to have gone away for now. However, the point here is to find out if the permissions should be read and write for the admin instead of read only or some other conf. More latter!

User Templates

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