An AppleScript to ease fast user switching
Apr 08, '08 07:30:00AM
Contributed by: wackazong
With kudos here and there, I now present my working version of an easy Fast User Switching AppleScript that switches passwords with a double-click, and even types the password for you.
- Enable support for Assistive Devices in the Universal Access System Preferences panel.
- Change the password string to the password of the user account you want to switch to.
- Name the script like the short username of the user you wish to switch to.
- Save the script as an executable, to allow easy double-click operation.
I use two users (with the same password) on my computer for different usage types (one for general stuff, the other for music production). I keep two versions of the script in the Applications folder, each assigned to one user. In this way, I just have to type the user name I want to switch to in Spotlight, press Return, and voila.
The script:
For your convenience, I've also created an AppleScript application bundle version (32KB download), complete with icon. Just open like a normal Script in Script Editor (in 10.5 at least), put in your password, rename to the short user name, and enjoy the icon.
[robg adds: I haven't tested this one, and note that storing account passwords in a plain text file on your drive is at least something of a security risk. You could mitigate that issue somewhat by keeping your scripts on an encrypted disk image, though this will make using the scripts a bit less convenient.]
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