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Click here to return to the 'Change desktop picture without Finder restart' hint
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Change desktop picture without Finder restart
Authored by: chabig on Aug 19, '10 01:54:17PM

I think the title to this hint is misleading. It implies that the desktop picture cannot be changed without restarting the Finder. Yet changing the desktop via the normal way (System Preferences) has never required a Finder restart.



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Seconded!
Authored by: cycomachead on Aug 19, '10 04:36:01PM

There's plenty of ways to change the desktop background, including right clicking an image in Safari which doesn't require a Finder restart.

As far as scripting goes, there's also an Automator action which doesn't require a restart.



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Seconded!
Authored by: tedw on Aug 19, '10 11:43:56PM

Oh, I agree, I was just following up on the name of the original hint.

I will point out, though, that scripting it in applescript or automator is not quite as automatic as you might think. Once you've changed the image, you often have to kick-start it by changing the picture rotation, particularly if you previously had the system set to rotate the picture on a timed basis. If you don't, you'd probably need a logout or restart to see the new image.

This script is mostly useful in that peculiar case where you want to download a background picture automatically from the web (as from a webcam) in the background and without user intervention. While you can clearly use Safari to do it, Safari has to open and load the page, and scripting the image download is a bit trickier than you might imagine. Downloading it with curl and applescripting it is both easier and more stable, if automation is what you're after.

Edited on Aug 19, '10 11:45:33PM by tedw



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Seconded!
Authored by: crarko on Aug 20, '10 07:07:00AM

I think it's fine that the title is the same as the older hint; so if searchers hit on the old one they should be able to find the updated one too.



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