List of macOS Terminal commands

July 29, 2020 / Arun Patwardhan / Leave a comment

This article lists out different macOS terminal commands you might encounter. You can use this list as a starting point in your search for a command to perform a specific task. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Basic terminal commands are not listed here. Some of them are listed in the following Terminal command articles.
Terminal Commands – Basic
Terminal Commands – Part 2
Terminal Commands – Part 3

Many of the commands have also been used in the article I wrote some time back. You can have a look at the scripts to see some of the commands being used.

To get more information about the commands simply run the following command from within Terminal Application. For example, to view the manual page for tmutil simply type:

man tmutil

For fdesetup

man fdesetup

Here is a nice command to quickly open the man page in the Preview App.

man -t tmutil | open -f -a /System/Applications/Preview.app

Note

This is not a complete list of commands
Some commands are available through the macOS Recovery Volume only
Some commands required other resources such as the OS installer
Some commands are available with certain versions of the OS only

Please read the documentation for more details. Use the commands with care. Improper use of commands may result in loss of data or damage to the computer.

Commands

Installation

Command	Description
startosinstall	Used to start the installation of macOS from the command line.
createinstallmedia	Used to create an external install disk.

Security

Command	Description
fdesetup	Manage FileVault configuration.
security	Manage keychain and security settings
spctl	Manage security assessment policy
csrutil	Configure System Integrity Protection (SIP) settings
resetpassword	Password reset utility located in the Recovery Partition

File System

Command	Description
hdiutil	Used to manipulate and manage disk images.
diskutil	Used to modify, verify, & repair local disks.

Data Management

Command	Description
tmutil	Used to configure Time Machine settings in macOS
screencapture	Takes screenshot of the specified screen and saves the image at the specified location.
mdls	Used to get metadata attributes for a given file
mdutil	Used to manage metadata stores that are used by Spotlight

Settings

Command	Description
defaults	Used to modify plist files. Typically used to update preference files.
ioreg	Used to view the I/O kit registry
system_profiler	Used to generate system hardware & software reports.
plutil	Used to check syntax of property lists or covert property lists from one format to another
AssetCacheManagerUtil	Used to configure content caching settings.
open	Used to open documents from within the command line.
networksetup	Perform network configuration.
systemsetup	Used to configure machine settings in System Preferences.
launchctl	Used to manage and inspect daemons, agents, & XPC Services

Applications

Command	Description
codesign	Used to create, check, display code signatures.
pkgbuild	Used to build installer packages
productbuild	Builds a product archive
installer	System software and package installer tool

User Account Management

Command	Description
dscl	This is a command line Directory service utility that allows us to create, read, and manage Directory Service data.
sysadminctl	User account management
passwd	Change user password
login	Used to login to another user account.

Server & Device Management

Command	Description
profiles	Used to install, remove, list, or manage Configuration profiles.
serveradmin	Used to manage the services in macOS
mdmclient	Located in /usr/libexec/mdmclient it is used to manage interactions with the MDM.
asr	Apple Software restore: Used to copy volumes.

Scripting

Command	Description
osascript	Used to execute the given AppleScript

Share any commands you may know of in the comments window.

Disclaimer

The information Is Provided “As Is”, Without Warranty Of Any Kind, Express Or Implied, Including But Not Limited To The Warranties Of Merchantability, Fitness For A Particular Purpose And Noninfringement. In No Event Shall The Authors Or Copyright Holders Be Liable For Any Claim, Damages Or Other Liability, Whether In An Action Of Contract, Tort Or Otherwise, Arising From, Out Of Or In Connection With The information provided Or The Use Or Other Dealings In The information.

Automation on the Mac

March 22, 2018July 28, 2019 / Arun Patwardhan / 1 Comment

Automating tasks on the Mac is very useful for a wide variety of reasons. In this article we are going to look at the different technologies available for automating tasks.

TOOLS

Automator

The simplest way of achieving automation. Automator which is a built in application allows you to create task workflows by simply dragging in a set of predefined routines into a specified sequence. Let us explore how it works by creating a watermarking print plugin

Let us look at how we can create a print plugin that automatically adds a watermark to the pdf file.

First get hold of an image that you will use as a watermark.
Open Automator.
Click on “New Document”
Choose Print Plugin as the type of task to create
From the left hand side drag the “Watermark PDF Documents” option. You will be able to locate this from the PDF library on the extreme right.
Add the image that will be used as a watermark. Customise the settings to your desired level. You may have to use trial and error till you get the desired output.
Similarly drag the Move finder Items to the right. You will be able to locate this from the Files & Folders library.
Save the task as WatermarkCreator.
Open a text file.
Select File > Print
Click on the PDF drop down in the print dialog.
Select the newly created task.
You have now successfully setup your own watermark creator.

Shell Scripting

For those coming from a Linux/Unix background this might be a familiar option. Very often users need to run a series of terminal commands repeatedly. While it is not difficult to do this, wouldn’t it be nice if we could write all the commands in a single file? Shell Scripts help users do just that.

To create a shell script:

Open TextEdit

Write the following code in there (We will write code to create a series of files and folders in our home folder for a user called admin):

#! /bin/sh
cd /Users/admin/
if [ -d "/Users/admin/Applications/" ]; then
echo "Applications Folder Exists"
else
mkdir Applications
fi
if [ -d "/Users/admin/Sites/" ]; then
echo "Sites Folder Exists"
else
mkdir Sites
fi
if [ -d "/Users/admin/Developer/" ]; then
echo "Developer Folder Exists"
else
mkdir Developer
fi
cd Developer
if [ -d "/Users/admin/Developer/iOSProjects/" ]; then
echo "iOSProjects Folder Exists"
else
mkdir iOSProjects
fi
if [ -d "/Users/admin/Developer/macOSProjects/" ]; then
echo "macOSProjects Folder Exists"
else
mkdir macOSProjects
fi

Save the file with the name FolderCreator on the Desktop.
Open the Terminal Application
Let us make the script executable. To do that, run the commands:
```
cd ~/Desktop
chmod 777 FolderCreator
```
Now run the command:
```
./FolderCreator
```

You have now easily created your own shell script. For more information about terminal commands you can read the following articles: Terminal Commands for OS X – Basic, Terminal Commands for OS X – Part 2, Terminal Commands – Part 3, & Configuring/Troubleshooting OS X Using Command Line

AppleScript

AppleScript is Apple’s proprietary scripting technology. It comes bundled as a part of macOS. To create AppleScript tasks we need to use the built in AppleScript editor.

Here is an example of a small AppleScript

tell application “Finder” to set the view for all Finder Windows as column view
tell application “Finder” to close every Finder Window
tell application “Safari”
open location “<a href="http://www.arunpatwardhan.com">http://www.arunpatwardhan.com</a>
open location “<a href="http://www.amaranthine.in/feedback">http://www.amaranthine.in/feedback</a>
open location “<a href="http://www.amaranthine.in/gallery">http://www.amaranthine.in/gallery</a>
end tell

Copy that block of commands in your AppleScript editor and see what comes up.

There are many more things that can be done with AppleScript. You can have popup windows asking users for commands, turn off the computer. Change the settings for different parts of the OS and for different applications. All this with commands written in a single file. All the user has to do is double click the file.

For more information about AppleScript visit Apple’s Developer site.

Launch Agents, Launch Daemons

NOTE: Scheduling Launch Agents/Launch Daemons improperly may leave your computer in an unusable state. Always test this on a computer that does not contain important data. If you are unsure, please consult someone with knowledge of the same before proceeding ahead.

Launch Agents/Launch Daemons allow you to schedule tasks which are to be performed at intervals. You can also use them to ensure that tasks are kept running and that the user does not have the possibility to quit them. To setup a launch daemon:

First create a Plist file that looks like the one below. I have created a script called echoer and placed it in the /Users/admin/Applications folder where admin is the user.
Place the file in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder. Name it in.amaranthine.demod.plist

Run the command in terminal to load the Launch Agent.

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgent/in.amaranthine.demod.plist

That’s it you have just setup a simple launch agent which will ensure that your script runs every 6 seconds.

For more information or to create detailed Launch Agents/Launch Daemons visit:Creating Launch Agents & Launch Daemons

Login Items

An easy way to automatically load, Applications/Files/Folder, as soon as well login is to use Login Items. This is very easy to do.

Open System Preferences > Users & Groups
Switch to the Login Items tab.
Click on the ‘+’ sign at the bottom to add new Applications. Let’s add Maps so that it launches as soon as we login. You should see it appear in the list.

That’s it. You have setup login items. You can repeat this process for as many applications as you wish.

Others

PHP, Perl, Python, Javascript, Swift allow you to create custom automated tasks and routines. These require knowledge of programming.

Choosing the right approach

Which one to choose depends on a lot of factors but we can break it down to 2:

You are a technically qualified person and understand things like programming, scripting and command line
You are an end user working either at home or in office.

End User

If you are an End user then you should really stick to Automator and Login Items. These are the ones that are the easiest to implement and least likely to cause any issues. You could venture and explore other options if you have a good understanding of them. Or you can ask the IT or Tech Support teams to help you with scripting and other technologies.

Tech Support or IT Person

Any of the tools mentioned above can be used by you. Make sure that you have a good command over the tools and are able to troubleshoot issues arising out of their usage.

Note: The programs/applications/tools and languages mentioned in this article may not cover all the available options. Also, anyone who uses or implements the items mentioned in the article does so at their own risk. The author does not take responsibility for any loss or damage that may arise from the use of the programs/applications/tools and languages mentioned above.

Screen and Audio recording on macOS & iOS

February 28, 2018 / Arun Patwardhan / 3 Comments

In this article we are going to look at how we can use the built in Application: QuickTime to record a screen or a movie. In fact, the videos that you are about to see in the article below were created using QuickTime.

A good reason to record the activity on the screen would be to create a visual step by step guide which can be distributed to employees in the organisation. For example, you can create a video to show employees how they can sign into their company’s email account and access it from their iPhone or Mac.

Recording your Mac’s screen

Follow the steps given below to record your Mac’s screen:

Open QuickTime Player
Click on File > New Screen Recording
You should see the window popping up.
From the drop down next to the Record button select the audio input & whether mouse clicks should be shown.
Click on the Record Button. You should see a dialog asking you whether you want to record a small area or a full screen.
The recording starts once the stop button in the menu bar becomes dark.
Click on the stop button to stop the recording.
Save the file that was created.

Recording your iPhone/iPad Screen

(Mirroring your iPhone Screen on the Projector)

The process of recording the iPhone/iPad screen is quite similar to recording your computer’s screen. The key thing to remember is to connect your iPhone/iPad to the Mac with the lightning cable.

Follow the steps given below to record your iPhone/iPad screen:

Open QuickTime Player
Click on File > New Movie Recording
You should see the window popping up.
From the drop down next to the Record button select the audio input & whether mouse clicks should be shown. The difference now is the fact that you get an extra option to choose the source.

Recording a Movie

Follow the steps given below to record a Movie on your Mac:

Open QuickTime Player
Click on File > New Movie Recording
You should see the window popping up.
From the drop down next to the Record button select the audio input. You can also select your camera source from here.
Click record to start recording & click on the stop button to stop recording.

Recording Audio

Follow the steps given below to record an Audio on your Mac:

Open QuickTime Player
Click on File > New Audio Recording
You should see the window popping up.
From the drop down next to the Record button select the audio input.
Click record to start recording and stop to stop recording.

Here is a quick video on how to perform the different tasks that we have seen above.

Buyers Guide for macOS & iOS in the Enterprise

November 20, 2017 / Arun Patwardhan / Leave a comment

This article is more of a productivity article aimed at getting first time users up and running quickly on their Mac, iPhones or iPads. Anyone looking to buy one of these products or Tech Support teams that help employees with their computers would find this article helpful. The thoughts shared here are personal, readers are welcome to share their own thoughts and experiences.

The article is not a comprehensive guide. Its aim is to give potential users some idea as to how the devices can be used in their work environment. Specifically from an Application perspective.

Macintosh

Which one to buy?

This depends on how the device is going to be used. Here are 3 general classifications:

Basic Usage

Basic usage would mean simple day to day tasks. These are the tasks that would qualify for:

Checking emails
Browsing the web
Social Media
Listening to Music
Watching Movies
Composing letters
Preparing Presentations & running presentations
Note taking

In such a case you may want to consider buying a MacBook or a MacBook Air. If portability is not required then a Mac Mini would also do.

At entry level configurations these devices would do the job very well.

Intermediate Usage

If the tasks being performed are a little more demanding then you may want to consider higher configuration devices. Again in most cases the MacBook or a MacBook Air would do. If portability is not required then a Mac Mini would also do. In all these cases consider one with slightly higher configuration.

For situations where the compute power is important you may even consider the MacBook Pro. For example, if there are programmers who need to work with a high configuration Mac and they need portability, then you can consider the MacBook Pro.

Pro Usage

This indicates that the tasks being performed are very compute intensive. These are some of the job profiles which may demand compute intensive resources:

Programmers
Video Editors
Audio Editors
Post Production Teams
Marketing & Creative Teams
Scientific Research

For such situations the higher end desktops & MacBook Pros would be required. So the iMac or the highest configuration Mac Mini, or the 15″ MacBook Pro would be best suited for such environments.

In some situations even more powerful computers would be required. The iMac Pro & Mac Pro should then be considered.

Built In Applications that might be useful

Productivity Tools

There are 3 applications which are a part of the suite called iWork that are very useful in organisations.

PAGES: Built in word processing application. You can easily created documents, letters, reports and even have them exported in Microsoft Office compatible format.
KEYNOTE: Built in presentation applications. Enables you to create powerful presentations from scratch. Like Pages it is possible to create presentations that are compatible with PowerPoint.
NUMBERS: Built in spreadsheet application. Enables you to quickly create spreadsheets and export them to Excel if needed.

The other advantage is the fact that these applications are also accessible from the cloud. Tight integration with iCloud means that you can make changes to documents from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com.

Creative Tools

There are 2 applications which are available for creative purpose. These might be handy for people working in the creative departments.

IMOVIE: Quick create movies using videos, audios and photos that you have.
GARAGEBAND: A simple Music creation application that comes with a library of different instruments.

Popular Third Party Applications

These are just some of the applications.

Office Suite

Productivity

Cloud

Creative

Security

Communication

Data Backup

Virtualisation (Running Windows or Windows Applications on the Mac)

Some tasks that can be done with built in Applications

Scanning Documents using Preview
Signing Documents using Preview
Record Screen Activity using QuickTime
Record a quick movie using QuickTime
Automate Tasks & create workflows using Automator
Encrypt Data using FileVault
Show your iPhone/iPad screen on a projector using QuickTime on Mac
Backup data using Time Machine

iPhone/iPad

Which one to buy?

The decision on whether to buy the iPhone &/or the iPad depends a lot on what you intend to use it for. As such the major differences between the 2 devices are:

iPads tend to have larger screens
iPhone has cellular communication capability
iPhones are more portable as compared to iPads
iPads are better suited for long duration usage
iPads tend to be higher powered devices

While it appears that iPads are better than iPhones, that is not necessarily the case. iPhones being smaller and more compact have many advantages too.

Ideally speaking having both, an iPhone and an iPad, is the best thing to do.

To make a decision use the task list below to help find out if you need an iPhone or an iPad or both.

Note, even though I mention that the tasks can be performed easily on an iPhone, many of the tasks can also be done very easily on the iPad. The point is to illustrate ease of use in situations where you have to perform tasks with a single hand or when you are on the move.

Tasks easily performed on an iPhone

Making calls
Messaging
Scheduling activities such as: Reminders, Appointments, Events
Taking Photos & Videos
Emails
Banking Transactions
Finding Transit Directions
Finding a Taxi
Making E-Payments

Tasks easily performed on the iPad

Writing letters & blogs
Creating Presentations
Working with spreadsheets
Creating posters, flyers
Working with business applications
Content creation

If you do a mixture of tasks from both the lists then getting both an iPhone as well as an iPad is a good idea.

A thing to keep in mind is that the Pro version of the iPad also has a nice keyboard accessory as well as the  Pencil available. These 2 products make the whole experience so much better.

Screen size consideration

iPhone and iPad screen sizes vary quite a bit. Here are some tips on the tasks which can be best performed on specific screen sizes.

Creative Work

Generally speaking, creative tasks require a large screensize. So for an iPhone the smallest screen you should have is 4.7″. Similarly for the iPad the smallest screen you should have is the 9.7″.

Documents, letters, spreadsheets

These tasks are better performed on the iPads as such you can go for any screen size in them. Of the lot, its a lot easier to create documents and letters on the phone than spreadsheets. Again, for phones one should the larger the screen size the better.

Presentations

Like documents and spreadsheets presentations are a lot easier to create on the iPad. They can also be created from the phones. The larger the phone the better.

Messaging & Communication

This is one aspect where the screen size is not so much of an issue. In fact, some users may find the smaller screen size a lot better. Typically, the iPhone is a much better device than the iPad for this.

Productivity & General Tasks

This includes calling taxis, ordering food, taking notes, control keynote presentations, setting up appointments and reminders. These tasks are also best performed on iPhones. They can be done well with the iPad too.

Built In Applications that might be useful

Productivity Tools

There are 3 applications which are a part of the suite called iWork that are very useful in organisations.

PAGES: Built in word processing application. You can easily created documents, letters, reports and even have them exported in Microsoft Office compatible format.
KEYNOTE: Built in presentation applications. Enables you to create powerful presentations from scratch. Like Pages it is possible to create presentations that are compatible with PowerPoint.
NUMBERS: Built in spreadsheet application. Enables you to quickly create spreadsheets and export them to Excel if needed.

Creative Tools

There are 2 applications which are available for creative purpose. These might be handy for people working in the creative departments.

IMOVIE: Quick create movies using videos, audios and photos that you have.
GARAGEBAND: A simple Music creation application that comes with a library of different instruments.

Other Apps

Notes
Voice Memos
Files

Popular Third Party Applications

Office Suite

Microsoft Office for iOS

Productivity

Cloud

Creative

Security

MacID – To be used with macOS
Symmantec VIP – To be used with macOS
1Password

Communication

Some tasks that can be done with built in Applications

Scanning Documents using Notes
Recording Voice Memos
Control HomeKit devices
Edit PDFs through iBooks
Create PDF documents through pages & then edit the PDFs either through iBooks or markup utilities
Record and Edit videos using the camera & iMovie

Useful iPad Accessories

 Pencil *Works only with iPad Pro
Smart Keyboard *Works only with iPad Pro
Lightening to VGA Adapter
To connect to wired ethernet use 2 two adapter combination:
- Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
- Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

 TV

There are a few things that can be done with the  TV. It can be used to mirror both macOS & iOS Devices. In which case apps such as Reflector are not really required.

It is very easy to setup and use. This can make projecting both the iPad screen as well as the iOS Screen very easy & it allows you to move across the room as you are not physically wired to the projector.

Final Word

As we can see there are a wide variety of apps available both for macOS & iOS. These include built in apps as well as Third party apps. The community of developers creating these apps is strong and growing. There are many more apps which can be used for a wide variety of purposes.

This article should give the user a fair idea as to the capabilities of devices such as iPads, MacBooks and the rest of the line up. The good thing is that for enterprise environments its easily possible to create apps that are tailored to the needs of that organisation and this makes the devices much more attractive.

macOS & iOS IT Tool List

May 18, 2017July 28, 2019 / Arun Patwardhan / Leave a comment

This list is based on questions that I have been asked by various IT admins.

It is more of a collection of tools (mainly software, but a few hardware tools too) that Enterprise IT Teams might find useful while supporting/managing Macs & iPhones in the enterprise. Some of the tools are free, while others are paid. Also, it is not necessary that all the tools will be required. Of course, some tools are not meant for troubleshooting but provide a service themselves.

The below list is not an endorsement or recommendation of any of the products mentioned. These are just some of the products I have come across. You may have to do your own research to see which tool fits your organisation’s needs. The author is not responsible for any damages or loss of data that might occur from usage of these tools.

*This list is not a complete list but an ongoing project. Feel free to share your comments on tools that you may have used & I will add them to this list.

DEPLOYMENT

DeployStudio

Munki

macOS Server – NetInstall Service. To be used along with System image Utility

PACKAGE MANAGEMENT

Iceberg

pkgbuild

Suspicious Package

REMOTE MANAGEMENT

BACKUPS

macOS Server – Time Machine Service

DEVICE MANAGEMENT

macOS Server – Profile Manager Service

Automator – Built in app for creating Workflows.

AppleScript

Command Line Script

NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING

DISPLAY

Air Squirrel

SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING

Install Disk – I will be talking about how to create a multi-OS install disk in a later article.

SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT

macOS Server – Caching Service

Reposado

AutoPKG

Munki

HARDWARE

Thunderbolt 1,2,3 Cables
Thunderbolt 1,2
USB-C Cable

FireWire 400/800 Cables

Portable disk with macOS installed on it. Not the same as install disk. Its an external bootable hard drive with the OS installed on it. You can plug this into any Mac & boot from the external HDD.

VGA to MiniDisplay adapter

HDMI to HDMI Cable

Thunderbolt Ethernet Bridge

USB Ethernet Bridge

Adapters for the different ports supported by Macs & iPhones

Lightning Cables

Creating multi-OS Install Disk

April 17, 2017 / Arun Patwardhan / 1 Comment

In this article we are going to look at how to create a multi-OS Install Disk. We are going to look at the example of creating a multi-OS Install Disk for the following versions of the OS:

10.9.1
10.10
10.10.4
10.11.5
10.12
10.12.1
10.12.2
10.12.3

The idea is to have a single disk with multiple versions of the Install Disk on it. The versions should reflect the need of the organisation.

REQUIREMENTS

USB Drive at least 75GB in Size. This depends on the number of Install drives you wish to have. At the very least there should be enough space to create 2 partitions of 8 GB each.
While I have mentioned USB drive, it need not be restricted to that interface. You can use Thunderbolt, FireWire or even an SDXC slot for this. Ideally the port should be one that is supported on maximum possible computers.
Install setup for each version of the OS for which you want to create the install disk. The setup must match the version desired.
A Mac running the same major version of the OS. You can only create an install disk for 10.9.x on a Mac running OS X 10.9.x, the same applies for the other versions of the OS.

The process is the same. It’s just that it needs to be repeated.