Apple ARD31 manual Automation, Automator Workflows, Automator actions Apple Remote Desktop

Technology Overview 28

Apple Remote Desktop 3

Automation

Automator actions in

Apple Remote Desktop 3

Choose Computer List Choose Remote Computer Close Every Window in Finder Convert Computer Lists to Computers Copy Items to Computers

Delete Desktop Items Eject All Disks Empty Trash Enable-Disable Dashboard Execute AppleScript Execute New UNIX Task Force Quit All Applications Get Every Computer Hide Other Applications Launch Dashboard

Lock Screens

New Computer List Open Folder Restart Computers

Retrieve References to Computers Send Text Message

Set Desktop Picture

Set Remote Access

Set Remote Finder Prefs Set Sleep and Wake Set Time to Current Time Set Time Zone

Set Volume

Start Screen Saver

Store References to Computers Unlock Screens

Apple Remote Desktop 3 includes more than 30 Automator actions, making it quick and easy to accomplish time-consuming, repetitive manual tasks.

Automator Workflows

With Automator and Apple Remote Desktop 3, it’s easy to create custom administra- tion workflows by chaining together individual actions. You can save these workflows as self-running applications, droplets, or plug-ins that can be accessed in an instant through Script Menu—whenever you need them.

For example, you may need to configure a new batch of systems all at once: setting a corporate desktop, turning on remote access, setting Finder preferences such as Energy Saver settings, changing the time zone, and syncing the time to the corporate time server. By creating and saving a plug-in that accomplishes all these tasks in exactly the same way every time, you can streamline the process of configuring any new system.

Once you’ve created a desktop management workflow, you can easily share it with less technical people in your organization. Teachers can use Automator actions and plug-ins to manage their classroom systems—for example, adjusting the volume on a computer or locking a screen—without needing to know anything about Apple Remote Desktop. This allows you to extend the power of Apple Remote Desktop and ensure consistent system administration standards across your organization.