Sample script to set the desktop with desktoppr

setdesktop.sh

#!/bin/sh

##
## sets the desktop using `desktoppr`
##

export PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

# set the path to the desktop image file here
picturepath="/Library/Desktop Pictures/BoringBlueDesktop.png"


# verify the image exists
if [ ! -f "$picturepath" ]; then
    echo "no file at $picturepath, exiting"
    exit 1
fi

# verify that desktoppr is installed
desktoppr="/usr/local/bin/desktoppr"
if [ ! -x "$desktoppr" ]; then
    echo "cannot find desktoppr at $desktoppr, exiting"
    exit 1
fi

# get the current user
loggedInUser=$( echo "show State:/Users/ConsoleUser" | scutil | awk '/Name :/ && ! /loginwindow/ { print $3 }' )

# test if a user is logged in
if [ -n "$loggedInUser" ]; then
    # get the uid
    uid=$(id -u "$loggedInUser")
    # do what you need to do
    sudo -u "$loggedInUser" "$desktoppr" "$picturepath"
else
    echo "no user logged in, no desktop set"
fi

Hi - Love the idea of the app and the ability to now set a background color and scale the image appropriately is exactly what I've been looking for for sometime. I'm just wondering thought, have you tried running your command on the latest Catalina version 10.15.4?

sudo -u "$loggedInUser" "$desktoppr" "$picturepath"

I'm not getting the desired outcome, the command simply runs without and output and the requested changes not implemented. I've verified that the commands work as run manually by the user ruling out permissions, variable paths, fat thumbs!

Executing the command without switches (ie. sudo -u "$loggedInUser" "$desktoppr") returns with configuration data, however it's not correct!

I'm stumped!

It works for me and I am on the latest 10.15.4 (19E287). At this point you should check: is desktoppr installed correctly in the expected path? is it the latest version? Is the image you reference in picturepath installed when the script runs? is the path correct?

you might want to place a set -x at the beginning the of the script to get a detailed trace while it runs.

Thanks for this and the desktoppr tool!

In this script why is there this?
# get the uid
uid=$(id -u "$loggedInUser")
I don't see it used anywhere

because an earlier version of the script used

launchctl asuser "$uid" "$desktoppr" "$picturepath"