|
| NAVIGATION |
|
Home |
|
Store |
|
|
| INSIDE MAC |
|
Television Shows |
|
Broadcast Shows |
|
Daily News Shows |
|
Special Shows |
|
|
| EVENTS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DAILY TIPS |
|
Design |
|
Mac OS X |
|
Mac OS X UNIX |
|
|
| COMMUNITY |
|
Forums |
|
Surveys |
|
|
| NEWS |
|
Current |
|
Press |
|
Archive |
|
|
| FEATURES |
|
Editorial |
|
Dr. Mac |
|
Reviews |
|
Reader Reports |
|
|
| RESOURCES |
|
FAQ |
|
Documentation |
|
Learning Center |
|
MAN pages |
|
Glossary |
|
Tutorials |
|
Tips |
|
Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Mac's OS X Tip-of-the-Day 
Dr. Mac - Lock screen from the keyboard?
By Bob LeVitus
After yesterday's tip I got to wondering if I could lock my screen from
the keyboard. The answer was: Sure, it's easy. All I had to do was turn
on password protection in the Screen Effects System Preference pane's
Activation tab, then create a keyboard shortcut for "Sleep" in any
program that lets me assign keyboard shortcuts to menu items -- like
FruitMenu, MaxMenus, QuicKeys, and probably dozens more.
But I don't like locking the Screen Saver... oops... Screen
EFFECT...all the time. So I went back to the drawing board. It was a
snap with QuicKeys - I created a two-click menu shortcut and that was
that.
But QuicKeys, as good as it is, is still a fairly costly commercial
solution. Don't get me wrong - I think it's worth every penny... but
some people prefer free or less-expensive solutions.
So I tried it in AppleScript. Even though I'm the worlds least
proficient scripter, I came close. I just couldn't figure out how to
make it lock the screen instead of the keychain. I'm sure it can be
done but I couldn't access the lock menu or send a lock screen command.
I'm sure it can also be done with other inexpensive or free software,
but I'm at a loss for which ones would be up to the task.
So, for extra credit today, the first person to send me an AppleScript
that locks the screen without having to enable password protection in
the Screen Effects Preference pane first will be awarded the Sal
Soghoian Thunder Lizard Scripter Award and a rare "Dr. Mac: The OS X
Files" t-shirt.
To discuss this tip (or anything you like) in Dr. Mac's OSXFAQ Forum, click
here:
http://forums.osxfaq.com/viewtopic.php?t=3564
Bob LeVitus is a leading authority on Mac OS and the author of 39 books,
including Mac OS X For Dummies and The Little iTunes Book.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Copyright © 2000-2008 Inside Mac Media, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of the products or services. All understandings, agreements, or warranties, if any, take place directly between the vendors and prospective users. |
| Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, PowerMac G4, PowerMac G5, Xserve, Xserve RAID, PowerBook, iBook, Airport, AirPort Extreme, iMac, eMac, iLife, iMovie, iCal, iPhoto, iTunes, QuickTime, FireWire, iPod, iSight, AppleWorks, Macintosh, Jaguar, Panther, Mac OS, Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. |
|
