MCX Keyboard layout

[zvordauk]

Hi all,

I need to make availabe multiple keyboard layouts from the Menu bar (across 220 Macs on Campus)
I have edited WGM>Computer Groups>Preferences>Details>com.apple.HIToolbox and inserted the keys exactly as lifted from a working client.
However all I get in the Menubar on restart is a single keyboard layout.

Any idea what I am doing wrong???

[tlarkin]

First you need to create the plist file: com.apple.mcxMenuExtras

In that file you need to set what you want allowed on the menu bar. To change the keyboard layout you want the TextInput.menu enabled. So in WGM drag that mcxMenuExtras into the details menu for your group. then create a new string called TextInput.menu, set it to boolean and true, and it will always show up on each user now whenever they log in.

Then add in the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.HIToolbox.plist and add each item under AppleSelectedInputSources. Just mimic the settings for the US keyboard layout with each additional language.

Another way would to be get it exactly on a specific user account the way you want it, and use the dscl command to read the mcx settings and export that to a file, or use some scripting to add the setting in.

[zvordauk]

Thanks for that!

Just a note – I couldn’t add the com.apple.mcxMenuExtras plist until I had populated it with the TextInput.menu string – once I figured that out I could add it in (just in case it helps anyone else in future.

Unfortunately with this and the HiToolbox plist I am still getting the same result.
I have removed the existing Managed Pref folder and verified that the computer is actually a memeber of the group!

Here’s the HiToolbox plist:

mcx_application_data

com.apple.HIToolbox

Forced


mcx_preference_settings

AppleSelectedInputSources

0

InputSourceKind
Keyboard Layout
KeyboardLayout ID
50
KeyboardLayout Name
Irish

1

InputSourceKind
Keyboard Layout
KeyboardLayout ID
0
KeyboardLayout Name
U.S.

2

InputSourceKind
Keyboard Layout
KeyboardLayout ID
2
KeyboardLayout Name
British

[tlarkin]

Have you tried setting it on a client and do a MCX read from the command line to see what it modifies?

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