Message window at login window

[benfeea1]

I have a startup item that runs softwareupdate -i -a, deletes the startup item, and then reboots.

I want to display a message at the login window asking the user not to login until the computer reboots.

I have tried using the bash osascript command. However it does not want to allow it.

osascript -e ‘tell application “Finder”‘ -e ‘activate’ -e ‘display dialog “My message”‘ -e ‘end tell’

But I get this message

osascript[643] : 3891612: (connectAndCheck) Untrusted apps are not allowed to connect to or launch Window Server before login.
_RegisterApplication(), FAILED TO establish the default connection to the WindowServer, _CGSDefaultConnection() is NULL.
Bus error

Does any one have an idea of how to display a message window at the login screen?
I know how to change the login screen message. I want something the users will have to move or click on before they can log in.

[cpun]

I’m having the same problem too, but only in Leopard. It seems to work fine in Tiger. Have you had any luck since posting this?

[Greg Neagle]

Leopard does not allow arbitrary applications to display a UI over the login window. Applications must be specially written and specially invoked to display a UI over the loginwindow.

Some options include:

iHook – AFP548.com won’t let be post URLs, so here’s a partial: rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/ihook/
BigHonkingText (not sure where to find the current version, but Steve Hayman assures me it works over the loginwindow)
MunkiStatus – part of the munki project at (another partial URL) code.google.com/p/munki

-Greg

[cpun]

These are great references. I really like BigHonkingText, however, it seems to not let my updates install after displaying the message if I keep it up there indefinitely until restart. Is there a way to have a message display over the LoginWindow (like BigHonkingText does) and the rest of my script can continue or no?

[Author]

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