Send Webpage via Remote Desktop

Question Details

TICKET ARCHIVE -> Send Webpage via Remote Desktop

leonard.leotech - Oct 27, 2007 - 8:22 am

Hi-

I work with a High School IT department. Is there a way for teachers to "send webpages" to student computers via remote desktop? In other words, can a teacher type in a url, like "macosx.com" and it will appear on the students computer? Or do I need a different type of software? I was thinking automator might do the trick, but couldn't figure out how to get it to do that.

macbri - Oct 29, 2007 - 5:57 pm

Hi Leonard -

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but with remote desktop can't the admin just connect to the student computer and launch Safari, and then enter the desired URL?

Or with "ssh", copy a URL or webloc file to each client's Desktop and then just have them click on it?

leonard.leotech - Oct 29, 2007 - 6:13 pm

Sorry for the confusion-

I was looking for an easy way to have a teacher force open, on many screens (simultaneousness) the same website, that the students could then use themselves. Kinda like share screen, but then the students could individually manipulate the website.

macbri - Oct 30, 2007 - 1:57 am

Ah ok I understand now. So once Remote Apple Events is enabled on each client (System Preferences -> Sharing) try the following:

Code:

tell application "Safari" of machine eppc://192.168.1.2
    make new document at end of documents
    set url of document 1 to "http://www.example.com/"
end tell

leonard.leotech - Oct 30, 2007 - 7:35 pm

Can this action be done by clicking a single button, like a script?

Sorry for so many questions,

Leonard

macbri - Oct 30, 2007 - 8:16 pm

Absolutely, you write and test the script in "Script Editor" and when it's working as you like it, you do "File -> Save As" and in the dialog that pops up you select "Application" as the "File Format". You'll now have a clickable application!

Another suggestion, instead of hard-coding a URL into the script/application, you can use a dialog box, e.g.

Code:

display dialog "URL" default answer "" buttons ["Cancel", "Enter"] default button 2
set theurl to {text returned of result}

leonard.leotech - Oct 31, 2007 - 5:35 am

I just created the new script...thanks-it works how I though-but does it send it out to all computers?

Leonard

macbri - Oct 31, 2007 - 9:35 am

Hi Leonard -

As written the script will only control one machine, the one whose IP address we've provided. If you have a series of machines, you will have all their IP addresses and could put them in a list, and then iterate over that list.

For example:

Code:

-- List of IP addresses of our client machines
set remotecomp to {"192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.2", "192.168.1.3", "192.168.1.4"}

-- Query administrator for a URL
display dialog "URL" default answer "" buttons ["Cancel", "Enter"] default button 2
set theurl to {text returned of result}

repeat with ipaddress in remotecomp
	set machinename to "eppc://" & ipaddress
	tell application "Safari" of machine machinename to open location theurl
end repeat

Note the simpler syntax for opening a URL with safari, something I found just today.

Also if your client machines require a username/password for a remote connection, you can embed them in the machine name. So for example:

eppc://192.168.1.1

might become

eppc://username:password@192.168.1.1

The usual disclaimer about the security implications of putting a password in a script probably applies....

leonard.leotech - Oct 31, 2007 - 2:23 pm

Thank you very much! This is really going to help at our institution.

Thanks again,

Leonard

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DATE	Oct 27, 2007
TICKET	#334803
STATUS	Closed
SUBJECT	Send Webpage via Remote Desktop

CAT	Computers, Operating Systems, Applications or Connected Devices
TYPE	Software Applications
DESC	Internet Related Utilities
DESC

PLATFORM	Apple Macintosh (Intel)
MODEL	iMac
PROC
RAM	2gb
DRIVE	250gb

NAME	Leonard
USERNAME	leonard.leotech
TECHNICAL	Expert
ISSUE	Need Advice