This tutorial is a guide through the process of setting up an Apple Mac for use in an exhibition, gallery, or similar setting. I will demonstrate how to fully automate the computer to turn on, run a certain program (in full-screen mode with no menu bar / dock) and then turn off again in the evening, with no user input required. The surrounding issues, such as running with no mouse / keyboard and configuring bluetooth and screen-savers are also addressed. This method is tried and tested, and was used to set up SEE {Sight Enhanced Electronics} for two exhibitions. The software in this example has been created with Processing (1.0.9), but the method applies to anything.

With Processing I first had to prepare the software by exporting it as an application for Mac OS X, and making sure all the folders in my sketch directory were copied into the application folder.

Getting started then, in an admin account on the mac open up System Preferences (in the apple menu). Going through the options I first chose “Display” and made sure the Brightness was maximum (Image 1 (Illustraions at the bottom of the post)). Having a keyboard and mouse unplugged causes the mac to automatically bring up a “Bluetooth Setup Assistant” which searches for wireless keyboards and mice. This interferes with the machine’s start-up every time in an exhibition environment, where the keyboard and mouse is removed to stop visitors ruining your presentation / software / DVD running. In the “Bluetooth” settings you can turn this feature off, and make sure that Bluetooth is generally disabled (Image 2). Next, in the “Energy Saver” settings ensure that the computer will never sleep, and never turn off the display (nothing worse than a blank screen at an exhibition!), and in the “options” turn off the brightness reducing feature and adjust the other settings to your liking (Image 3 & 4). Then in the “Schedule…” section, tell the computer to turn on just before the exhibition opens in the morning, and ‘shut down’ just after closing time, automating the system (Image 5).

Finally, open the “Accounts” management, and create a secondary non-admin account, or modify the Guest account, to log-in automatically when you start the mac. You can also turn on Parental Controls for this account, to further secure it (although people should not have the chance to fiddle as there won’t be a keyboard and mouse plugged in!). (Image 6).

Now restart the mac and you should be automatically logged into your secondary account. First, open up “System Preferences” again and in the “Desktop & Screensaver” settings, make sure the screensaver will ‘never’ come on (Image 7).

Then, find the application file you wish to display. In the case of a Processing application export you will find a .dmg package which should run your script. To ensure the software runs completely full-screen, without the dock and menu bar, ctrl-click on the file and “Show Package Contents” (Image 8). You should now see a file called “Info.plist” which contains all the settings of how the application will run, open it up with TextEdit or something similar. Be careful in this file! You’re looking for the “LSUIPresentationMode” key, in which is an “<integer>” which should read “4″. Change this value to a “3″ then save and close the file. This forces the menu bar to hide when the application is running. (Image 9).

Finally, drag your application on to the Dock bar, ctrl-click it there and select “Open at login”. (Image 10 & 11).

Your mac should now turn on at a certain time in the morning, run the application in full-screen mode, and turn off again in the evening, for as long as you need it to. All without screen-savers, sleeping, annoying bluetooth notifications or anything else.

Any questions, feel free to leave them in a comment.