How can I reset my Firefox profile with custom default settings via Terminal

Question

I have an iMac which kids use and on startup I have an automator script to reset the wallpaper, dock and other system settings. The only thing I have not managed to do so far is to reset the Firefox profile with custom settings.

I have been able to create a new profile via Terminal, but I do not know how to set the proxy settings through terminal. Any ideas as to how I would go about doing this?

Answer 1

I just tried setting some test proxy settings, the looking in the profile. In the prefs.js file, I see this:

user_pref("network.proxy.http", "test.com");
user_pref("network.proxy.type", 1);

So I don't know exactly how you're doing it from Terminal, but maybe that will help. If you set it up the way you want, you should be able to copy the settings out of prefs.js.

Answer 2

I ended up solving this program by including a whole preconfigured Firefox profile in a known location (Myapp.app/MacOS/Resources) and just creating a bash script to copy it over to the profiles folder.

Answer 3

If the iMac is on Leopard, and if those kids don't store any documents (well, I guess they do, or will in some future) then one could use the guest account:

You can use parental controls to manage a guest account, for example you can limit the applications a guest user has access to or filter Internet content.
[..]
Important: Files created while using a guest account are deleted when the user logs out. A temporary home folder is created for the guest’s files. When the they log out, the home folder and it’s contents are deleted.

And, more important: a recent bug might actually delete data from another account, so ensure you have backups and keep an eye on software update. (Or read How to restore Lost home folder after logging in as guest in Snow Leopard -- which might also apply to folks clicking Guest Account accidentally...)