Lexia Tech Note #201012

The Lexia Reading^® app contained in the downloadable disk image on the Lexia site can be customized and placed into a package, which can be pushed out to client machines from an OS X server with Apple Remote Desktop installed.

Part 1: Editing the contents of Lexia Reading.app

After downloading the Lexia Reading disk image from our site, open the disk image. Finder will show the Lexia Reading.app file. Copy it out of the disk image, and onto the Desktop, or another folder with write permissions. Then control-click on it and choose "Show Package Contents."

Browse to Contents, and then the LLSCommon folder. Open login.ini with a text editor such as TextEdit.

Modify the login.ini settings to match those you wish to use as the default for installations. Enter your customer code (including dashes) after the "ID=" on the second line. Also enter any proxy information in the Proxy section near the end of the file. Then save the login.ini file.

Part 2: Making a Package

Using PackageMaker (included in the OS X Development Tools), create a new empty package. In the Organization field, enter "com.Lexia". Set the minimum target as low as the Lexia Reading software supports (for v8.0.0, this is OS X 10.4 Tiger). Click OK.

Drag the Lexia Reading.app file into the lefthand column where the words, "Drop contents here" appear.

Click the Build icon in the toolbar.

Title the package "Lexia Reading" and save it wherever you want.

After the package is built, you'll be left with a Lexia Reading package file to use in the next step.

Part 3: Deploying via Apple Remote Desktop

Open Apple Remote Desktop (sold separately from OS X Server). In the lefthand column, click on All Computers. Any machines registered in Apple Remote Desktop will appear in the righthand column. Select the target machines, and click the Install button in the toolbar. An Install Packages window will appear.

Drag the Lexia Reading package to the empty Packages area at the top of the window. Select your installation preferences (the defaults are recommended) and then click the Install button.

The progress meter will display the results of the installation on each machine.

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