Browser profiles

[eeeRIE]

How can I make it so I open different profiles in the same browser?

What I mean is, I want to have 2 different Safari icons. One would open up one configured set of preferences and bookmarks. If I open the other safari icon, a whole separate profile opens.

How can I do this?

 

[munkle]

Easiest way would be to set up two user accounts and enable fast-user switching.

 

[eeeRIE]

Easiest way would be to set up two user accounts and enable fast-user switching.

Yes, I figure that would be my alternative if I really have to. But it's not something I want to do.

I would really like to be able to do it this way if I can. Is there any way that anyone's aware of?

Actually, I wouldn't mind doing it with both Safari and Firefox. It would seem to be easier to do it with Firefox anyway.

 

[PlaceofDis]

only other idea i would have is use one browser for a certain profile and a different one for your alternate. Other than this, FUS is basically your only other option

 

[mduser63]

This is sort of a guess, because I don't really know how Safari stores user settings and bookmarks. If it uses a relatively clean system of preferences files that you can access, then you do the switching with an AppleScript or even a BASH shell script. I'm certainly not the one to ask about specifics on how to do it, but it's probably worth looking into.

The thinking is that you could have an AppleScript that when run asks which profile you want to use, then depending on what you select, renames a preferences file so that it's "invisible" to Safari, and renames another one that you want used so that Safari will read it and use it upon startup. If you select another profile, it does the same sort of thing only with another preferences file ending up with the "correct" name. Rather than renaming, you could also move the files into and out of the correct folder, but I think the renaming option is probably cleaner.