Swift Dialog Inventory UI for Jamf Recon
· 2min
This script wraps jamf recon in a small SwiftDialog UI so users can trigger an inventory update from Self Service and see clear progress feedback instead of a silent background action. When launched, it:
- Verifies SwiftDialog is installed and at or above the required version, installing it via a Jamf policy trigger if needed.
- Displays a lightweight “Update Inventory” window with your org branding, overlay icon, and a progress indicator.
- Runs
jamf reconin the background, streams the latest log line into the dialog as progress text, then closes the window when inventory is complete.
It is intended to be deployed as a Jamf Self Service policy for macOS devices that already have Jamf enrolled. You can customize the window title, icons, and policy triggers at the top of the script to match your environment.
main.tf
#!/bin/zsh
#
# DialogInventory
#
# Written: 06/03/2024
# Last updated: 06/05/2024
#
# Script Purpose: Perform the JAMF Recon command with Swift Dialog feedback
#
# 1.0v
SUPPORT_DIR="/Library/Application Support/XYZ"
SD_BANNER_IMAGE="${SUPPORT_DIR}/SupportFiles/XYZ.png"
SW_DIALOG="/usr/local/bin/dialog"
[[ -e "${SW_DIALOG}" ]] && SD_VERSION=$( ${SW_DIALOG} --version) || SD_VERSION="0.0.0"
MIN_SD_REQUIRED_VERSION="2.3.3"
DIALOG_INSTALL_POLICY="install_SwiftDialog"
SUPPORT_FILE_INSTALL_POLICY="install_SymFiles"
ICON_FILES="/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/"
###################################################
#
# App Specfic variables (Feel free to change these)
#
###################################################
SD_WINDOW_TITLE="Update Inventory"
SD_ICON_FILE=$ICON_FILES"ToolbarCustomizeIcon.icns"
OVERLAY_ICON="/Applications/Self Service.app"
TMP_LOG_FILE=$(mktemp /var/tmp/DialogInventory.XXXXX)
DIALOG_CMD_FILE=$(mktemp /var/tmp/DialogInventory.XXXXX)
JSON_DIALOG_BLOB=$(mktemp /var/tmp/DialogInventory.XXXXX)
chmod 655 $DIALOG_CMD_FILE
chmod 655 $JSON_DIALOG_BLOB
####################################################################################################
#
# Functions
#
####################################################################################################
function check_swift_dialog_install ()
{
# Check to make sure that Swift Dialog is installed and functioning correctly
# Will install process if missing or corrupted
#
# RETURN: None
if [[ ! -x "${SW_DIALOG}" ]]; then
install_swift_dialog
SD_VERSION=$( ${SW_DIALOG} --version)
fi
if ! is-at-least "${MIN_SD_REQUIRED_VERSION}" "${SD_VERSION}"; then
install_swift_dialog
fi
}
function install_swift_dialog ()
{
# Install Swift dialog From JAMF
# PARMS Expected: DIALOG_INSTALL_POLICY - policy trigger from JAMF
#
# RETURN: None
/usr/local/bin/jamf policy -trigger ${DIALOG_INSTALL_POLICY}
}
function update_display_list ()
{
# setopt -s nocasematch
# This function updates the Swift Dialog list display with easy to implement parameter passing...
# The Swift Dialog native structure is very strict with the command structure...this routine makes
# it easier to implement
#
# Param list
#
# $1 - Action to be done ("Create", "Add", "Change", "Clear", "Info", "Show", "Done", "Update")
# ${2} - Affected item (2nd field in JSON Blob listitem entry)
# ${3} - Icon status "wait, success, fail, error, pending or progress"
# ${4} - Status Text
# $5 - Progress Text (shown below progress bar)
# $6 - Progress amount
# increment - increments the progress by one
# reset - resets the progress bar to 0
# complete - maxes out the progress bar
# If an integer value is sent, this will move the progress bar to that value of steps
# the GLOB :l converts any inconing parameter into lowercase
case "${1:l}" in
"create" | "show" )
# Display the Dialog prompt
eval "${JSON_DIALOG_BLOB}"
;;
"destroy" )
# Kill the progress bar and clean up
/bin/echo "quit:" >> "${DIALOG_CMD_FILE}"
;;
"progress" )
# Increment the progress bar by static amount ($6)
/bin/echo "progresstext: ${2}" >> "${DIALOG_CMD_FILE}"
;;
esac
}
function cleanup_and_exit ()
{
[[ -f ${TMP_LOG_FILE} ]] && /bin/rm -rf ${TMP_LOG_FILE}
[[ -f ${JSON_DIALOG_BLOB} ]] && /bin/rm -rf ${JSON_DIALOG_BLOB}
[[ -f ${DIALOG_CMD_FILE} ]] && /bin/rm -rf ${DIALOG_CMD_FILE}
exit 0
}
function welcomemsg ()
{
echo '{
"icon" : "'${SD_ICON_FILE}'",
"overlayicon" : "'${OVERLAY_ICON}'",
"iconsize" : "100",
"message" : "Performing the JAMF inventory update process...",
"bannertitle" : "'${SD_WINDOW_TITLE}'",
"messageposition" : "true",
"progress" : "true",
"moveable" : "true",
"mini" : "true",
"position" : "topright",
"button1text" : "none",
"commandfile" : "'${DIALOG_CMD_FILE}'"
}' > "${JSON_DIALOG_BLOB}"
${SW_DIALOG} --jsonfile ${JSON_DIALOG_BLOB} &
}
function update_inventory ()
{
sudo jamf recon
wait
} >> "${TMP_LOG_FILE}" 2>&1
####################################################################################################
#
# Main Script
#
####################################################################################################
autoload 'is-at-least'
check_swift_dialog_install
welcomemsg
# Start update inventory
update_inventory &
update_pid=$!
# While the process is still running, display the log entries
while kill -0 "$update_pid" 2> /dev/null; do
lastLogEntry=$(tail -n 1 "${TMP_LOG_FILE}")
update_display_list "progress" $lastLogEntry
sleep 0.5
done
update_display_list "progress" "Inventory Updated, exiting ..."
sleep 2
update_display_list "destroy"
cleanup_and_exitHow to present this in Jamf Self Service
This script works best as a small, targeted Self Service action that users can run when IT asks them to “update inventory” or when you need fresh data before troubleshooting.
Recommended Self Service configuration
Use something clear and user friendly, for example:
Update Device InventoryRefresh Mac InventorySend Inventory to IT
Avoid anything too Jamf centric like “Run jamf recon”. Most users do not know what that means.
Description
Something in this tone usually lands well:
- This tool updates your Mac inventory so IT has the latest info about your device for support and compliance reporting.
- When you run it, a small window will appear showing the inventory progress. You can keep working while it runs. The window will close when the update is complete.
You can also add a short note for support:
- You might be asked to run this before a support session so we can see up to date information about your Mac.
Icon
Pick an icon that visually reads as “update” or “info”, for example:
- A refresh style icon.
- A computer with a small checkmark.
- Your company logo if you already use that for IT tooling.
If you want to match the script, reuse the same icon file you configured in SD_ICON_FILE so the SwiftDialog window and Self Service tile feel consistent.
Policy options and scope
- Trigger: None or
Self Service Only. The main user entry point is Self Service, not an automatic schedule. - Execution Frequency: Ongoing. Users should be able to run this more than once.
- Scope: All macOS devices where SwiftDialog and Jamf recon are supported. Usually your standard managed Mac smart group.
- Privileges: Run as root, using the Jamf agent. The dialog will show in the user session, the recon will run with admin rights behind the scenes.
If you want to be extra nice to your help desk, add a note in the internal policy name, for example:
UTIL – Self Service – Update Inventory (SwiftDialog)
That way when someone asks “What did the user run” you can see it in logs without guessing.
User experience to expect
From the user perspective, the flow looks like this:
- They open Self Service and click
Update Device Inventory. - A small SwiftDialog window pops up in the top right with your title and icon.
- The message shows that an inventory update is in progress, and the text updates while
jamf reconruns. - When recon finishes, the dialog shows a short final message like “Inventory Updated, exiting …” then closes on its own.
If the script ever fails, the Jamf policy log will contain the recon output and the last line shown in the dialog, which gives you a starting point for debugging.