What Is a Widget?
The word widget
(pronounced wih-jit) is one of those words
that now has far too many definitions. The dictionary defines it as
a small mechanical device; a gadget, or a manufactured item that is
unnamed. But we all know in the Internet era, a widget is much, much more.
In a programming context, it's a generic term
for the part of a
GUI that allows the user to interface with the
application and operating system. Widgets display information and
invite the user to act in a number of ways. Typical widgets that you may encounter include buttons, dialog boxes, pop-up
windows, selection boxes, windows, toggle switches and forms.
The term widget also can be used to refer to either the graphic component
or its controlling program or to refer to the combination of both.
Today when people use the word
widget, in a Web 2.0 world, they are referring to
piece of self-contained code — a small application actually, that
opens up a doorway to a much larger application. To this end,
you can find widgets that provide stock quotes and news, search
boxes for Google, eBay and other popular search-based Web sites,
clocks, counters, games, feeds and more.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that
widgets used on the desktop or Web are also called gadgets. In fact,
in Windows Vista, Microsoft uses the word gadget, but it is still a
widget. |
Key Terms To
Understanding Widgets:
widget
Pronounced wih-jit. (1) A generic term for the part of a GUI that
allows the user to interface with the application and operating
system.
graphical user interface
Abbreviated GUI (pronounced GOO-ee). A program interface that takes
advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the
program easier to use.
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Desktop Widgets
Many widgets are designed to run on your desktop — it's a small
application that provides specific information to the user, and can be
functional or fun. If you're using the Windows operating system, you can use a widget
engine and then choose widgets to install to your desktop. One very common
type of widget for the desktop is Yahoo! Widgets. Previously
called Konfabulator, it's free and can be used on Mac OS X or
Windows systems. You simply need to download the Widget installer and then
browse the Yahoo! Widgets directory for more than 4,000 widgets that you can
freely use on your desktop. Other popular desktop widget engines include
Dashboard,
which was released with Mac OS X v10.4,
Google Desktop, and
SpringWidgets. Windows
Vista and Windows Live both use
MicrosoftGadgets.
Web Widgets
Advancing on desktop widget technology, today Web widgets are another type
of widget that has gained in popularity, especially with the increased
interest in personal publishing. Web widgets are pieces of code that
you can embed right on to your Web page, or personal publishing space such as
Blogger or WordPress. Web widgets work like a mini-application that you use
to provide information to visitors. They include search
widghets, eBay trackers, news headlines, games, clocks and other
applications. Web widgets are
easy to use and require you only to copy and paste a snippet of code to display
the widget, which is hosted on the developer's server. Widget directories,
such as Widgetbox enable you to
search for a specific type of widget, customize it for your own use, then
copy and then paste the code to your own pages. Other free Web widget
directories include yourminis,
Google
Gadgets for your Web page, and the
Snipperoo widget
directory.
Mobile Widgets
Like desktop widgets, mobile widgets are small applications, but these are
designed, as you might expect, to work on mobile phones, rather than your computer. In some cases
a widget engine is required, while in other instances, you may be
required only to point your mobile browser to a special URL to access the widget.
mFoundry, for example,
offers a mobile widget engine for financial applications, and
Bling also offers mobile
applications. A Google search will also turn up a selection of
mobile widgets, designed to run on specific mobile operating systems.
iRibbit (previously called
iPhoneMyeBay) is an eBay widget for the iPhone and
WidSets offers a directory
of mobile widgets also.
Easy Widget Development for Beginners and Beyond
Many widget tools help developers create innovate widgets and are useful
novices as well. Widgetbox's free
developer services offer
analytics for tracking, services that allow consumers to use your
widgets on their own site and popular blogging services, hosts the widget
and also take care of including options that let you customize your
widget. For the Mac community, Apple Dashboard Widgets are created using a mix of HTML, JavaScript,
and CSS. The
Apple developer connection provides tools and resources for Dashcode
that can be used by interested developers. Yahoo also
offers tools to build and
develop your own Yahoo! Widgets. MicrosoftGadgets also offers a
Builders page with
developer tools and resources for Windows Vista Sidebar and also for
LiveGadgets.
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Did You Know...
The first document usage of the word widget is attributed to
the1924 play "Beggar on Horseback", by George Kaufman and Marc
Connelly.
[Source]
|
Vangie 'Aurora' Beal
Writer, www.Webopedia.com
Last updated: September 14, 2007
Widgetbox
Widgetbox is a directory for web widgets for blogs and other web pages.
Yahoo! Widgets
The Yahoo! Widget Gallery offers over 4,000 desktop Widgets - the most available
anywhere online. Yahoo! Widgets is the only major desktop Widgets platform that
works on both Windows and Mac OSes.
Google
Desktop
Google Desktop makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with
Google. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over
your email, files, music, photos, chats, Gmail, web pages that you've viewed,
and more.
SpringWidgets
A widget engine for the desktop and the web.
MicrosoftGadgets
MicrosoftGadgets.com offerse gadget uploads and downloads, forums and more.
Google Gadgets
for your Web page
A large collection of widgets you can get code for to add to your own site.
Snipperoo
The Snipperoo Widget Directory offers listings to over 3,000 widgets.
iRibbit
Using your iPhone browser you can surf to this URL to access eBay.
yourminis
Get widgets for your blog, Web site, startpage, and desktop.
Apple developer
connection
tutorial on developing Dashboard widgets. |
