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Questions tagged [windows-desktop-gadgets]

Windows Desktop Gadgets is the official name for the default widget interface on Windows 7. Windows Vista referred to them as Windows Sidebar Gadgets, but it was decided the sidebar that they would dock to should be removed in later versions of windows.

Windows Desktop Gadgets is the official name for the default widget interface on Windows 7. Windows Vista referred to them as Windows Sidebar Gadgets, but it was decided the sidebar that they would dock to should be removed in later versions of windows. They are written using standard web technologies (JavaScript, HTML, CSS) but have access to specific System APIs. They can also run unsigned ActiveX components without prompting the user for authorisation.

A basic Windows Desktop Gadget consists of 3 files;

  • a manifest file, gadget.xml, containing meta data such as title, description, author, etc;
  • a HTML file for the main gadget window; and
  • an image for the gadget background.

A gadget is packaged up for installation by compressing the files to a zip or a cab format and then renaming the extension to .gadget.

Example gadgets

a clock, a calendar and a weather application. http://i.msdn.microsoft.com/dynimg/IC295047.png

Windows Desktop Gadgets on Stack Overflow

The following is a list of useful questions tagged [windows-desktop-gadgets]:

Other references

230 questions
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Can not make the settings from the sidebar gadget get applied

OK, I am not an expert at Sidebar Gadgets, but I have this project I will have to make for school. Have tried to solve it on my own but I got really stuck. I will have to use the Cirip API (Cirip.ro being a kind of Twitter), and for the use of the…
Daniel
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Windows Gadget: How do i get json from a webpage and convert to a series of arrays with javascript?

Is it possible to get JSON from a webpage for use in a windows desktop gadget and convert it to an array via javascript? An example would be excellent.
user556396
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Windows Gadgets: How do I modify the DOM?

I've been working on creating a Windows Desktop Gadget. I can create HTML elements I want with document.createElement. I can set their attributes and I can get those attributes after setting them, but anything I do to modify the document just fails…
bshacklett
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Getting information from the server for a Gadget (Vista/7)

Hi all.. I want to get some information from my database and show into my sidebar gadget (i am newbee on gadget coding). I tried many ways to do it but i didn't succeed yet. For this purpose, I have prepared a php file to get some values from my…
Alper
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Can I save a record in a Windows Gadget in a file or other storage (database, etc.)?

I'm planning to create a simple gadget to create a TO DO list application. This is just for practice and to explore Windows Gadget. How can I store the values in the database? As much as possible, I don't want to set up a local http handler file to…
OnesimusUnbound
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How can I install a gadget to a user's desktop programmatically?

Is is possible to install a gadget to a user's desktop somehow? I believe I need to copy all the files to a the user's gadget folder, e.g. C:\Users\curusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets\test.gadget But copying the files here…
Tom
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Windows 7 Sidebar Gadget, not getting result for an Ajax call

In my windows gadget code in made an ajax (POST) call using jQuery in SettingsClosing(event). I watch the ajax call execution through Fiddler. Ajax call is returning the desired results.But it is not triggering success callback ajax. I tried the…
Ajmal VH
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Convert HTML Webpage to a Windows Gadget

I wanted to convert a webpage to a Windows Gadget. Basically, the Webpage has nothing but 2 or 3 images & a countdown. I tried to do it but unfortunately the size of the gadget shrinked to like around 2px width by 8px height. I tried Amnesty…
Netizen110
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How to implement something like "Fences"

I am fascinated by the program "Fences" How can I implement something which resides on the desktop like it does? you can move around the fences and they are persistent. (source: com.com) My guess is that it has been implemented using a dot net…
Jimmy
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How to prevent Ajax caching

I'm created this class to fetch a file from web to check for new version using Ajax. This code run on a Windows gadget, on IE8. But I'm having trouble because of the cache. Is there a way to fix this Ajax class to disable cache? PS: I don't use any…
Vitim.us
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How can I write windows 7 desktop gadgets using c# & WPF?

I want to write a desktop gadget that will group icons on my desktop (using c# & WPF). It will be a docked window that I can drag icons to it and they will stay their. Also there can be couple of this windows. Where do I begin? **I saw all the post…
Alex K
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Scripting.FileSystemObject location (from JavaScript)

I have a file for my Windows sidebar gadget that stores some settings for the user, but the FSO object seems to pick its native residence as the desktop, meaning that if I don't specify a directory, it will put this file on the desktop. I would…
Eric
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Windows Gadgets: Testing environment?

Is there anything that provides a console, error logging, etc. for testing Windows Gadgets? I've searched but I'm unable to find anything. Thanks in advance!
mattsven
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Is it possible to embed Windows Sidebar Widgeds in own .Net Application

I'm trying to embed Windows-Sidebar-Widgets into my own .Net Application (WPF and C#), but I dont't realy know where to start. I googled a bit but only found SDK and tutorials for widget-development. I found that there is a small service in Windows,…
Tokk
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Why won't Vista Sidebar Gadget show up in Gadget Gallery?

I'd like to create a sidebar gadget in Vista. I've followed this tutorial on how to create one to the letter. However, the gadget simply will not show up in the Gadget Gallery when I go to Add Gadgets in the sidebar. I've tried resetting the…
Soviut
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