Testing and Sharing

After you’ve written code for your widget or web application, test it to ensure that it works as you expect. Dashcode includes its own Dashboard environment so you can run and test a widget in Dashcode without having to open it in Dashboard. Similarly, Dashcode includes a simulator application that simulates Safari and Safari on(…)

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Dashboard Environment

Dashboard Environment

Dashboard widgets provide an easy way for people to access important information and perform simple tasks without disturbing their work on the desktop. The Dashboard application, available in OS X v10.4 and later, provides the environment widgets run in and allows users to manage their widgets. This article introduces the Dashboard environment and explains how(…)

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Xcode Template

Xcode Template

Want to start developing Dashboard widgets now? Get started quickly and easily with the Dashboard Widget Xcode Template. To install the template, create a new folder called “Dashboard” in the /Library/Application Support/Apple/Developer Tools/Project Templates/ folder and drop the “Dashboard Widget” template there.The template includes all the basic components for new widgets (except a Default.png file)(…)

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Make Your Own Dashboard Widget

Make Your Own Dashboard Widget

That dashboard button is the route to an awesome desktop resource: custom widgets. One feature of OS X and Safari we are surprised gets little love is Web Clipping. When you just can’t find a widget or need to have quick access to information, web clipping can save the day. If you are unfamiliar, Safari(…)

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WidgetRunner

WidgetRunner

WidgetRunner lets you run Dashboard widgets on your desktop, rather than having to separately enter the Dashboard to view and manipulate them. Though there is an undocumented hack that allows you to run Widgets on the desktop, they always float above all other windows, which can be annoying. WidgetRunner allows you to specify whether each widget(…)

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Dashcode User Guide

Dashcode User Guide

This document provides an overview of the Dashcode development environment. It describes how to use Dashcode to create two types of projects: Dashboard widgets—simple, lightweight applications that perform a single task in the OS X Dashboard environment. Widgets are actually packaged webpages powered by standard web technologies such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style(…)

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Widget Manager

Widget Manager

Take control of your Dashboard Widgets. Widget Manager is the original, free preference pane that lets you manage Widgets in Mac OS X. With Widget Manager you can inspect, remove and disable any Dashboard Widget, including the default Apple Widgets. Widget Manager also shows you all the information you can’t easily get through Dashboard, such(…)

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Backup and Restore Dashboard Widgets

Time Machine is one solution for backing up your Dashboard Widgets, but this option is not always optimal, especially when you have limited hard drive space, or if you would rather use other backup methods. Luckily, you can backup your widgets and reinstall each of them manually without much effort. How to Backup Step 1:(…)

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xWidget

xWidget

xWidget is a free desktop customisation software that runs like a dashboard in Mac OS, including its graphical user interface. The application itself is simple, clean, lightweight and fast without taking up too much resources. Most importantly, you can customise your desktop with widgets and there are plenty of widgets that you can choose and add from its(…)

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Dashboard Hacks

Dashboard Hacks

A Dashboard Dilemma When you look at the Dashboard of the average Mac user, it’s likely empty and never used, or overwhelmingly full of sports-news feeds and sticky-notes. Sometimes you see festive Christmas lights as well! Surely, there must be more to the Dashboard than this. The dashboard was never meant for this! Well, hopefully(…)

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