Can I add 3rd party widget to Dashboard?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Can I add 3rd party widget to Dashboard?

I downloaded a vacation countdown Widget from Disney Vacation Club. It's called a widget, but appears to be an applet with its own package of contents, and none of the files have a .wdgt extension.

It sits on the desktop, but is there a way to add this to the dashboard?

Also, when it is open - there is no icon for it on the dock, just a blank space. Is there a way I can assign an icon for it? It does show it's icon in the application file.

Thanks in advance. Me and several other Disney/Mac fans eagerly await the wisdom of the community!

Dirk

PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jan 2, 2008 7:24 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 2, 2008 7:29 PM in response to dcreinken

Are you sure it's not a Windows "widget"? This page explains that both Windows and Mac versions are available.

-Doug

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Answer 2

wdwman

Level 1

8 points

Feb 7, 2008 1:17 PM in response to dcreinken

I'm having the same problem. The Mac versions of the widget just install like applications, and run like applications. I dragged copies of them into the "Widgets" folder in the Library, but they still don't appear in my "manage widgets" list in Dashboard. How do I get these widgets into Dashboard?

Incidentally, I don't get icons for these in the dock either.

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Answer 3

Dan Uff

Level 2

292 points

Feb 7, 2008 6:06 PM in response to dcreinken

Sometimes, 3rd party companies use the word 'Widget' without necessary meaning that it's for the Dashboard. I feel that Apple should trademark the word to eliminate the confusion as I too have run into this problem until I read the developer's documentation on what a Widget is when it comes to Mac OS X.

If it does NOT appear on the Dashboard, then there isn't a way to get it into it without rewriting the program.

-Dan Uff

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Answer 4

Feb 7, 2008 8:19 PM in response to dcreinken

If it's a Mac compatible widget, and you double click it, Dashboard should offer to install it for you. If this doesn't happen, copying it to the appropriate widgets folder isn't going to work.

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Answer 5

Mar 1, 2008 7:00 PM in response to William Lloyd

I'm having the same problem in that when I download a widget it wants to install as an application. I just switched to a new Mac Pro using 10.5.2 from using a Mac Book Pro on 10.4.x.

On my MBP, when I clicked on a Widget to download from the Apple Widget site, my screen would change to the Dashboard for me to install the Widget on my Dashboard.

The very same Widgets will not do the same thing when I try to download from on my Mac Pro.

Is there a place that I need to put the Widget program in order for it to appear on my Dashboard or is this a bug in Leopard?

Thank You,
Greg

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