About The Mac Dashboard & The Dashboard App's???

The web clip feature is completely unreliable because ESPN changes their web content frantically. Scores, feeds, etc, are never in the same place as the were the day before, probably to break any apps or programs that try to access that info. There aren't any reliable apps for the notification center either. The only option for checking scores for any sports is to go to the websites directly, so that you are forced to watch all their ads.

larsjm wrote:

The web clip feature is completely unreliable because ESPN changes their web content frantically. Scores, feeds, etc, are never in the same place as the were the day before, probably to break any apps or programs that try to access that info. There aren't any reliable apps for the notification center either. The only option for checking scores for any sports is to go to the websites directly, so that you are forced to watch all their ads.

Sites want you to watch their adverts - they profit from it. If you don't like the sites adverts look for another site or use adblockers.

Sorry the web clip doesn't work but it really the fault of the site owner if they deliberately alter the layout, perhaps there are feeds that can be used instead or the site may have an API for reading their content.

Other options are tools like ifttt.com that has the ability to read & notify when pages or content changes (via ESPN's API).

Do more with ESPN - IFTTT

Apple don't seem interested in keeping dashboard widgets working so look around for alternatives.

Apple has nothing to do with 3rd party widgets. ESPN (well Disney actually) is the only one that can maintain their sports feed for the widget to work.

Apple has no way of forcing them to maintain functional feed for the widget.

Delete those Dashboard apps then reinstall.

To remove a widget from Dashboard, click the Remove (–) button in the lower-left corner of the Dashboard, then click the unwanted widget's close button (X).

Checking out the OP's question, I'm finding a similar situation here in the UK. I've deleted and reinstalled ESPN several times but no news or scores available.

All the same, that does not mean Apple are responsible ... It could be an ESPN fault or even a withdrawal of service.

Can it be that ESPN is deceased completely??

(Hi 71 -- HI Carolyn)

When I look here, I can't find it:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/

Lex

btw: I have disabled Dashboard completely....

The widget shows on both my Snow Leopard and El Cap machines. But it always says 'cannot retrieve news' if you try to open it. ESPN is still around according to Google so I am guessing it is the arrangement between them and Apple. Who's fault that is, is anyone's guess.

Probably it does not generate ad income for ESPN anymore.

I don't have it, and I can not find that widget at all.

Lex

The ESPN widget is installed with the OS - it is Apples responsibility to keep it functioning as far as I can see.

Widgets are just a bunch of javascript & html, look at this file…

"/Library/Widgets/ESPN.wdgt/parser.js"

Part of that file lists what appears to be the URL's for retrieving the online data…

gLeagueArray ['RPM'] = {

staticEnable: false,

title: "Auto Racing",

kind: 'racing',

feed: 'http://wu.apple.com/rpm/bottomline/xml/race',

url: 'http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/index',

background: 'racing.png',

scoreParser: scoreParser_racing

};

The feed URL is broken - the widget cannot get the info because the website changed. You can either work out where the feed should be & correct it (make a copy of the widget first) or report it as a bug to Apple & hope they fix it.

http://feedback.apple.com/

I don't know about the Movie theatres widget - it never accepts my location, so I just get US movies that may be accurate, I don't care enough to test & can't see the feed URL in "/Library/Widgets/Movies.wdgt/parser.js"

Frankly I think you would be better off finding the relevant page with the info you wish to follow & then using the 'open in dashboard' feature of Safari to make your own widget. Be sure to customise the Safari Toolbar to add the 'Web Clip' (open in dashboard) button.

It's not clear if web clips are still a feature - I'm not on 10.11.

No dispute, Drew. Don't know enough about it all, but I'm curious about your reference to it being installed with the OS. That could explain the loss of the facility with Snow Leopard (as Apple haven't updated it for two years or more). But I can't get it with El Cap either.

While Apple maintains the Widget, ESPN clearly maintained the source of the feed for it.

It appears that source has been deactivated as the URL just directs you to an error page at Disney.com, that feed source is no longer available.

But good luck trying to get Disney to reinstate that feed.

Beyond that, I doubt there's anything to be done other than using something like a Notification Center Widget. There doesn't appear to be an ESPN widget for the Notification center, but there is one from Yahoo! Sports.

I don't have a default 10.11 install in front of me to check. I guess the widgets could be migrated from earlier OS's. I'm fairly certain this 10.9 install was not migrated, so it came with the OS, this command confirms it too… (unless I am an idiot).

[~]$ pkgutil --file-info /Library/Widgets/Movies.wdgt/

volume: /

path: /Library/Widgets/Movies.wdgt/

pkgid: com.apple.pkg.AdditionalEssentials

pkg-version: 10.9.0.1.1.1306847324

It came from an Apple package with 10.9.

ESPN & the Movies widget are also within the same location on an 10.10 image that I have too.

Just to be clear, you are trying to add the widget within Dashboard via the ➕ icon? That should show the widgets installed.

Phil0124 wrote:

Beyond that, I doubt there's anything to be done other than using something like a Notification Center Widget. There doesn't appear to be an ESPN widget for the Notification center, but there is one from Yahoo! Sports.

Is the 'web clip' widget still working?

That allows you to trim a section of a webpage & pin it to the dashboard. It seems ideal to me assuming ESPN have a page with the results that interest you…

http://www.switchingtomac.com/tutorials/create-web-clip-widgets-for-dashboard/

Drew Reece wrote:

Phil0124 wrote:

Beyond that, I doubt there's anything to be done other than using something like a Notification Center Widget. There doesn't appear to be an ESPN widget for the Notification center, but there is one from Yahoo! Sports.

Is the 'web clip' widget still working?

That allows you to trim a section of a webpage & pin it to the dashboard. It seems ideal to me assuming ESPN have a page with the results that interest you…

http://www.switchingtomac.com/tutorials/create-web-clip-widgets-for-dashboard/

Yes, that still works fine.

You could set the result bar from espn.com to a widget if you wanted to.

Hi Byron,

Dashboard widgets haven't really been supported or updated for some time now - mostly since the app Notification Center was introduced. Some continue to function, but others have bitten the dust.

I think you might want to try to find alternatives for the ones you like to use or see if you can add things to Notification Center that will help.