Fig 1.0 Click on the DESKTOP GADGETS Control Panel link to continue
Fig 1.1 Double click on a gadget to add that gadget to the desktop
Fig 1.2 The gadget has been added to the desktop
| DESKTOP GADGETS EXPLAINED |
Windows Sidebar is a toolbar window, introduced in Windows Vista, that sits on either the left-side or right-side of the vista desktop screen. Its purpose is to give you access to all sorts of tools (known as Gadgets) simply by going up to the sidebar and utilizing one or more of its tools (gadgets). For example. One gadget might allow you to search the EBAY website, via an EBAY SEARCH Edit Box, instead of you having to visit the EBAY website directly. Another gadget might allow you to listen to different worldwide radio stations just by pressing a gadget's button. So basically, a gadget sitting on the sidebar can be offering a Service, Utility, Game/Puzzle, Map and so on. They are like mini applications/programs.
In Windows 7 the windows sidebar is not a feature. Microsoft have opted to replace it with floating Desktop Gadgets instead, which are gadgets that you can freely drag/move around the desktop screen. By default there are no desktop gadgets placed on the desktop screen in Windows 7, so you will need to add one to see exactly what a desktop gadget is - This is done by going to the Control Panel window and clicking on the DESKTOP GADGETS link to bring up the Desktop Gadgets control panel (program/window). From there you then double click on a gadget in order to add it to the desktop screen.
By default a gadget is added to the top-right corner of the desktop screen, but you can drag it around using the normal drag/move technique - Move the
mouse pointer over the gadget, either directly on its window or on its DRAG button (Fig 1.2 above), and then click the left mouse button. Keep the left
mouse button pressed (held down) while you then move the mouse pointer; therefore dragging/moving the gadget. When you are happy with the gadget's new
desktop position simply release the left mouse button.
A gadget's Toolbar (Fig 1.2 above), which consists of a CLOSE button, an OPTIONS button and a DRAG button, will only appear when you hover over that
gadget. So in the above example I have the toolbar displayed because I am hovering over the Clock gadget in order to drag it. If I did not hover over
the Clock gadget only the clock would be displayed, but not the toolbar.
To close a gadget is to remove it from the desktop. It can be closed by clicking on its toolbar's CLOSE button or by selecting its CLOSE GADGET menu-item from the Options menu that appears when you right click over the gadget's window.
Fig 1.3 Click on the CLOSE button or..... |
Fig 1.4 .....Select the CLOSE GADGET menu-item to close (remove) this gadget. |
The Options menu also allows you to change the Opacity (Brightness/Dimness) of a gadget and make it the Front/Top Most Window when another window tries
to go over it (ALWAYS ON TOP). On top of this you can also add another gadget (ADD A GADGET) as well as change specific OPTIONS for this gadget.
ALWAYS ON TOP is only ideal if you want a gadget to be the front/top most window all the time, usually because you are using that gadget daily. Just to
clarify; a front/top most window is a window that stays in front (or on top of) any other windows that try and get in front (on top of) of it.
OPACITY is useful when a gadget's presence dominates the desktop screen - Using the Opacity option allows you to dim down the gadget's appearance to 40%
Opacity for example, therefore fading it more into the background.
Fig 1.5 Select the 40% OPACITY sub-menu menu-item..... |
Fig 1.6 .....to make the gadget Dimmer (40% Bright). |
OPTIONS is very good and should be looked at. It allows you to change certain characteristics of a gadget and/or certain functionalities. For example. The CLOCK gadget has options that allow you to give it a Clock Name (i.e. UK, ASIA, USA and so on), a New Face and a Seconds Hand. The Options menu will appear whenever you click on the OPTIONS (Spanner) button, on the gadget's toolbar, or when you right click over the gadget (its window).
Fig 1.7 Click on the LEFT / RIGHT Arrows to change the Clock Face |
Fig 1.8 A Clock with a Seconds Hand and UK TimeZone |
As you can see; the clock gadget OPTIONS are not complicated. In fact they are self-explanatory. The beauty of the clock gadget and Desktop Gadgets is that you can have multiple clocks with different faces and timezones. So there should be no need to download an International Clock program if all you require is three clocks for example. If you want alarms and so on that is a different story! Here are some examples of clocks that have used some of the above options.
Fig 1.9 Overlapped using DRAG |
Fig 1.10 Various OPACITY clocks with different faces and hands |
| DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL GADGETS |
To get the best out of Desktop Gadgets visit the
Windows Vista Gallery
(http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx?mkt=en-gb), for some really useful, excellent, time saving, money saving gadgets. One of my
favorites is the Post Office (Royal Mail) gadget that allows you to enter a weight (i.e. a Letter's weight) before telling you its Postage & Packaging
price. Saves a trip to the busy Post Office!
Once you are on the Windows 7 Personalization Gallery website, Desktop Gadgets section, you can then start browsing through the gadgets. There is a Top
Rated gadgets section and a Top Downloads gadgets section that is well worth a look. In this example I have typed "Royal Mail" into the SEARCH
Edit Box and then clicked on the SEARCH button, to find the Post Office gadget.
As you can see; in this example there is only one Royal Mail gadget. If I would of searched for a Calculator for example I would of received results for
Standard Calculators, Calory Calculators, Calculators with Big Numbers, Scientific Calculators and so on. Now that I have found the gadget I want I can
download it by clicking on its DOWNLOAD button.
Normally you would investigate the gadget for security reasons and for more information, by clicking on its Name link. However. I have used this gadget
in the past and know it to be reliable and secure. If a gadget has been submitted to the gallery without that gadget and/or its publisher being verified,
for whatever reason(s), a warning message will appear.
If you do get a warning message you can always click on the DONT INSTALL button and then click on the gadget's Name link to find out more information. The Royal Mail gadget is not unverified and as I said above I find it very reliable and secure. Below is just example of how to use the Name link.
After clicking on the DOWNLOAD button (Fig 2.1 above), and clicking on INSTALL if need be (Fig 2.2 above), the next thing to do is either SAVE (download only) the gadget file or OPEN it (Install it only - Windows 7 downloads it into the Temporary folder). Here is the SAVE method.
Clicking on INSTALL (Fig 2.9 above) will install the actual gadget straight onto the desktop screen, ready for use (Fig 2.10 above). With the OPEN method (below) the gadget file is downloaded into the Temporary folder (by Windows 7) and then installed straight onto the desktop screen, ready for use.
The above OPEN method is when the publisher of the gadget has been verified. If a publisher has not been verified you get the following warning after clicking on the OPEN button above (Fig 2.11).
With the Windows Vista Gallery being run by Microsoft there are certain guidelines (i.e. Why Was My Submission Rejected?) that publishers must follow; therefore I think it is safe to assume Unknown Publisher gadgets are reliable and secure. Remember though, the decision to install any gadget is yours!
| UNINSTALL A GADGET |
To uninstall a gadget first open the Desktop Gadgets control panel and then right click over the gadget you want to uninstall. Doing so will bring up the Options menu whereby you then need to select the UNINSTALL menu-item. A requester will then appear (Fig 3.1 below) asking you to confirm the uninstall.
If you uninstall one or more of the default windows gadgets, do not worry! You can restore (reinstall) them by going to the Control Panel, Type restore into its SEARCH edit box and then click on the link underneath Desktop Gadgets - RESTORE DESKTOP GADGETS INSTALLED WITH WINDOWS.
The Windows Vista Gallery has many gadgets covered - Prayer Times, Ebay, The Weather, Calculators, News, Travel, Radio Stations and much more. The idea of Desktop Gadgets is for you not to use Internet Explorer for example because gadgets act more like a Favorites list that are either links to a website (or web page), or a program, you can use (like the Post Office gadget). In other words. Why go to EBAY if your EBAY gadget has already signed you in, shown you the latest items for sale and so on. Saying this. Do not use too many gadgets as they use up resources (i.e. Memory) simply because of the nature of them being mini applications (programs) in their own right.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
