Introduction to Dashboard Programming Topics

This document provides an overview of Dashboard and the widgets that exist in it. It discusses optional features that may be implemented in a widget, various WebKit technologies you may find useful, and touches on native code integration through a widget plug-in.

Who Should Read This Document?

Dashboard Programming Topics is for anyone who wants to create and enhance a Dashboard widget. It will provide you with an understanding of different techniques useful for improving your widget's functionality.

If you haven't developed a Dashboard widget before, be sure to start with Widget Basics.

Organization of This Document

This document contains the following articles:

• Widget Basics introduces the Dashboard environment and describes how to develop a simple widget.

• Designing Widgets provides guidelines and tips for designing successful widgets.

• Introduction to the Apple Classes discusses the Apple Classes, what they offer, and how to include them in your widget.

• Using Scroll Areas talks about integrating a scroll area into your widget.

• Using an Apple Slider tells you how to use a slider control in your widget.

• Using Animation discusses using the animation-focused Apple Classes.

• Using an Apple Button talks about using the AppleButton class to build your own buttons, and how to use the AppleGlassButton subclass for standard-style buttons.

• Widget Backs and Preferences tells you how to display, save, and retrieve preferences.

• Syncing Widgets looks at the Dashboard Sync feature in OS X v.10.5 and how you can handle syncing in your widget.

• Using Widget Events discusses Dashboard and widget events that your widget may want to be aware of.

• Declaring Control Regions defines and explains how to work with control regions, areas where controls are present in a widget.

• Resizing Widgets provides code useful for implementing resizing in your widget.

• Using the Canvas talks about using the Canvas feature of WebKit within your widget.

• Using the Pasteboard From JavaScript talks about supporting copy, cut, and paste in a widget.

• Using Drag and Drop From JavaScript tells you about the handlers needed to support drag and drop in your widget.

• Localizing Widgets discusses offering your widget with international users in mind, using localizable strings and other resources.

• Specifying Access Keys describes the widget access keys, used to turn on resource access for your widget.

• Accessing External Resources talks about opening applications or web pages in a browser with your widget.

• Accessing Command Line Utilities tells you how to access command-line utilities and scripts from within your widget.

• Creating a Widget Plug-in discusses native code plug-ins that your widget uses to interact with other applications.

• Calling Objective-C Methods From JavaScript provides more detail on bridging Objective-C and JavaScript.

• Delivering Widgets tells you about packaging and distributing your widget.

This document also contains a revision history.