Dashboard (macOS)
OS X 10.11 El Capitan | |
| Stable release | 1.8 (July 20, 2011) [±] |
|---|---|
Widget engine | |
| Website | www |
| Part of a series on |
| macOS |
|---|
Dashboard is a discontinued feature of
Before
Dashboard was first introduced in
From
Widget support is reintroduced in macOS Sonoma, the latest macOS version.[6] In macOS Sonoma, Apple has integrated the Dashboard with the Desktop. Users are still able to keep widgets in the Notification Center.
Widget functions and capabilities
Dashboard widgets, like web pages, are capable of many different things, including of performing tasks that would be complicated for the user to access manually.[7] One example is the Google Search widget, which simply opens up the user's web browser and performs a Google search. Other widgets, like Wikipedia, grab the contents of web pages and display them within Dashboard. Some widgets can also serve as games, using Adobe Flash (or another multimedia authoring program) to create games just as if they were in a web browser. It is also possible for Mac users to create their own widgets using built-in software.
Graphics
Dashboard uses a variety of graphical effects for displaying, opening, and using widgets. For instance, a 3-D flip effect is used to simulate the widget flipping around, by clicking on a small i icon in the right bottom corner, the user can change the preferences on the reverse side; other effects include crossfading and scaling from icon to body (when opening widgets), a "spin-cycle effect" when a widget is focused and the user presses Command-R or a suck-in effect when they are closed. On sufficiently powered Macs, widgets will produce a ripple effect when they are opened, like a leaf falling onto water. These effects consume considerable processing power [
Creation of widgets
Dashboard widgets are created using
When a Dashboard widget is built, it usually consists of six files:
- The widget's HTML file, which is the actual file that will be displayed in the Dashboard layer
- The widget's CSS file, which is used for styling the widget (but is called on from the HTML file)
- The widget's JavaScript file, although it may be implemented directly within the HTML file if the developer desires
- The widget's Property List (called “Info.plist”), which is what Dashboard uses to load the widget’s properties (i.e.: name, version, HTML file, etc.)
- The background image of the widget, in PNG format
- The icon that is displayed in the menu bar
Once all of these files are in the root of a directory, it is given a name and the extension ".wdgt", and then it can be opened up in Dashboard as a widget. More complex widgets may also include a
Comparison with Konfabulator
Many people have made comparisons between
One school of thought came to the conclusion that Dashboard was a "rip-off" of Konfabulator. It points out the visual and functional similarities between Dashboard has been widely compared to Konfabulator (later
The codebases for Konfabulator and Dashboard are also different: Konfabulator uses XML and JavaScript to generate Widgets, whereas Dashboard uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Objective-C.[13]
Included widgets
In the first version of Dashboard released with
- Address Book(now known as Contacts)
- Business
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Dictionary
- Flight Tracker
- iTunes Controller—no longer included in latest macOS releases.
- Phone Book—no longer included in latest macOS releases.
- Stickies
- Stocks
- Tile Game
- Translation
- Unit Converter
- Weather
- World Clock
After the Macworld 2006 keynote, Steve Jobs also announced four new widgets (Ski Report, People Finder, Google Search, and ESPN), as well as significant updates to the Phone Book and Calendar widgets. All of these are available through the Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger update.
In addition,
Widgets on iOS
Apple has never announced support for the installation of Dashboard widgets on iOS. Even though, in June 2008, an unannounced update of Dashcode that was packaged with the
It has been demonstrated that installing Dashboard widgets on a jailbroken iOS device is possible in theory, but most desktop-oriented widgets are not oriented to usage or interaction on iOS's multi-touch screen-oriented interface; they may also rely on DashboardClient's widget JavaScript object, which is not part of iOS.
On June 2, 2014, as part of their announcement of iOS 8, Apple announced that in the "Today" view (which is accessible by swiping down from the status bar) will be able to have downloadable widgets from the App Store.[14] While not the same desktop-oriented widgets that are found in Dashboard, this represented the first time that widgets became available officially (i.e., without jailbreaking) on iOS.
There is an unrelated CarPlay feature with the same name introduced with iOS 13.
On June 22, 2020, during the WWDC Keynote Address, Apple introduced widgets for iOS 14. These widgets can be placed on the homescreen, and can be resized. Users can stack up to 10 widgets, or choose a "Smart Stack" widget which will change depending the user's activity.[15]
See also
- Add-on (Mozilla)
- Dashboard (business)
- Google Chrome Extensions
References
- ^ "How to create your own OS X Dashboard Widgets from Safari - Make Tech Easier". Make Tech Easier. July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ^ Haslam, Karen. "Yosemite review: Continuity and WiFi problems mar an otherwise pleasing update". Macworld UK. Archived from the original on August 19, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9781430225522. Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Hattersley, Lucy. "3 ways to Mac Dashboard useful again: games, entertainment and fresh new productivity widgets". Macworld UK. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ Statt, Nick (June 4, 2019). "Apple will permanently remove Dashboard in macOS Catalina". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- ^ Porter, Jon (June 5, 2023). "Apple announces macOS Sonoma with game mode and support for desktop widgets". The Verge. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Evans, Jonny. "How the macOS Dashboard can actually help you be productive". Computerworld. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ISBN 9780596555306. Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ISBN 9781430205197. Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Where Apple Went Wrong With Widgets Archived May 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, a blog post claiming Dashboard was a Konfabulator rip off.
- ^ Much Ado About Dashboard Archived January 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine More debate, cites other references.
- ^ Special Patrol: Arlo Rose on Tiger’s Dashboard Archived July 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, an interview with one of Konfabulators authors. Includes his opinions about Dashboard. Includes a response to the "Desk Accessories argument".
- ^ Dashboard vs. Konfabulator Archived July 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, a blog post claiming Dashboard was not a rip off of Konfabulator. Includes history and technical details.
- ^ Inc., Apple. "Apple Developer". Apple.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "iOS 14 Preview - Features". Apple. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- Notes
- "Desk Ornaments" by Andy Hertzfeld, folklore.org, October 1981, retrieved July 11, 2006
- Apple.com
External links
- Apple's Dashboard page
- Dashcode Developer Tips Archived March 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- Dashboard User Tips Archived August 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- Dashboard Games
