Dashboard widgets bring local and global information to the Tiger
desktop by giving you the information you need with a simple
keystroke. However, there is much more to a Dashboard widget than
HTML. Cascading Sheets (CSS) provide widgets with and layout while
JavaScript makes the widget dynamic and provides user interaction.
In this book, Fred Terry examines how HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
join forces with the OS X filesystem abilities to provide widgets
with the look and feel of a standalone application.
The featured examples will help you gain an understanding of the
elements and construction of Dashboard widgets, while many chapters
end with a set of exercises that reinforce what you''ve learned.
You''ll quickly find all the information you need to begin
developing and sharing widgets.
What you will learn from this book
- How Dashboard widgets are an integral part of Tiger
- The different development environment options available
- How to use logging, printing, and JavaScript console in Safari
to debug your widget
- The activation, control, and focus events that provide the
widget with a Mac-like user interface
- The access keys that allow a widget to incorporate command-line
utilities and network resources.
Who this book is for
This book is for anyone who wants to create Dashboard widgets or
modify existing ones. A basic understanding of a scripting or
programming language is beneficial.
Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming
languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a
structured tutorial format that will guide you through all the
techniques involved.