Desktop gadgets are small applications designed to perform a
very specific function, such as providing a desktop calendar or virtual
notepad. Unlike in Windows Vista, you add gadgets directly to the desktop
and no longer need a separate sidebar.1. Getting to Know Your Computer’s Gadgets
Windows has several default gadgets in most installations. You add
gadgets to the desktop using the Gadget Gallery dialog box, shown in Figure 1. To access this dialog
box, click Programs in Control Panel and then click Desktop Gadgets.
Alternatively, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click
Desktop Gadget Gallery.
The Gadget Gallery shows all the gadgets that are available on
your computer. When multiple pages of gadgets are available, you can
navigate the pages using the Previous and Next Page buttons provided in
the upper-left corner of the window. You can also use the Search box to
search for gadgets by name. As you type your search text, the list of
gadgets is automatically filtered to include only those gadgets matching
the search text you entered.
In the lower-left corner of the Gadget Gallery window, you’ll find
a Show details/Hide details button used to show or hide a Details pane.
Clicking a gadget with the Show Details pane expanded displays the
gadget details, which include the gadget name, version, and description.
Clicking and dragging a gadget moves it to the desktop. Or, you can
double-click the gadget to add it to the right-side of the
desktop.
You can visit Microsoft’s Gadget Gallery on the Internet by
clicking either of the links provided. Some gadgets are updated
automatically when new versions become available as part of the standard
Windows Update process. Other gadgets you must update manually by
downloading the desired gadget update.
You can work with gadgets in a variety of ways. You can move them
around the desktop by clicking and dragging to move it to different
locations on the desktop. You can display a gadget on top of all other
windows by right-clicking the gadget and selecting Always on Top. Once
you’ve moved the gadget to the top, right-clicking the gadget and
selecting Always on Top a second time clears the setting and makes the
gadget work like any other window—it can be brought to the front when in
use or put to the back when not in use.
Every gadget has an opacity setting that controls whether
you can see through it. Because the default opacity setting is 100
percent, you can’t see through gadgets by default. If you want to be
able to see through a gadget, right-click it, point to Opacity, and then
select the desired opacity. The lower the opacity setting is, the more
translucent the gadget will appear to be and the better you’ll be able
to see what’s behind it. The higher the opacity setting is, the less
translucent the gadget will appear to be and the less you’ll be able to
see what’s behind it.
Now let’s take a closer look at the gadgets you’ll probably use
the most.
NOTE
The Feed Headlines gadget displays data from selected
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds that have been configured in
Internet Explorer. RSS feeds can contain news headlines, lists, and
other information.
1.1. Using the Calendar gadget
Anyone who likes to keep a calendar on his or her desk
to show the day of the week and day of the month will love the
Calendar gadget. This gadget displays a desktop calendar that you can
drag around the desktop.
You can work with the gadget in a variety of ways. As the
leftmost view in Figure 2 shows, the current
day and date are displayed by default. If you click the calendar, you
can view the current month. You can view other months in the calendar
using the right-facing and left-facing arrow buttons.
To display the day and date view for a particular entry, click
it. The tab in the lower-left corner and the color of the view
indicate that you are not viewing the current day and date. You can
return to the current day and date view by clicking the tab in the
lower-left corner of the calendar.
