2a. Widgets-Basics 10/30/06 4:05 PM

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Dashboard and Widgets - Basics About Dashboard Dashboard - is part of Mac OS 10 Tiger, and is Apple software that creates the user interface for widgets.

1 Dashboard and Widgets - Basics About Dashboard Dashboard - is part of Mac OS 10 Tiger, and is Apple software that creates the user interface for widgets. A widget is an element of a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays information or provides a specific way for a user to interact with the operating system, application(s), and may retrieve information using real-time resources on the Internet. Mac OS 10 Tiger includes several widgets already installed. Additional widgets then can be down-loaded from the Internet, or are available on or through, other forms of media. How to Access Dashboard Widgets To access Dashboard, click the Dashboard Icon on the Dock, or press the Show/Hide Dashboard Function-key (F12) located on the top row of keyboard. When you activate dashboard, the screen dims slightly, and the widgets on the dashboard come into view (Figure 1). Figure 1 Some Widgets Displayed on the Dashboard Screen Arranging Widgets on the Dashboard You can click and drag individual widgets to place them in any order that you prefer (Figure 1). Customizing Widgets to suit the user's needs Widgets are available for many things. Some widgets perform a single function, while others allow the user to control various functions by setting individual user preferences. To set the preferences, hover the cursor over a widget. A small "get info" appears in italics on any widget can have user preferences set, (Figure 2a). Click on the italic to get information about this widget, and/or to set preferences. Page 1 of 6

Notice that when you click on the get info i the widget turns over so that you can read or enter information on the back side of the widget (Figure 2b). Figure 2a and 2b.

Button to return the widget to its normal position on the dashboard (Figure 2a). Note: The Clock Face is also keyed for AM and PM. From 12:00 am until 11:59 am the clock face is "white.

2 Notice that when you click on the get info i the widget turns over so that you can read or enter information on the back side of the widget (Figure 2b). Figure 2a and 2b. Clock Widget Front and Back After you have entered your preferences on the back side of the widget, press the Return key on your keyboard to validate and enter your entry(s), then press the Done Button to return the widget to its normal position on the dashboard (Figure 2a). Note: The Clock Face is also keyed for AM and PM. From 12:00 am until 11:59 am the clock face is "white." Then, from 12:00 pm until 11:59 pm, the clock face is "black." Searching for Information with Interactive Widgets Some widgets have dialog boxes, that allow you to enter text, and request specific data or other information. Dictionary / Thesaurus and Yellow Pages are good examples Figure 3. Page 2 of 6

Figure 3. A Dictionary Search and related Thesaurus information, and a Search for nearby Grocers. Many interactive widgets retrieve information using real-time resources on the Internet.

3 Figure 3. A Dictionary Search and related Thesaurus information, and a Search for nearby Grocers. Many interactive widgets retrieve information using real-time resources on the Internet. The widget automatically connects to the Internet to provide and display the requested information. The Widgets Drawer The widgets drawer displays the widgets installed on your Mac. It is also where you manage the Widgets that will appear on the Dashboard. Display the Widgets Drawer as follows: Open the Dashboard, then, Click on the located outside the left end of the dock. The widget drawer opens below the dock (Figure 4). Click the arrows on the right or left of the widget drawer, to view all of the widgets that are available (Figure 4). Page 3 of 6

Figure 4 The Widget Drawer Adding more widgets to the Dashboard To make make a widget active, simply drag and drop it from the widget drawer, onto the dashboard.

4 Figure 4 The Widget Drawer Adding more widgets to the Dashboard To make make a widget active, simply drag and drop it from the widget drawer, onto the dashboard. Some users use multiple copies of a particular widget. For example they may have copies of the "weather widget" to display temperatures for various cities. If you want more than one of the same widget, just drag additional copies from the Widgets Drawer to the dashboard. Removing a Widget from the the Dashboard First, activate widgets by clicking on the Widget icon in the dock, or by pressing the F12 key. Open the widget drawer by clicking on the as described above. Notice that all of the active widgets have a closure button " " attached to it, (Figure 5). Click the closure button the dashboard. Figure 5 Example of a closure button on a widget to remove a widget from the group of active widgets on If the widget drawer is not open, you can still remove a widget from the dashboard by (1) hovering the cursor over a widget, (2) holding down the option key to reveal the, and (3) clicking on the " " to remove the widget. How to get more Widgets Apple has provided a simple way for Mac OS 10 Tiger users to download new widgets. Click on the button that is available when the widget drawer is open, or go to Apple - Downloads - dashboard/?r=dbw. When you find a widget that you want to down-load, click the download button, and the widget will be downloaded to the desktop (Figure 6). Page 4 of 6

Figure 6 Example of the Apple Widget download page. A "zip file" of the widget will be downloaded to the desktop. Double click on the zip file, and the Mac will decode the file and decompress it.

5 Figure 6 Example of the Apple Widget download page. A "zip file" of the widget will be downloaded to the desktop. Double click on the zip file, and the Mac will decode the file and decompress it. The downloaded and unzipped widget will appear on the desktop. The widget file needs to be dragged to its proper home, as follows: Home Directory/ Library/Widgets. Drag the widget file from the desktop to the Widgets window. (Note: The Home Directory on your Mac is the directory in the left side-bar with the little "home icon" (Figure 7). Page 5 of 6

Figure 7 Path to Widget File Folder Now, open the dashboard by pressing the F12 key. Open the widget drawer, and drag your new widget to the dashboard. Set the preferences, if any, as described above.

6 Figure 7 Path to Widget File Folder Now, open the dashboard by pressing the F12 key. Open the widget drawer, and drag your new widget to the dashboard. Set the preferences, if any, as described above. Enjoy!!!!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ You may also find widgets on CD disks that you may receive from other sources, such as Mac Addict Magazine, the MacWorld web site, etc. Or, you can use Safari to do a search for widgets located on other web sites. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ray 10/06 MacsWest MUG Page 6 of 6

Organizing Screens with Mission Control

7 Organizing Screens with Mission Control If you re like a lot of Mac users, you like to do a lot of things at once. No matter how big your screen may be, it can still feel crowded as you open and arrange