Apple Mac OS X Tiger 10.4 NL CD Mac Retail M9639N/A Merkblatt
Produktcode
M9639N/A
5
Technology Brief
Mac OS X: Dashboard
Mac OS X: Dashboard
Exchanging information with applications
Many widgets allow you to cut and paste or drag and drop information so you don’t
have to retype it. Since there are no menus in Dashboard, simply select the information
you want to exchange in the widget and use the keyboard shortcut Command-C to
copy it. Then move to the other widget, application, or document and type Command-V
to paste the data.
Many widgets allow you to cut and paste or drag and drop information so you don’t
have to retype it. Since there are no menus in Dashboard, simply select the information
you want to exchange in the widget and use the keyboard shortcut Command-C to
copy it. Then move to the other widget, application, or document and type Command-V
to paste the data.
Creating Your Own Widget
Another exciting aspect of Dashboard is that anyone with a basic knowledge of HTML,
JavaScript, and CSS can create unique and interesting Dashboard widgets.
JavaScript, and CSS can create unique and interesting Dashboard widgets.
Simple authoring tools
To get started, all you need is Mac OS X Tiger and your favorite text editor or web
authoring tool. In fact, two of the most commonly used tools for developing Dashboard
widgets are TextEdit and the Safari web browser. Use these tools to quickly edit, test,
and debug widgets before they’re distributed.
To get started, all you need is Mac OS X Tiger and your favorite text editor or web
authoring tool. In fact, two of the most commonly used tools for developing Dashboard
widgets are TextEdit and the Safari web browser. Use these tools to quickly edit, test,
and debug widgets before they’re distributed.
Use Internet plug-ins and create your own
You can extend the capabilities of widgets using plug-ins. Widgets can call on all of the
Internet plug-ins included in Mac OS X Tiger, such as QuickTime, Java, and ShockWave,
as well as those available as downloads or included with a particular widget. You can
also create a custom plug-in to add specific capabilities to your widget using traditional
programming languages like C++ and Objective-C. Through plug-ins, a widget can
take advantage of all of the powerful technologies in Tiger, such as the new 2D and 3D
imaging and visual effects in Core Image.
You can extend the capabilities of widgets using plug-ins. Widgets can call on all of the
Internet plug-ins included in Mac OS X Tiger, such as QuickTime, Java, and ShockWave,
as well as those available as downloads or included with a particular widget. You can
also create a custom plug-in to add specific capabilities to your widget using traditional
programming languages like C++ and Objective-C. Through plug-ins, a widget can
take advantage of all of the powerful technologies in Tiger, such as the new 2D and 3D
imaging and visual effects in Core Image.
Run UNIX commands, UNIX scripts, and AppleScript scripts
It’s also easy to call an AppleScript script, UNIX shell script, or UNIX command from your
widget. You can call any executable, including Cocoa and Carbon applications, widgets,
Perl, Python, tcl, and AppleScript scripts. With this capability, you can combine new and
existing code to create interesting solutions without the investment and development
time associated with traditional application development.
It’s also easy to call an AppleScript script, UNIX shell script, or UNIX command from your
widget. You can call any executable, including Cocoa and Carbon applications, widgets,
Perl, Python, tcl, and AppleScript scripts. With this capability, you can combine new and
existing code to create interesting solutions without the investment and development
time associated with traditional application development.
High performance in a safe, secure environment
Even with their almost unlimited capabilities, you can be sure that widgets are safe to
use and distribute. Each widget runs as a separate UNIX process in its own environment,
or “sandbox,” and is restricted to the same privileges as the user running it. It doesn’t
affect, and can’t be affected by, other widgets or applications. Running each widget
as a single process also ensures extremely high performance without sacrificing the
performance of applications. Well-behaved widgets consume processor and network
resources only when Dashboard is active. When Dashboard is put away, widgets are
inactive, so all of the computer’s resources are available to applications.
Even with their almost unlimited capabilities, you can be sure that widgets are safe to
use and distribute. Each widget runs as a separate UNIX process in its own environment,
or “sandbox,” and is restricted to the same privileges as the user running it. It doesn’t
affect, and can’t be affected by, other widgets or applications. Running each widget
as a single process also ensures extremely high performance without sacrificing the
performance of applications. Well-behaved widgets consume processor and network
resources only when Dashboard is active. When Dashboard is put away, widgets are
inactive, so all of the computer’s resources are available to applications.
If you’re creating a widget that requires a secure transaction, there are a variety of tech-
nologies at your disposal. Because widgets use WebKit, the same technology that powers
Apple’s Safari web browser, security can be easily implemented in your widget using
HTTPS, SSL, cookies, and encryption.
nologies at your disposal. Because widgets use WebKit, the same technology that powers
Apple’s Safari web browser, security can be easily implemented in your widget using
HTTPS, SSL, cookies, and encryption.
The tools for creating a widget are simple:
your favorite text editor and web browser,
both included in Mac OS X Tiger.
your favorite text editor and web browser,
both included in Mac OS X Tiger.
Learn by example
Sample source code is included in the
developer tools distributed with Tiger,
making it easy to learn how widgets work.
You can find the sample widgets in the
directory /Developer/Examples/Widgets once
the Tiger developer tools are installed.
Sample source code is included in the
developer tools distributed with Tiger,
making it easy to learn how widgets work.
You can find the sample widgets in the
directory /Developer/Examples/Widgets once
the Tiger developer tools are installed.
For more information on the Tiger core
technologies, including WebKit and security,
visit developer.apple.com.
technologies, including WebKit and security,
visit developer.apple.com.