Ever wish you could make your very own Dashboard widget? A handy RSS feed of your favorite blog, maybe. Or a miniature photocast of your iPhoto library. Something uniquely useful, uniquely you. Say hello to Dashcode. Now you can get a widget up and running in minutes, even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life.
Your Dashcode project starts life as a template designed specifically for the kind of information you want to display. Choose from a handful of Dashcode widget templates — including a countdown timer, map, RSS feed, photocast, podcast, and gauge — or create a widget from scratch with a blank template. Every template includes detailed workflow steps to guide you through the process of creating your widget.
Stop, drop, and roll.
After you choose the perfect template, you can drag and drop components onto the Dashcode canvas. Drag in an RSS link and your widget populates with a full feed. Drag in a photocast URL and your widget transforms into a self-contained slideshow. Drag in a podcast link and you can start playing the feed right from your widget.
Widgets by design.
Once your widget’s working, you can use the Dashcode library to add design and functionality finesse. The library comes with a collection of buttons, lists, containers, and text fields. Resize the components of your entire widget or alter fonts, colors, gradients, images — practically every visual element — without writing a single line of code.
Deploy and conquer.
Dashcode organizes all the files that make up your widget, including images, JavaScript code, style sheets, generated files, and localizations. Add new files and the Dashcode project manager takes care of updates automatically. And when your widget is ready for prime time, Dashcode packages up all your files and the Apple-provided resources required to deploy your widget to Dashboard or submit it to Apple.com.
Dashcode for the power user.
Instant-on debugging. Total integration of project management, design, and code in Dashcode makes your widget ready to test. Just click Run and your widget instantly starts up. Click Pause to inspect the running widget or set breakpoints to debug specific sections of code. The built-in debugger provides all the features you’d expect from a professional developer tool.
Professional source code editor.
Dashcode offers all the text-editing features of a professional integrated development environment (IDE) — including color syntax highlighting, line numbering, and Code Sense code completion — optimized for the JavaScript programming language. The editor also integrates with the debugger, so you can easily set and view breakpoints and track your widget’s execution through the source code.
Code snippets.
The Dashcode library includes more than just GUI controls. It also provides a rich collection of JavaScript code snippets for many common programming tasks. Simply drag the snippet from the library and drop it into your JavaScript source file. Each snippet includes instructions for changing the behavior to meet your needs. The snippets complete many common tasks you would otherwise have to hand-code, including:
RSS parsing.
Download and understand RSS feeds to provide up-to-date information to your widget.
Animate elements.
Fade, move, or resize elements in your widget.
String and data processing.
Format and localize text.
Preferences.
Manage user preferences for your widget: Perfect for the back panel.
Parts APIs.
Manipulate the include GUI parts using JavaScript.
Ever wish you could make your very own Dashboard widget? A handy RSS feed of your favorite blog, maybe. Or a miniature photocast of your iPhoto library. Something uniquely useful, uniquely you. Say hello to Dashcode. Now you can get a widget up and running in minutes, even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life.
Your Dashcode project starts life as a template designed specifically for the kind of information you want to display. Choose from a handful of Dashcode widget templates — including a countdown timer, map, RSS feed, photocast, podcast, and gauge — or create a widget from scratch with a blank template. Every template includes detailed workflow steps to guide you through the process of creating your widget.
Stop, drop, and roll.
After you choose the perfect template, you can drag and drop components onto the Dashcode canvas. Drag in an RSS link and your widget populates with a full feed. Drag in a photocast URL and your widget transforms into a self-contained slideshow. Drag in a podcast link and you can start playing the feed right from your widget.
Widgets by design.
Once your widget’s working, you can use the Dashcode library to add design and functionality finesse. The library comes with a collection of buttons, lists, containers, and text fields. Resize the components of your entire widget or alter fonts, colors, gradients, images — practically every visual element — without writing a single line of code.
Deploy and conquer.
Dashcode organizes all the files that make up your widget, including images, JavaScript code, style sheets, generated files, and localizations. Add new files and the Dashcode project manager takes care of updates automatically. And when your widget is ready for prime time, Dashcode packages up all your files and the Apple-provided resources required to deploy your widget to Dashboard or submit it to Apple.com.
Dashcode for the power user.
Instant-on debugging. Total integration of project management, design, and code in Dashcode makes your widget ready to test. Just click Run and your widget instantly starts up. Click Pause to inspect the running widget or set breakpoints to debug specific sections of code. The built-in debugger provides all the features you’d expect from a professional developer tool.
Professional source code editor.
Dashcode offers all the text-editing features of a professional integrated development environment (IDE) — including color syntax highlighting, line numbering, and Code Sense code completion — optimized for the JavaScript programming language. The editor also integrates with the debugger, so you can easily set and view breakpoints and track your widget’s execution through the source code.
Code snippets.
The Dashcode library includes more than just GUI controls. It also provides a rich collection of JavaScript code snippets for many common programming tasks. Simply drag the snippet from the library and drop it into your JavaScript source file. Each snippet includes instructions for changing the behavior to meet your needs. The snippets complete many common tasks you would otherwise have to hand-code, including:
RSS parsing.
Download and understand RSS feeds to provide up-to-date information to your widget.
Animate elements.
Fade, move, or resize elements in your widget.
String and data processing.
Format and localize text.
Preferences.
Manage user preferences for your widget: Perfect for the back panel.
Parts APIs.
Manipulate the include GUI parts using JavaScript.
A tough reference to find is keyboard shortcuts within Mac OS X Dashboard.I'm not talking about launching Dashboard - everyone knows you can set "hot keys" or mouse corners to trigger that. I'm referring to keyboard shortcuts once your in Dashboard view.
To refresh a specific widget, click on the widget once, and hit Command + R.
You'll notice a very cool "swirl" effect, which almost looks like a hurricane on a radar screen:
Every widget you refresh will perform this "swirl" action, and subsequently refresh the widget content.
If you're wondering what widget this was that I refreshed, it's the basic weather widget from Apple:
If you manually click the "+" icon in the lower left corner of Dashboard view, your "widget toolbar" will appear along the bottom.
Here you can add or remove widgets from display.
To open this "widget toolbar," you can also hit Command + "+".
That's Command and the "+" key at the same time. Hitting it again will close the "widget toolbar."
This is not so much a keyboard shortcut, but a keyboard adjustment.
If you hold down the "Option" key while in Dashboard view, and hover over a widget, you can manually remove the widget by clicking the "X" in the upper left corner of the widget.
The "X" only appears when you move the mouse over each widget.
This is quicker than opening the "widget toolbar" first, and then removing.
I'm making a list of additional shortcuts that would be useful:
- Much like hitting Command + R refreshes a widget, hitting Command + I should provide info on the widget. (Only applicable for widgets that have a "back side" info panel.)
- Some way of removing widgets without having to manually click the "X". (I'm thinking Command + W or something similar.)
A tough reference to find is keyboard shortcuts within Mac OS X Dashboard.I'm not talking about launching Dashboard - everyone knows you can set "hot keys" or mouse corners to trigger that. I'm referring to keyboard shortcuts once your in Dashboard view.
To refresh a specific widget, click on the widget once, and hit Command + R.
You'll notice a very cool "swirl" effect, which almost looks like a hurricane on a radar screen:
Every widget you refresh will perform this "swirl" action, and subsequently refresh the widget content.
If you're wondering what widget this was that I refreshed, it's the basic weather widget from Apple:
If you manually click the "+" icon in the lower left corner of Dashboard view, your "widget toolbar" will appear along the bottom.
Here you can add or remove widgets from display.
To open this "widget toolbar," you can also hit Command + "+".
That's Command and the "+" key at the same time. Hitting it again will close the "widget toolbar."
This is not so much a keyboard shortcut, but a keyboard adjustment.
If you hold down the "Option" key while in Dashboard view, and hover over a widget, you can manually remove the widget by clicking the "X" in the upper left corner of the widget.
The "X" only appears when you move the mouse over each widget.
This is quicker than opening the "widget toolbar" first, and then removing.
I'm making a list of additional shortcuts that would be useful:
- Much like hitting Command + R refreshes a widget, hitting Command + I should provide info on the widget. (Only applicable for widgets that have a "back side" info panel.)
- Some way of removing widgets without having to manually click the "X". (I'm thinking Command + W or something similar.)
The new iPhone SDK in Dashcode allows you to create Web Applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It provides three templates: Custom, Browser and RSS.
It provides you with fields to specify how to handle orientation changes and zooming.
There is a Home Screen icon editor.
Here is how the Browser template looks when run using the iPhone Simulator.
I copied the Ski Report icon from the Dashboard Widget.
I then tried to dump the contents of the Translation Dashboard widget into an iPhone Web Application. It nearly worked.
The RSS template allows you to enter an RSS field URL and customize which and how many articles should appear.
I added Slashdot's Home Screen Icon.
Running it in the simulator.
Deploying the Web Application is very easy.
Select "Deploy Web Application" from the File menu, and it outputs a folder that you can put on your server.
Apple iPhone SDK with Dashcode allows you to make web apps:With Apple iPhone SDK anyone can now code a web application for the iPhone.
How you may well ask?
Well Apple’s iPhone SDK includes a new version of Dashcode which makes easy of web-app development for the iPhone.
You can start off using the default browsing screen template, (and the interface includes preset styles we associate with the iPhone) or simple code your own.
Those new to iPhone development will be pleased to hear that it is possible for them to take the slider plate and add on gauges, indications, form elements, forward/back buttons and much more, all with a little knowledge of code.One drawback I can possibly see is with the new Dashcode just maybe the web will suddenly be inundated with an abundance of new iPhone web-apps.
More than likely most will not be that good, but then again maybe some amateur developer may develop a really cool web-app, who knows?
So if you are a budding web-app developer, or even if not, go and download the iPhone SDK and have a play at web-app development, you may just be very good at it.
The new iPhone SDK in Dashcode allows you to create Web Applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It provides three templates: Custom, Browser and RSS.
It provides you with fields to specify how to handle orientation changes and zooming.
There is a Home Screen icon editor.
Here is how the Browser template looks when run using the iPhone Simulator.
I copied the Ski Report icon from the Dashboard Widget.
I then tried to dump the contents of the Translation Dashboard widget into an iPhone Web Application. It nearly worked.
The RSS template allows you to enter an RSS field URL and customize which and how many articles should appear.
I added Slashdot's Home Screen Icon.
Running it in the simulator.
Deploying the Web Application is very easy.
Select "Deploy Web Application" from the File menu, and it outputs a folder that you can put on your server.
Apple iPhone SDK with Dashcode allows you to make web apps:With Apple iPhone SDK anyone can now code a web application for the iPhone.
How you may well ask?
Well Apple’s iPhone SDK includes a new version of Dashcode which makes easy of web-app development for the iPhone.
You can start off using the default browsing screen template, (and the interface includes preset styles we associate with the iPhone) or simple code your own.
Those new to iPhone development will be pleased to hear that it is possible for them to take the slider plate and add on gauges, indications, form elements, forward/back buttons and much more, all with a little knowledge of code.One drawback I can possibly see is with the new Dashcode just maybe the web will suddenly be inundated with an abundance of new iPhone web-apps.
More than likely most will not be that good, but then again maybe some amateur developer may develop a really cool web-app, who knows?
So if you are a budding web-app developer, or even if not, go and download the iPhone SDK and have a play at web-app development, you may just be very good at it.
