So you’ve created this incredibly useful Dashboard Widget and you want to share it. What’s the best way to make it accessible to users? Here’s what you need to know.
To ensure a consistent user experience installing Dashboard widgets, follow these instructions:
Widgets are much less complex than applications and should provide a light-weight install experience.
The preferred installation experience is to have widgets delivered in zip archive format and placed on
your website for download. Only archive the .wdgt bundle/file itself. When downloaded using Safari it will
be automatically unarchived and placed in the user’s /Library/Widgets/ folder. Other web browsers will
require users to install the widget manually.
Follow these steps to create a zip archive:
Select the widget in the Finder
Choose File > Create Archive
Upload resulting archived widget to your web server
Avoid multi-step installations, registration, and purchasing after the widget is downloaded.
If registration, purchase, and the display of an End User License Agreement is required, perform
these functions locally on your website prior to download. If it’s necessary to communicate with your
widget after download, do so using cookies.
Click above picture to download the PotterCast Widget!
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is required. If you’re using Safari, click the download link. When the widget
download is complete, show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget Bar and click the
widget’s icon in the Widget Bar to open it. If you’re using a browser other than Safari, click the
download link. When the widget download is complete, unarchive it and place it
in /Library/Widgets/ in your home folder. show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget
Bar and click the widget’s icon in the Widget Bar to open it.
