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How to Make a Widget for a Website

Widgets consist of files similar to website code that have been packaged to run as a small application. Widgets can be used to display news feeds, weather updates, stock values, games or even a countdown to the next season of your favorite show. Creating and adding a widget to your website will provide visitors to your site with a useful graphic gizmo.

Things You'll Need

  • Widget editor
  • Widget converter
  • Text editor
  • Image editor
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Instructions

    • 1

      Download a widget editor and a converter tool. Widgets come in two popular formats, a compressed file or a flat file. Flattened widgets are faster to run and easier to author but you will need to convert them in order to edit.

    • 2

      Use a plain text editor to write the code for your widget. Word processing software cannot be used. Stick with a simple application such as Notepad. The code for the widget will require knowledge of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript and AppleScript.

    • 3

      Edit images for your widget. Use an image-editing application to create or convert an image file if you plan to have a picture displayed on the widget.

    • 4

      Create the files needed for your widget. For a simple widget you will need only the ".kos" file which contains the primary code. The ".kos" file should contain XML code for image placement, widget preferences and JavaScript code that defines how the widget will run. For more complex widgets you can create a separate ".js" file for your JavaScrpit code or a ".scpt" file if you prefer to use AppleScript.

    • 5

      Give your widget object concise but descriptive names. Even a simple widget will consist of several objects. A widget will have at least a main window, timer and preference settings. Make sure that names you choose to define your objects are easy to recognize at a glance to make editing an easier task.

    • 6

      Turn off the debug feature when your code is complete and the widget is ready for packaging. Insert the "off" line into your code so that your widget will not display a debug window when it is run on a website.

    • 7

      Convert the widget folder to package it so that it can run on various computer platforms. Move all of your widget files into a new folder. Move this new folder into another folder with your widget's name. Use the widget converter tool to save the widget as a flattened ".widget" file.

    • 8

      Upload your widget to your website. You may also want to share your widget with others for use on their websites. In this case, submit your widget to an online widget gallery.

Tips & Warnings

  • If you are not completely comfortable with coding, download a widget and open it in edit mode to view the XML and JavaScript code. Try altering the code to see the effects.

  • Dev.Opera and the Yahoo! Widget Workshop offer widget editors and converters for download.

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Comments

  • maryanne09 Mar 10, 2009
    Great article! I hope lots more give you 5*'s to bring that back up for you. :o)
  • sormita Jan 23, 2009
    Is it .kos file or .kon file? I ve downloaded the konfabulator, and ve written a .kon file.Will it run as a widget on a website after being converted to widget format by the converter?
  • sormita Jan 23, 2009
    Is it .kos file or .kon file? I ve downloaded the konfabulator, and ve written a .kon file.Will it run as a widget on a website after being converted to widget format by the converter?

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