How to Make XP Widgets

A widget, which can also be called a gadget, module or snippet, is a reusable set of hypertext markup language (HTML) code that organizes larger chunks of frequently updated information into one small location. Widgets are generally used to display new blog posts in a small corner of a website. Making a widget while using the Windows XP operating system is essentially the same as with any other operating system and can be done for free online.

Instructions

1. 

   Open your Web browser program by double-clicking on its corresponding desktop icon or by clicking on the icon in the "Programs" menu of the Start menu. Navigate to a website such as Widgetbox that offers a widget creation tool (see Resources below). Click on the "Make a Widget" button at the top-right section of the Web page.

2. 

   Wait for the widget creation tool to load, and then click on the icon at the bottom of the screen that corresponds to the type of widget you want to make. Click on "Blog" if you want to make a widget that automatically pulls from your latest blog entry or "HTML" if you want to include specific HTML code in the widget. Click on "Flash" if you have a prebuilt Flash file you want to place in the widget.

3. 

   Open a second tab on your Web browser if you are making a blog widget. Navigate to your blog and then click on the "RSS" button. Highlight the entire address in the address bar and then right-click and choose the "Copy" option.

4. Return to the first tab and click on the "Blog" button. Right-click on the text box that will appear on the screen and choose "Paste." Click on the "Continue" button to create the widget.

5. Click on the text and background color options you want in the next screen, and then click "Save" to get the embedding code for the widget. Copy the code and paste it into the HTML of a website or blog to display the widget.

6. Return to the widget creation tool if you want to make an HTML or Flash widget. Click on the "HTML" or "Flash" button and then click "Continue."

7. Enter in the height and width of the widget in the text boxes at the top of the screen. Paste any existing HTML or Flash code you already have into the box at the bottom of the screen, or type in any new code by hand.

8. Click on "Apply Changes" to create the widget and retrieve the HTML code.

Tips & Warnings

• Any HTML or Flash code that you would normally use in a website can be used in the widget, such as making separate frames with the <FRAME> tag or adding in pictures using the <IMG SRC> tag.

Resources

• Make a widget at Widgetbox