After working on the successor to Windows XP for more than five years, Microsoft finally unveiled the latest version of the... more

After working on the successor to Windows XP for more than five years, Microsoft finally unveiled the latest version of the Windows operating system—Windows Vista—in early 2007. Windows Vista touts many new and improved features, most notably its enhanced security and reliability. Apart from that, there are a lot of face lifts, particularly in the way in which users interact with the operating system and how they manage the huge influx of information.

Two important new features in Vista—Sidebar and SideShow—are the focus of this book. Windows Sidebar is a translucent panel anchored on your desktop that contains mini-applications known as Sidebar gadgets. These gadgets are designed for specialized purposes, such as displaying weather information, RSS news feeds, and more. The main use of gadgets is to provide a quick and easy way for users to obtain information, eliminating the need to launch full-scale applications. For example, you can use the Stock gadget to monitor the pricing trends of a few selected stocks without needing to launch the web browser and visit stock exchange web sites.

In this chapter, you explore the basics of Windows Sidebar and how to install and use the various gadgets included in Windows Vista. In addition, you learn how to download and install third-party gadgets onto your Sidebar. (You tackle SideShow in the second half of the book.)

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This chapter shows you how to build your own Sidebar gadgets. It walks you through the process of building a complete gadget... more

This chapter shows you how to build your own Sidebar gadgets. It walks you through the process of building a complete gadget so that you understand the various components that make up one. By the end of this chapter, you’ll have a solid foundation for creating compelling Sidebar gadgets.

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As you have realized, developing Sidebar gadgets generally involves a lot of JavaScript programming. Those of you who have... more

As you have realized, developing Sidebar gadgets generally involves a lot of JavaScript programming. Those of you who have done JavaScript programming on the client side have a good understanding of the limitations of JavaScript, particularly in the areas of file and system access. That’s because JavaScript was originally designed to work within a browser and, logically, it should not be given the rights to access the file systems of users who are viewing a page containing JavaScript code. Although a Sidebar gadget uses JavaScript, it is a different breed of animal. Because you are loading a Sidebar gadget directly from your computer and not from a web server, it should have a higher level of security clearance and do much more compared to being hosted on a web page.

To make it possible for Sidebar gadgets to access the various systems information, Microsoft has provided a set of objects that gadget developers can use within their Sidebar gadgets, callable from JavaScript. In this chapter, you explore the various gadget objects and how they can be used enhance the functionality of your gadget. The objects are grouped based on their functionalities:

• Contacts

• Debugging and diagnostics

• Sidebar gadgets UI

• Machine information

• Emails

• Network

• Sounds

• Time and time zones

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In this chapter, you learn how you can implement your gadget logic using .NET and how it can interface nicely with JavaScript... more

In this chapter, you learn how you can implement your gadget logic using .NET and how it can interface nicely with JavaScript. In addition, you’ll discover how to send data to a SideShow-enabled device from within your Sidebar gadget. If the target audience of your gadget is dispersed geographically, you’ll want to know how to localize it to display different languages. And when you are ready to ship your gadget, be sure to digitally sign it. This chapter explains all of this and then provides some additional information that will save you time and effort in developing your Sidebar gadgets.

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All of the concepts you’ve learned in the preceding chapters—the basics of Sidebar gadgets, objects exposed by Windows Sidebar... more

All of the concepts you’ve learned in the preceding chapters—the basics of Sidebar gadgets, objects exposed by Windows Sidebar, and so on—come together in this chapter as you create a compelling Sidebar gadget for a geo-tracking and geo-tagging.

Tip

The gadget in this chapter uses a pocket PC, and a GPS receiver to capture geographical coordinates. If you do not have these devices, you can still try out the gadget by downloading the log files from this book’s download site at www.wrox.com.

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Windows SideShow, a new feature in Windows Vista, is a technology that supports secondary display(s) on your PC, be it a... more

Windows SideShow, a new feature in Windows Vista, is a technology that supports secondary display(s) on your PC, be it a notebook or desktop computer. Using Windows SideShow, you can view or control information such as emails, media player, weather updates, and so on without needing to power up your computer. SideShow is also appearing in all kinds of devices, such as MP3 players, remote controls, phones, and more.

Note

Windows SideShow was originally known as Auxiliary Display.

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Now that you know about the various types of SideShow devices available today and how you can use the SideShow Simulator... more

Now that you know about the various types of SideShow devices available today and how you can use the SideShow Simulator if you do not have a real device, you’re ready to dive into the basics of creating a SideShow gadget and to learn how to push data to a SideShow device.

In this chapter, you build a SideShow gadget that displays RSS feeds. The gadget will download the RSS feeds from the web and stream them to a SideShow-enabled device.

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The Windows SideShow platform uses an XML-based content format known as Simple Content Format (SCF). SCF defines the various... more

The Windows SideShow platform uses an XML-based content format known as Simple Content Format (SCF). SCF defines the various UI elements that you see on a SideShow device. In this chapter, you learn how the various SCF elements make up the UI of a SideShow gadget.

First, though, is a brief review of how to send content to a SideShow device.

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Sending content to a SideShow device is only one part of developing SideShow gadgets; the other part involves getting feedback... more

Sending content to a SideShow device is only one part of developing SideShow gadgets; the other part involves getting feedback from the device whenever a user interacts with it. This is important because it enables you to dynamically send information to the device whenever users require it.

In this chapter, you learn how to interact with SideShow devices through the various events raised by it when the user uses your gadget.

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In the past few chapters, you’ve explored the basics of SideShow gadgets and how they interact with SideShow-enabled devices... more

In the past few chapters, you’ve explored the basics of SideShow gadgets and how they interact with SideShow-enabled devices. You’ve also looked at the Simple Content Format (SCF) content that devices understand and how it is rendered. In this chapter, you build a SideShow gadget from beginning to end, see how to package it using a setup installation program, and ensure that it is installed properly on the target computer.

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