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How-To: Keeping multiple dashboard widgets on the desktop...

How do you turn it off? I tried replacing "YES" with "NO" on the terminal command but it didn't seem to turn off the hack. Any ideas?
 
TEG said:
OK, I got it to work, but I had to take a wiget from the "Add a Wiget" dock and then it worked, otherwise not.

TEG
Click to expand...

No, it definitely works by taking normal widgets already out of the shelf.

If it only works for you taking widgets from the shelf, you haven't enabled devmode properly.

Also, you won't be able to do it with multiple widgets, and the widget will disappear the next time you invoke Dashboard.
 
GodBless said:
How do you turn it off? I tried replacing "YES" with "NO" on the terminal command but it didn't seem to turn off the hack. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

This is not a "hack". It's an official Dashboard development mode.

And what makes you think you haven't disabled it? Changing YES to NO (and logging out and back in, or executing a "killall Dock") is all that's required.

If you're finding you can still drag a widget from the *shelf* and get it to remain on the desktop, that is possible even without devmode enabled.
 
faroutfive said:
Thank you for this widget desktop tip. Here's another way to get widgets off your desktop without using the Terminal.

After I was finished trying it out having the Calender widget on the desktop, I grabbed it, pressed F12, and dropped it back in the dashboard. Now I had two calenders, so I pressed the large plus button in the lower left, adding the close icon to all the widgets so I could close my extra calender.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You don't have to press the plus button to make the close box appear.

You can simply just press the option key, and when you mouse over a widget, its close box will appear.
 
mainstreetmark said:
I use Konfabulator and I don't consider my desktop cluttered. It should be up to the user! The Weather widget, for example, should always live on my desktop.

This is why I'm still using Konfabulator, for example. Dashboard is nice and gimmicky and all that, but K just works better.

(and I still find I use Quicksilver over Spotlight, since Quicksilver lets you perform more than the default action of a found item)
Click to expand...

I don't understand why a weather widget should ALWAYS be on the desktop? Does the weather really change that often?
 
http://www.mesadynamics.com/amnesty.htm

Amnesty Widget Browser is a utility for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger that allows Dashboard widgets to live directly on your Desktop via a convenient icon in your system menu bar.

Widgets loaded in Amnesty Widget Browser run completely independent of Apple's Dashboard environment, maintain their own preferences and feature additional properties such as window depth and opacity.

For widgets junkies, Amnesty Widget Browser is a great way to try out third-party widgets without restarting Dashboard. And for widget developers, Amnesty Widget Browser makes a perfect rapid testing environment* (instead of loading widgets in Safari).

Amnesty Widget Browser is slated for final release Q3 2005 but is available today as a public beta. Download your copy today and see if your favorite widgets are up to taking flight.
 
sparkleytone said:
One of the main reasons that Dashboard is better than Konfabulator is that it doesn't clutter your desktop. Apple took the idea of widgets and put them in their own separate space. Almost another 'virtual desktop' of sorts. This leaves the information right at your fingertips, but leaves your desktop alone.
Click to expand...

I prefer Konfabulator to be honest .. it's 'my' desktop and 'I' will decide whether to clutter it up or not :)

...Apples deployment means it's another keystroke between my widgets and I.

A
 
dashboard

hi

1 .dashboard is a bit odd mine comes on when i move the mouse across
the screen sometimes - why is this happening - anybody help?

2. i would also just like the world clock displayed and managed to drag it out following this thread, but when i invoke dashboard again i end up with two clocks?

any helpers

kind regards

p.s. i do like tiger
 
Andy C said:
I've found a bit of a problem with this... the widgets stay in the foreground, on top of any open apps. Methinks apple needs to give us more Dashboard options!


-A
Click to expand...
Is there a way to make the widgets same layer as the desktop?
Meaning on the background of the apps instead of the foreground?
 
Lucky8 said:
Is there a way to make the widgets same layer as the desktop?
Meaning on the background of the apps instead of the foreground?
Click to expand...
I've played with the devmode option and from what I can tell there is no way to embed the widget into the desktop layer like you could with Konfabulator. Hopefully additional options will be made available with future versions of Dashboard.

I can see it at a keynote now - Steve saying, "Now you drag any of these widgets out of Dashboard and use it like a normal windowed application or embed it right into your desktop. This will change the way you use your Mac." *thunderous applause* :D
 
feakbeak said:
I've played with the devmode option and from what I can tell there is no way to embed the widget into the desktop layer like you could with Konfabulator. Hopefully additional options will be made available with future versions of Dashboard.
Click to expand...

Yes, currently the only way to embed a Dashboard widget into the desktop layer is to use Amnesty.

Dev mode's "floating" is adequate for some people though (esp. those with a lot of screen real estate).
 
Hmm, maybe I'm doing something wrong, but this hack only works for me when I drag a widget from a dock, not an already operating widget. And context menus don't seem to work when they're on the desktop. I can't change the weather widget from fahrenheit to celsius (it's set to fahrenheit by default... dunno why it doesn't remember preferences), and the weather widget is the most important one to me. But fahrenheit means nothing to me. 66 degrees? What?!
 
sparkleytone said:
One of the main reasons that Dashboard is better than Konfabulator is that it doesn't clutter your desktop. Apple took the idea of widgets and put them in their own separate space. Almost another 'virtual desktop' of sorts. This leaves the information right at your fingertips, but leaves your desktop alone.
Click to expand...

I really really hate to say it, but the windows vista "gadgets" system looks like a very nice comprimise... easy to drag "gadgets" from the sidebar into the main desktop, and then control promotion....

The still don't understand why expose is so powerful howwever.

Repeat after me MS: "OS-X is not popular solely because it has shiny buttons"
 
bugfaceuk said:
The still don't understand why expose is so powerful howwever.
Click to expand...
Because you can find any window you want in a split second? I have it bound to a screen corner, and all I need to do is flick my mouse, and then I can choose the window I want. This takes less than a second for me to do, and has increased my productivity and lowered my frustration a great deal.
 
bugfaceuk said:
I really really hate to say it, but the windows vista "gadgets" system looks like a very nice comprimise... easy to drag "gadgets" from the sidebar into the main desktop, and then control promotion....

The still don't understand why expose is so powerful howwever.

Repeat after me MS: "OS-X is not popular solely because it has shiny buttons"
Click to expand...
LMAO omg, you're falling for MS's tricks of showing you shiny buttons. Macs work, that's it, they work and integrate what people need, not what Microsoft wants you to have. Also, Microsofts welcome screen is going to have ads! You read this one? They're being taken to court and all this. Vista? Piece of crap, it tries to Mimic Mac, and guess what? They still have the stupid horrible registry. At least Mac uses XML files, and is up with the times. Goodbye Windows, 5 years, it'll be switched, Apple = Top of the market line, Windows = bottom market. - Sorry to flame you, but that's all Microsoft Vista is, plus OpenGL, which is the basis for all 3D Graphics not DirectX, OpenGL is going bye bye, 50% speed loss because of stupid Aeroglass. So a lot of your older and newer games use OpenGL, its just that good and easy to integrate, but with the 50% loss, Microsoft will be hurt by the loss of small companies to get them to use their products API's


WATCH THIS YOU GUYS: http://live.watchmactv.com/?p=155
 
hmm... not working for me... I entered the code into the terminal word for word, with spaces and appropriate caps, pressed enter, then tried to pull a widget to my desktop, but nothing. when I pressed f12 to close the dashboard, while holding onto a widget, the dashboard closed normally. thoughts?

EDIT: SWEET! never mind, it works. however, I had to also take it from manage widgets.
 
Just a thought for those who are interested...

You DON'T have to enable devmode to drag widgets to your desktop. I just tried dragging a sticky from the Manage Widgets bar and then hitting F12 and it works fine w/o ever having turned devmode on. And once it's there if I want to close it, I can hit option and close it w/o ever opening Dashboard. Hope that helps. Ciao!
 
raptor96 said:
Just a thought for those who are interested...

You DON'T have to enable devmode to drag widgets to your desktop. I just tried dragging a sticky from the Manage Widgets bar and then hitting F12 and it works fine w/o ever having turned devmode on. And once it's there if I want to close it, I can hit option and close it w/o ever opening Dashboard. Hope that helps. Ciao!
Click to expand...

Option what? I tried to close the calc widget with option and everything else, didn't work.
 
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