Using SideShow Devices

You should also remember that a particular gadget application treats all SideShow devices connected to it as a whole; it is not possible to enter into a dialogue with a single SideShow device connected to your system. There may be devices connected with a wide range of different capabilities. However, when a SideShow device generates an event, the arguments provided to the event handlers deliver information about the capabilities of the SideShow device that has produced it so that the handler can take appropriate action in that case. You can ensure that your application is usable on the SideShow device only when it is connected by selecting the "OnLine only" option in the registry settings for the gadget application (see the section "Registering a Gadget Application" earlier in this chapter).

Note 

The system as proposed for the security guards, in which flashlights are in permanent contact with the base station, may not be a practical use of SideShow technology-the behaviors are provided for example only. This is particularly the case if you bear in mind that it is not possible to determine which Flashlight SideShow device of the ones connected to a gadget application is performing a given action. However, SideShow gadgets have considerable potential for such tasks as remotely controlling an application on the host computer and acting as a remote display.