6.8. The SidebarAs you know, the essence of using Windows is running programs , which often produce documents . In Vista, however, there's a third category: a set of weird hybrid entities that Microsoft calls gadgets . They appear, all at once, floating in front of your other windows, at the right side of the screen. They're there when you first fire up Vista, or whenever you press +Space bar. (You can also open them by choosing Start All Programs Accessories Windows Sidebar.) Welcome to the new world of the Sidebar (Figure 6-5).
What are these weird hybrid entities, anyway? They're not really programs, because they don't create documents or have listings in the All Programs menu. They're certainly not documents, because you can't name or save them. What they most resemble, actually, is little Web pages. They're meant to display information, much of it from the Internet, and they're written using Web programming languages like DHTML, Javascript, VBScript, and XML. Vista's starter gadgets include a calculator, current weather reporter, stock ticker, clock, and so on. Mastering the basics of Sidebar won't take you long at all:
6.8.1. Losing the SidebarTo get rid of the Sidebar, you have several options.
6.8.2. Sidebar TipsLike most new Vista features, Sidebar is crawling with tips and tricks. Here are a few of the biggies:
6.8.3. Gadget CatalogHere's a rundown of the standard gadgets that come preinstalled in Vista. True, they look awfully simple, but some of them harbor a few secrets. Tip: If you right-click an individual gadget, the shortcut menu offers, among other commands, an Opacity control. That is, you can make any individual gadget more or less see-throughsomething that makes more sense for the clock than for, say, the photo slideshow. 6.8.3.1. CalendarSure, you can always find out today's date by pointing to the clock on your taskbar. And this gadget isn't much of a calendar. It doesn't show your appointments, and it doesn't hook into Windows Calendar. But it's much nicer looking than the taskbar one. And besides, you can use this calendar to look ahead or back. (Navigate to a different month by clicking or buttons . Change the year by clicking the current year digits at the top of the month view.) Click the red peeking corner to return to the month-view calendar. 6.8.3.2. ClockSure, this clock shows the current time, but your taskbar does that. The neat part is that you can open up several of these clocksdouble-click Clock in the Gadget Gallery repeatedlyand set each one up to show the time in a different city. The result looks like the row of clocks in a hotel lobby, making you look Swiss and precise. 6.8.3.3. ContactsThe concept behind this gadget is, of course, to give you faster access to your own address book. Tip: This gadget is easier to understand if you drag it off of the Sidebar. Once free on your screen, it appears as a two -page binder, with the master list of contacts on the left side of the binding, and the individual Rolodex "page" on the right. 6.8.3.4. CPU MeterA power user 's dreamnow you can watch your PC wheeze and gasp under its load in real time, with statistical accuracy. 6.8.3.5. CurrencyThis one's for you, world travelers (or global investors). This little gadget can convert dollars to euros, or shillings to francs, or whatever to whatever. From the upper pop-up menu, choose the currency type you want to convert from: U.S. Dollars, Norwegian Krone, or whatever. Into the text box, type how many of those you want to convert. Use the lower pop-up menu to specify which units you want to convert to . You don't have to click anything or press any key; the conversion is performed for you instantly and automatically as you type. (Never let it be said that technology isn't marching forward.) Note: This gadget actually does its homework. It goes online to download up-to-the-minute currency rates to ensure that the conversion is accurate. 6.8.3.6. NotesNotes is a virtual Post-it note that lets you type out random scraps of texta phone number, a Web address, a grocery list, or whatever.
6.8.3.7. StocksThis gadget lets you build a stock portfolio and watch it rise and fall throughout the day. It contains your list of stocks, their current prices (well, current as of 20 minutes ago), and the amount they've changedgreen if they're up, red if they're down. Click a stock's name to see its chart and other details in a Web page. To set up your portfolio, proceed like this:
6.8.3.8. Picture PuzzleThe idea is to click the tiles of the puzzle, using logic to rearrange them back into the original sequence, so that they eventually slide together into the put-together photograph.
6.8.3.9. WeatherThis gadget shows a handy current-conditions display for your city (or any other city), and, at your option, even offers a three-day forecast. Before you get started, the most important step is to click the Options (wrench) button. In the Options dialog box, you'll see where you can specify your city and state or Zip code. Type it in and press Enter; the gadget goes online to retrieve the latest Weather.com info . You can also specify whether you prefer degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit. Click OK. Now the front of the gadget displays the name of your town, general conditions, and current temperature. 6.8.3.10. Slide ShowSo you've got a digital camera and a hard drive crammed with pictures. What are you gonna do with 'em all? Slide Show presents one photo at a time for a few seconds each. Think of it as an electronic version of the little spouse 'n' kids photo that cubicle dwellers prop up on their desksexcept that the picture changes every 15 seconds. The buttons in the tiny translucent control bar at the bottom of picture correspond to Previous Photo, Pause/Resume, Next Photo, and View (which opens up the picturemuch larger nowin Windows Photo Gallery).
Tip: If you drag this gadget off the Sidebar itself, you get to see your photos at a larger, more pleasant size.
6.8.4. More GadgetsThe gadgets that come with Vista are meant to be only examplesa starter collection. The real beauty of gadgets is that people can write their own new ones for the whole world to enjoy: gadgets that show your local movie listings, regional gas prices, your email Inbox, upcoming Outlook appointments, and so on. To see the current list of goodies that have been vetted by Microsoft, click "Get more gadgets online" in the Gadget Gallery described above. That takes you to the Microsoft Gadgets Gallery downloads page. (Alternatively, go straight to http://gallery.microsoft.com.) You should have no problem finding gadgets that tell you local traffic conditions, let you know if your flight will be on time, help you track FedEx packages, provide a word (or joke, or comic strip) of the day, and so on. 6.8.4.1. Installing a gadgetDownloading and installing a gadget isn't hard, but there are a number of steps. Here's what you'll see if you use Internet Explorer (Section 9.1), for example:
Unless you interfere, Internet Explorer drops the new gadget into your Personal Downloads folder. Open that folder, and then double-click the new gadget to install it. 6.8.4.2. Uninstalling a gadgetIf you decide you don't want a gadget, you can just close it (right-click it; from the shortcut menu, choose Close Gadget). That leaves it on your PC, but dormant . If, on the other hand, you really doubt you'll ever need it again, open your Gadget Gallery. Right-click the offending gadget; from the shortcut menu, choose Uninstall. Now it's really, truly gone. |