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Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
#11568 08/26/10 09:04 PM
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tacit Offline OP
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I've just tried an experiment in Dashboard coding by creating a Dashboard widget that shows the active forum threads on all the FTM forums, and allows you to click on the title of any thread to go straight to that forum in your Web browser. I hope this might be a tool to generate some more visibility for FineTunedMac; I'd like to try to get it listed in the Apple Widgets library.

The Dashboard widget is at

http://www.finetunedmac.com/pub/ftmreader.wdgt.zip

I'd like to have folks here test it and let me know what you think. Download it and give it a spin!


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11569 08/26/10 10:11 PM
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looks good! how about having it show, say, the last ten (or five, or?) most recent posts in all forums?


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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11572 08/27/10 12:50 AM
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I've only used it for a few minutes but the things I like right off the bat:

1. As an existing member, instant access to FTM without first having to open my browser, et cetera. (yeah, yeah, I know...I could just make FTM my opening page)

2. It works very fast.

3. In terms of gaining new members, the flip side connection to the FTM home page is a great idea.

ryck


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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11576 08/27/10 11:46 AM
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It looks good to me.


Jon

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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11592 08/29/10 02:31 PM
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Although I'm not exactly an avid widget user, I must say that this one looks fine to me too. And I sure share your hope that it may generate more visibility. I think its mere presence shows off the professional care and reliability of the FTM community.


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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11595 08/29/10 07:01 PM
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Like Alternaut I am not an avid widget user, but I have played around with this one for a while and it works well. I did find myself wishing it had a list of the most recent posts across the forums as well as the ones it presently has within each of the forums.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11596 08/29/10 10:11 PM
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tacit,

The FTM Forum Reader works well and I really like its appearance. Thanks for your time and expertise.

As mentioned by others, if there is the possibility of adding the option for Active Topics, I suggest Active Topics : Past 7 days - FineTunedMac.

I have thought about the fact that Active Topics is not a Forum as are those listed in the pop-up menu "Choose a Forum." I have decided to ignore myself because access to Active Topics would be a fine option.


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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
dianne #11600 08/30/10 04:52 AM
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tacit Offline OP
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The addition of an "active topics" selection is a most excellent idea. I don't know if the UBB.threads software allows that; the widget relies on reading an XML RSS list to get the topic headings, which you can set up for forums but I don't know if you can set up for the "active in the last 7 days" list. I'll look into it and see.


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11824 09/16/10 07:43 PM
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tacit Offline OP
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I've uploaded a new version of the widget to the same URL as in the first message in this thread. It looks like UBB.threads does not permit an RSS feed of the "active topics in the last 7 days" list (sadly), but the new version of the widget has minor tweaks and should load slightly faster. I'd appreciate feedback on the new version; if everything looks good, I'll submit this version to Apple's Widget repository.


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11829 09/16/10 10:05 PM
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it looks great, Franklin, and loads quickly, but for me, without it showing the recent posts in all forums, I don't think I would use it much.

thanks for your work, though!


MacBook 2.4 Ghz · 4 Gb ram · 10.7.5
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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11845 09/17/10 01:15 PM
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Works fine here and a good idea that we need to promote. Even though many widgets are useful, I all too often forget about widgets altogether and don't use them. This one may help my memory.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11856 09/17/10 05:58 PM
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Same thing here. Nice job!


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Re: Looking for testers for FTM Dashboard widget
tacit #11914 09/21/10 07:17 PM
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tacit Offline OP
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The FTM widget has been submitted to Apple for inclusion in the widget download section of the Apple Web site! They say it takes about 90 days for them to make a decision about what to include and to list it on their site. Knock on wood!


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

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