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Widgets
#57303 12/14/20 12:21 AM
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MG2009 Offline OP
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Widgets? These are mentioned in the Apple promo for BIG SUR.

I thought widgets have long since been thrown out with DASHBOARD? (I am unable to locate these anywhere in CATALINA.)

Enlighten me, please.


blush blush


Many thanks,
MG2009
Re: Widgets
MG2009 #57306 12/14/20 05:50 PM
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Widgets in iOS/iPadOS 14 and MacOS 11 are an expansion on the widgets in Dashboard. Essentially they are windows into different apps as seen here. Widgets come in different sizes and shapes, can be stacked on top of one another and depending on the OS can appear on the desktop or in the Control Center. Clicking or touching the widget opens the full app.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Widgets
joemikeb #57307 12/14/20 06:13 PM
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Yes, I know what WIDGETS are, but WHERE are they in my iMAC?

The WIDGET app used to be part of the OSX package, but, I thought, it was discontinued when DASHBOARD was dropped. If the WIDGET APP still exists, where would I find it in CATALINA? (The app is not in the Applications folder as was the case when DASHBOARD existed.)

Just to clarify: There were WIDGETS (in the User Library) and then there was the WIDGET APP (in the Applications folder). I cannot locate either on my iMAC. I used to have a couple of dozen until one of the upgrades (SIERRA?) . . . when both the APP and the WIDGETS disappeared along with the DASHBOARD APP.

Last edited by MG2009; 12/14/20 06:28 PM. Reason: clarifications

Many thanks,
MG2009
Re: Widgets
MG2009 #57309 12/14/20 06:44 PM
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This Apple Support site explains how to do it (maybe?). Note that at the top of the site page is a dropdown menu to select your MacOS version.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: Widgets
MG2009 #57312 12/14/20 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by MG2009
Yes, I know what WIDGETS are, but WHERE are they in my iMAC?
The Widgets themselves are embedded in the related application package and are not available separately.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Widgets
joemikeb #57317 12/15/20 12:34 AM
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Thanks for the clarification.

So the previous 3rd-party WIDGETS I had were lost in the upgrade, and, presumably, those 3rd-party WIDGETS can no longer be downloaded to the existing application package.

Is it fair to conclude that ONLY the WIDGETS which come bundled with the Apple OS are all that are available to the iMAC user?

Re: Widgets
MG2009 #57323 12/15/20 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by MG2009
So the previous 3rd-party WIDGETS I had were lost in the upgrade, and, presumably, those 3rd-party WIDGETS can no longer be downloaded to the existing application package.
Yes and yes.

Originally Posted by MG2009
Is it fair to conclude that ONLY the WIDGETS which come bundled with the Apple OS are all that are available to the iMAC user?
Any application developer can include coding for a widget in their application. I have no idea how many third party application developers have added widgets to their application but I currently have three apps (Forecast Bar, Mind Node, & Network Kit) providing widgets in addition to those included in the Big Sur installation package. Network Kit alone has five widgets, one in two size options, and Mind Node has three. Only Network Kit makes any mention of Widgets in their App store description so to my knowledge there is no reliable way to tell if an app offers widgets or not. As to their usefulness I find the new widgets to be far more useful than the old type widgets ever were to me. In fact, they have changed the way I use my iPhone and they are changing the way I use my Mac.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Widgets
joemikeb #57326 12/15/20 05:49 PM
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Thanks, again.


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