What's a Widget?

Get widgets…embed widgets…free widgets….here a widget, there a widget, everywhere a widget!!! What IS a widget? A widget is one of those things that is sooooo common that it is probably just assumed that everyone knows what one is. Not me. So, I decided to take the time to look into it and find out exactly what a widget is, what it does, where to get one etc.
There are basically 2 main types of computer widgets: desktop and web. Simply stated, a widget is a piece of programming code that either runs on your desktop or is embedded within a web page. The purpose of a widget is to add content or functionality. They appear as buttons, icons, drop downs….any element that can be manipulated by the user. For example, the icons on a PC desktop are examples of widgets. They allow the user to interact with the PC. The clock and calendar that appear on my desktop are examples of widgets.

Web widgets are intended to enhance a user’s web experience. Often, this is done by providing additional content from another site. For example, a GoogleMap widget on a business web site would provide the site visitor with a map and directions directly to that business. Productivity widgets may add the ability to search other relevant sites for information like stocks, news, weather, coupons, etc.
“Coupon Looker” is an example of a productivity widget that I would be likely to use. It allows me to easily search the internet for savings coupons that are being offered by various retailers. The widget makes it possible to search all of these businesses at once rather than going to their individual sites to check for coupon availability.


If I wanted to I could embed the code for “coupon looker” into my blog or other social networking site.

Companies can make money for displaying certain widgets on websites or blogs. Other widgets, like media player buttons or game widgets are simply intended to be fun.


Evidently, you don’t have to be a programmer to create your own widgets and make them available for others to share. In order to do this you just need a computer (right!?), a widgets engine, which is a software service that interprets the embedded code and makes it appear/behave as intended, a graphics editor capable of saving PNG files (Adobe Photoshop), a text editor, and a widget converter. If you are not up to the challenge of creating your own widget, there are many sites offer free widgets that you can grab and embed in your own website or blog. A word of caution however; as with any embeddable code, widgets can be used for malicious intent. Be sure that you use only trusted sites as your source for widgets.
Now that I have a better understanding of widgets, I realize that I use them every day. In fact, I don’t think it would be possible to use a computer without using widgets. Like many aspects of computers and the Web, widgets have become so commonplace that we take them for granted. Without them, the computer experience would be a lot less user friendly and fun!