…because they get my all new Dashboard widget! It displays the posts on CP’s What’s New? blog, right from your dashboard!!

Here are some pics:

The front of the widget!

The back of the widget!

You can download it here!

You can download it here!

You can download it here!

…or from our Box.net widget!

 

-Mac Storm

There is a video, not by me, on youTube on how to move your dashcode project into a QCiPhone Xcode project. I though it might be helpful for those who are starting out.

After a good deal of experimentation and looking at the contents of the Dashcode.app file I have found that Apple has removed the ability to add custom Dashcode templates.  It looks like we will be forced to copy the QuickConnect HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files into Dashcode when we use it to help create our applications.  The process would be as follows,

1. Create a new Custom application by selecting the Custom template from the Safari group making sure that only Mobile Safari is selected.
2. Replace the existing index.html file with the QuickConnect version of the index.html file.
3. Drag the supporting QuickConnect javaScript files and directories into the project
4. Create application as in pre-3.0 Dashcode.

Ideas or feedback on this would be appreciated from the QC user community.  I will submit a bug to Apple but I’m pretty sure that they will tell me ‘functioning as designed’.  It appears they don’t want people creating custom Dashcode templates.  I’ll update you as I find out more.

On the positive side of 3.0 we can now use it to create QCMac applications though we would have to follow a similar process.

Today I reveal one of my top secret projects!  I’ve been playing with Mac Developer tools, because in my recent crisis of Twidget not working in my dashboard anymore, I got it in my head that I needed to make myself a blogroll widget.

Tah dah!  This is a screencap taken from my dashboard where I have my widget installed.  You can download my widget and watch my blogroll from your own dashboard too!! The link will also be at the bottom of this post. You must be running on a mac with Dashboard, this will not work in Windows machines. So let me tell you what a mess it was to make this thing!!

I first downloaded the free Mac Developer Tools and opened up Dashcode – and didn’t know what to do!  After prowling through the help files for a little while I discovered that I could make a blogroll widget easily with an RSS feed. So Lo!! I got an RSS feed. You can subscribe with the button on the right side of the blog.

This is a screen capture of my mailbox where I view RSS feeds. Obviously I have none that I view except Apple News and my own!!

Once I subscribed to this RSS feed, hours had gone by and I was ready to finally make my widget. It took about ten minutes, and then I was equipped with a shiny new blogroll widget!

So here is my widget active in my dashboard.  NICE EH.  What started as a project that was going to take me ten minutes turned into an all-night venture, but now I have the know-how, I have a widget, and I have an RSS feed!! Look at me being all high tech and with the times.

Download my widget for Mac Dashboard!!

Sadly, WordPress will not let me upload a Zip file. Go to my Apple site for MiFi Widget and continuation of this blog: http://web.me.com/markbeau/MiFi/Welcome.html

ども〜恥さらしです。
N2LCheckerの再開発に向けて、大まかなDashcodeのRSSテンプレートのスクリプトの流れをまとめました。メモとしてPOST致します。

HTMLのロードが終わり次第、load();を実行 (body onload)

load();

• 初期設定などを読み込む
• resetFeed();を実行

resetFeed();

• 前に表示した記事を消す
• ローディング表示開始
• ページの読み込み開始 refreshFeed();

refreshFeed();

• 読み込み途中のXMLHttpRequestがあれば、中止、削除
• 新しいXMLHttpRequestを作成
• 読み込み完了後のアクションprocessFeedDocument();をセット
• 読み込みのURLなどを設定
• 読み込み開始

processFeedDocument();

• データが正しく帰ってきたかのチェック
• 記事(番組)があるかをチェック
• 記事(番組)があれば、XMLをパーサーで解析
• 解析した値を実際の表示を行うaddEntriesToContents();

addEntriesToContents();

• 与えられた、XMLを分解し、createRow();へ渡す
• 返ってきたきた値を #contentに表示させる

createRow();

• 引数で与えられた文字列を元に、HTMLを生成
• addEntriesToContent();へ出来上がったHTMLを返す

とても簡単にまとめましたが、こんな感じの流れになっています。

yep. signed up for Dev status and am currently downloading Dashcode (well, Xcode anyway… apparently Dashcode is now bundled in Xcode or summat… the Apple Dev site was very confusing with pages leading back and forth to one another and sometimes using one name, sometimes using the other… but fuck it…) and the excitment is building… well, kinda…

am itching to try things out since i was passed a book on the Twitter API yday…
got home and had a quick blast through it (since you asked, very general introduction on what it is for those who didn’t know, what it can be used for, what clients etc exist already, and so on and so on…) then set up PHP etc on my macbook…

which was amazingly easy compared to on a PC… turns out PHP, Apache and ‘SQL lite’ (equivalent to mySQL) come pre-installed with OSX and simply need activating… how great is that?
i mean ok, again the Apple guide to this is vague as hell (like referring to “that file” without first telling you what file it’s on about, or where it is) but i found a much more helpful page… which also suggested installing ‘Text Wrangler‘, a fully functional (and free i might add) text editor that way surpasses ‘TextEdit’… so yeah, check that shit.

now the usual configuration for PHP is referred to as ‘LAMP’ -Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP…
however, the OSX setup uses SQL lite instead, and also requires a decent text editor, so i propose that my setup is ‘SPLAT’ -SQL lite, PHP, Leopard, Apache, Text Wrangler.
SPLAT FTW. 

right, Xcode or whatever has downloaded, gonna go install that then report back later with my progress…
in the meantime i’ll leave you with a rather interesting excerpt from the Apple Dev license agreement, which it would appear gives them the right to nab anything i do if they think it’d be of use for anything they’re doing… hmm…

12.    Apple Independent Development. You understand and agree that Apple may acquire, license, develop for itself or have others develop for it, and market and/or distribute similar hardware or software to that which you may develop. In the absence of a separate written agreement to the contrary, Apple will be free to use any information you provide to Apple for any purpose, subject to any applicable patents or copyrights.

The second beta of QC 1.5 is now available for download from the SourceForge link found in the right-hand bar of this blog.

It contains several changes and fixes requested by you as well as the new Charting and Graphing Library.  Using this library you can create Pie, Line, Filled Line, and bar charts quickly and easily.  If you take a look at the source code for the library you will find that it uses the new HTML5 canvas tag and JavaScript.  You can now create this easily from within your JavaScript application.

Another change is the inclusion of Xcode code completion macros for the common QuickConnect JavaScript functions.  Also included are macros for inserting the new pie, line, and bar charts.

I’ll make a video of how to use these.

I will also make a video on how to use the new Dashcode snippets for creating the charts.

Here are the changes, not including the earlier beta 1 changes, for beta 2.

Changes for 1.5 beta 2

1.  Charting library added (line, filled line, bar, and pie charts).

2.  apostrophe’s and ampersands now can be used in native database data without issue.

3.  Links in your html files are now handled by launching of all known and custom applications.

a.  http://, https://, feed:// – launches Mobile Safari

b.  mailto:// – launches Mail app

c.  http://maps.google.com – map app

d.  http://www.youtube.com – YouTube app

e.  itms:// – iTunes store app  (get the full URL from running iTunes onyour desktop machine);

f.  http://phobos.apple.com – App Store app(get the full URL from running iTunes on your desktop machine)

g. tel:// – iPhone only.  Dial a phone number (any phone number entered automatically becomes a link)

h. sms: – iPhone only.  Launch the sms app (notice that there are no // characters)

i. yourCustomURL:// – a custom URL for an application you have created.

4.  The play() JavaScript function now automatically detects if the audio file name passed as a parameter is part of your application package resources and plays it if it is.  If it is not, it will look to see if it is a recorded audio file and then play it.  Supported audio file types are:

a. mp3

b. wav

c. aifc

d. aiff

e. m4a

f. mp4

g. caf

h. aac

5.  Language, region, and TimeZone are now included in the device description received from the call to the getDeviceDescription() JavaScript function.

6.  Custom Dashcode code snippets that let you drag and drop QuickConnect functionality to your JavaScript application

a. Pie Chart

b. Line Chart

c. Bar Chart

7.  Custom Xcode JavaScript auto-completions that let you quickly add available QuickConnect functionality to your JavaScript application

a. piechart – insert pie chart creation code

b. barchart – insert bar chart creation code

c. linechart – insert line chart creation code

d. draggable – code to make an element draggable

e. resuzable – code to make an element resizable

f. changeable – code to make an element draggable and resizable

g. vmap – mapCommandToVCF call

h. bmap – mapCommandToBCF call

i. emap – mapCommandToECF call

j. valmap – mapCommandToValCF call

k. smap – mapCommandTo SCF call

l. vcf – create a View Control Function

m. bcf – create a Business Control Function

n. ecf – create an Error Control Function

o. valcf – create a Validation Control Function

p. scf – create a Security Control Function

q. debug – code to make a debug message call

r. logerror – code to log an error

s. findloc – findLocation call

t. device – getDeviceDescription call

u. showmap – showMap call

v. syssound – playSystemSound call

w. vibrate – vibrate call

x. showpicker – showPicer call

y. recordaudio – recordAudio call

z. playaudio – play call

aa. stopplayaudio – stopPlaying call

]]> http://netzarchitekt.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/spiegel-online-dashboard-widget/ Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:08:01 +0000 thinkboy http://netzarchitekt.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/spiegel-online-dashboard-widget/

Ich hab in der kurzen Ferienzeit mal ein kleines Widget mit Dashcode gebastelt. Das Widget stellt den Spiegel Online RSS Feed im Dashboard dar.

Bei Interesse findet sich der Download hier

Développez pour l’iPhone, est-ce difficile ?

A première vue, il s’agit d’une pratique qui va être réservé…

The latest release candidate, 3, is now available for QuickConnectiPhone a framework that allows you to build your installable iPhone applications in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you want to create an iPhone application but don’t have time to or maybe don’t want to learn Objective-C you can use QuickConnect instead.

This release, like RC 2, includes an installer.

It also includes support for embedding Google maps in your installable JavaScript application. This new functionallity, in addition to the previously added capabilities of GPS location, acceleration, JavaScript debugging in Xcode, device vibration and sound, etc., adds new power to your applications easily. All you need to do is make one JavaScript method call that includes the locations where you want a pin dropped and a description. The framework does the rest and your custom map is displayed.

Database access is just as easy. A wrapper for the SQLite database used natively on the iPhone is included in the framework. It supplies you with two methods, getData and setData, that are easily used to access and modify your data.

AJAX is also supported by a wrapper with getData and setData methods.

In addition, this installer will install QuickConnectMac. You can now quickly port your JavaScript application from your iPhone to a Mac. Most of this porting will consist of changing your HTML and CSS to fit the larger screen.

Also, QuickConnectPHP is included. This is an implementation of the QuickConnect framework in PHP. It allows you to create web applications quickly and easily using the same engineered approach that you use for your iPhone and Mac applications. It includes a MySQL wrapper that supplies both of the getData and setData methods as well.

QuickConnectiPhone 1.0 Release Candidate 1, a framework for creating installable JavaScript iPhone applications, is now available on sourceForge.

Included in RC1 are two examples of how to use the framework.  One is a Dashcode project file that implements an application completely in JavaScript.  It includes using the sqlite database as well as AJAX.

The second example is how to interact with the iPhone or iPod Touch.  This is a JavaScript application that can get the GPS information from the device.  It can also get the accelerometer information.  You can also use it to vibrate the phone and play system sounds as well as record and play audio.

One of the limitations of the UIWebView is that the pickers displayed when the user selects pull-downs in HTML.  This same example shows you how to use the more useful native pickers from within JavaScript.

This same example shows you how to write out debugging messages in JavaScript and have them show up in the Xcode console.  This is very handy since alerts are not allowed on the iPhone and alerts are a bad way to debug anyway.

These two examples are actually the examples from the book I have in progress.  More of the examples from the book will be added to create RC2 as well as any fixes that need to be made.  One of the examples included will be how to embed Google maps in your application that looks like the Map iPhone app.

I am currently deciding what the last chapter of my book should be.  A rough cut of the first four chapters is available on Amazon.com.  The title is:

Developing Hybrid Applications for the iPhone: Using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to Build Dynamic Apps for the iPhone.  It is being published by Pearson.

If you have any ideas for things you would like to see how to do with the iPhone please post them here.

The books current chapters are:

Xcode3.1에서 아이폰 프로젝트 메뉴가 생긴것과 마찬가지로 대쉬코드에도 역시 아이폰 프로젝트 생성 매뉴가 생겼다. 며칠전 포스트에서 다뤘던 아이폰 개발 시작하기 동영상을 보았다면 다들 알겠지만, 아이폰 개발을 하는 방법은 크게 두가지다. 첫번째는 코코아 (터치) 응용프로그램을 만드는 것이고 두번재는 ‘아이폰 전용’ 웹페이지를 만드는 것. 이미 타이거에서 부터 선보인 대쉬보드 위젯을 만드는것과 거의 동일한 방법으로 아이폰 전용 웹 응용프로그램을 제작하는 것인데, 겉으로 보이는 UI에는 둘의 차이가 없으나 다만 후자는 사파리 안에서 실행된다는것만 다르다.

Xcode가 아닌 대쉬보드에서 html과 자바 스크립트로 제작되는 응용프로그램이라해서 간단히 봤다간 큰코다치기 딱 좋을것이다. 대쉬보드에서 제공하는 텝플릿으로 생성되는 유틸리티 응용프로그램은 코코아로 제작하는 응용프로그램에 비해 손색이 없을 정도의 기능을 담고 있으니 말이다. 자바 스크립트를 보는 즉시 다들 알아채겠지만, 자바 스크립트로 sqlite 데이터 베이스를 엑세스하고 있는것을 볼수 있다. 코코아 응용프로그램 역시 아이폰 플랫폼에서는 sqlite를 사용하도록 권장을 하고 있는만큼 대쉬코드를 사용한다고 해서 기능상 제한이 있는 ‘장난감’응용프로그램만 만들어야 하는것이 아니라는 것이다. OS X플랫폼에서 보는 위젯과 일반 코코아 응용프로그램과의 차이가 아이폰 플랫폼에서는 없어지는것이라 보는것이 맞을지도 모르겠다. 대쉬보드에서 제작하는 웹 응용프로그램은 landscape, portrait view에도 대응할수 있으므로 사파리 안에서 운용된다는것 외에는 사용자가 느끼는 기능상의 차이는 정말 없을듯 하다.

개인적으로는 자바 스크립트를 사용한지가 한참 오래된데다가 그동안 대쉬보드 위젯을 만드는것에도 관심이 없었기에 대쉬코드를 사용해서 아이폰 응용프로그램을 만들일은 없을것 같지만, 한국에 무수히 많은 웹프로그래머들에게는 이보다 좋은 아이폰 개발툴이 있을까 싶다. 한번도 데스크탑 응용프로그램을 만들어본적이 없는 웹프로그래머에게는 Objective-C와 코코아를 배우지 않아도 된다는 해방감과 함께 단계별로 해야할 일을 체크해주기도 하고 거기다 배포까지 편리하게 도와주는 대쉬코드를 만나는 즐거움이 틀림없이 쏠솔할것이다.

Based on requests for information it seems I have not stated how to install the QuickConnect Xcode and Dashcode plugins.

Assuming you have installed the developer tools put the QuickConnect iPhone Hybrid Application folder in the folder:

HardDrive\Developer\platforms\iPhone\Developer\Library\xCode\Project Templates\Application

To install the dashcode plugin right click on the Dashcode application and select ‘Show Package Contents’.

Copy the TemplateQuickConnectiPhone.wdgtTemplate folder into the Contents\Plugins folder.

Eis a actualização do Widget de pesquisa de MP3 no Google do Dashboard. Redesenhei o Widget e corrigi parte do código que tinha um bug que impedia que se obtivessem resultados em algumas situações com nomes de bandas com mais que uma palavra.

Assim, se utiliza o Google MP3 Search antigo, ou se pretende procurar ficheiros MP3 utilizando todo o poder do Google faça download do Google MP3 Search e instale-o no Dashboard do seu Mac (+10.4.3).

Ver ainda:

• MP3: Procurar música no Google
• Como Procurar MP3 no Google
• Projectos

Una de las cosas que echaba de menos en Tiger era Dashcode, la herramienta que Apple había creado para hacer tus propios widgets para el dashboard de una forma sencilla y rápida. Por desgracia, lo probé mientras estaba en beta, pero expiró al poco de aparecer Leopard, así que no pude seguir trasteando con el programita.

Ahora que ya he instalado Leopard, vuelvo a poder hacer mis propios widgets, ya que Dashcode está incluido en las herramientas de desarrollo que acompañan al OSX. 

Aprovechando la ocasión, he decidido hacer un tutorial explicando cómo te puedes hacer un widget que te muestre las últimas noticias de tu web favorita a través de su feed RSS.

Ejecutamos Dashcode y lo primero que nos aparece es una ventana con los diferentes tipos de widgets predefinidos que podemos programar:

Como podéis observar, hay de diferentes tipos: desde uno en blanco en el que tienes que empezar de cero, hasta preconfigurados para mapas, podcast, Photocast o lectores RSS.

Elegimos el denominado RSS para crear nuestro lector de feeds. Nos aparecerá el entorno de programación de Dashcode con nuestro widget ya creado y a falta sólo de personalizarlo:

Veréis que Dashcode tiene 3 áreas muy definidas de trabajo:

- La zona central, donde aparece el widget y las distintas partes que lo componen: título, feed RSS, pié del widget, etc.

- La zona superior izquierda, que nos muestras los diferentes elementos que forman el widget: frontal, la parte trasera, icono, etc.

- La zona inferior izquierda, donde aparece un workflow o lo que es lo mismo, las distintas fases por las que tenemos que pasar hasta completar nuestro widget.

Una vez situados, vamos por lo primero: definir la URL del feed RSS que queremos mostrar. Esto lo podemos hacer de 2 formas.

1. Arrastramos la URL del feed RSS desde nuestro navegador o lector de news y la soltamos dentro del widget en Dashcode

2. Vamos a ‘Pasos del flujo de trabajo’ y pulsamos en ‘Propiedades RSS’. Veremos que nos aparece una nueva pantalla en la zona central:

Veréis que hay un campo que se llama ‘URL del canal’. Pegad allí la URL del feed que queráis mostrar. Además os recomiendo configurar el número de noticias que queráis que se muestren y de cuánto tiempo atrás.

Ahora es el mejor momento para guardar el widget por primera vez y así, de paso, le damos nombre. Vamos a ‘Archivo/Guardar como’ y le ponemos el nombre que queramos. Veréis que una vez archivado, ya os aparece el nombre del widget en los campos correspondientes a ‘Identidad’

Ahora pulsamos en el icono negro que aparece en la esquina superior izquierda (justo debajo de ‘Ejecutar’) con lo que os volverá a aparecer el widget en pantalla.

Vamos a cambiarle el nombre que aparece en el widget. Es tan sencillo como pulsar en el texto ‘Mi canal RSS’ y escribir el texto que queráis. En el ejemplo, he puesto el nombre de mi web:

Si no os cabe o queréis poner otro tipo de letra, podéis usar el Inspector (en la barra de herramientas) para configurarlo.

Y sorprendentemente, no necesitamos nada más para nuestro widget básico. Sólo nos queda probar qué tal funciona y luego compilarlo.

Para probarlo (recuerda guardarlo antes), basta pulsar en ‘Ejecutar’ y verás que tu widget aparece en pantalla con las típica ondas de agua, igual que en Dashboard. Puedes comprobar que todo funciona bien y pulsar en ‘Detener’ cuando hayas terminado.

Por último, implementamos el widget. Selecciona ‘Archivo/Implementar widget en Dashboard’ para que lo compile y te lo instale en Dashboard.

Si lo que quieres es tener el archivo del widget para distribuirlo, basta con usar la opción “Archivo/Implementar widget” y te guardará el fichero resultante en la carpeta ‘Tu usuario/Widgets’. Puedes enviar ese fichero por mail a tus amigos o ponerlo en tu web para que los usuarios se lo descarguen. 

Aquí tienes una imagen del resultado final:

Fácil, verdad?

Por supuesto, Dashcode es mucho más potente que todo lo explicado aquí y permite hacer widgets mucho más sofisticados, pero eso te lo dejo a ti para que investigues o quizá me anime a escribir otros artículos sobre Dashcode.

Enviar a Menéame

Click here to download (Mirror)

New Features:

1. Feed source changed to feedburner for persistent validation.
2. Added a search field to filter through the latest content.

Update: The widget now correctly takes you to the corresponding post rather than safat.

Again, this is for Mac users only (version 10.4.3 or later). Earlier version can be found here.

Here’s a quick widget that I made using Leopard’s dashcode for Safat. Bloggers using Macs of version 10.4.3 or greater, click here to get the latest Kuwaiti entries right on your dashboard. Sorry Windows users, but this won’t work for you

If you’re on a Mac and love Magic: The Gathering, you can use this Dashboard widget to view the card of the day from the Wizards site. Seeing as everyone’s copy of Dashcode has expired now, I doubt I’ll spend any more time on it. It’s basically just an Ajax request from Prototype and a regex to find the image.

I sometimes wonder if Dashcode will morph into some hybrid iPhone IDE by the time Leopard comes out, if Apple still haven’t relented and allowed developers access to the gadget’s native innards. It was a fairly nice piece of software while it lasted, anyway.

Update: having said I wasn’t going to spend any more time on it, Wizards have changed their HTML, so I’ve updated the regex. This should now work again.
13/09/2008: Wizards have changed the Magic site again, so I’ve uploaded a new file.

A little /dev/random this evening, as I’ve decided to give the Dashcode Beta a try out. This is mainly because I’d like a little desktop widget to show me the current snow conditions around Zermatt, and it should be easy to cycle through the cameras available at sites around the glaciers.

You can grab the Beta release of Dashcode from the Apple Developer Connection. The code is set to time out on July 17th 2007. For all the Mac rumour-mongers out there, perhaps there’s a good pointer there for when Leopard will get released — or not, as the case now is <sigh>

Despite the large number of widgets in our widget gallery it might happen that you can’t find the widget which does what you have been looking for. There is no need to give up then you have several options:

1. Check if one of our generic widgets like the RSS widget for news feeds, the Picture Frame widget for images, web cams or weather radars might do the job.
2. Check the Google Gadget directory if there is a Google Gadget which does what you look for. Adding Google Gadgets to your Widgetop desktop is very easy.
3. With the help of our Universal widget you can easily turn content from almost any web page into a widget. Just type the URL, scroll to the part of the page you want to watch, adapt the size and lock the widget. It can even auto-refresh it’s content.
4. Check Apples Dashboard widget catalog if you can find what you want there. If that widget isn’t available on Widgetop ask the widget author to upload his widget to Widgetop or tell us and we will do it.
5. Last but not least, consider creating your own Dashboard widget. It’s easier than you might think and there are great tools like Apples DashCode: Easy to use and filled with rich and customizable widget templates, so you don’t have to be a programmer. Make sure you register as a developer on Widgetop and upload your great new widget so that other users can see and use it. If we find it as useful as you there is a good chance that it will be promoted as one of our featured widgets.