NANY 2012 Release: Desktop URL Embed

[wraith808]

NANY 2012 Entry Information

Application Name	Desktop URL Embed
Short Description	Embed the contents of a webpage in the desktop as a gadget
Supported OSes	Windows Vista/7
Setup File	version 1.0.0
Description	Active desktop was supposed to be a big feature on Windows, but it has faded into the annals of history.  Or has it?  It's still there, just not as prevalent.  So when I wanted to embed a webcam view in my Evil Genius desktop setup, I decided to learn about Windows Gadgets...
Features	Embed a URL into your desktop.  Set a refresh if desired and the size of the gadget.
Screenshots
Installation	Double-click the .gadget file.  Allow installation.
Using the application	After installation, the gadget should appear.  Drag the window as desired by the gripper, or click the wrench to adjust the settings.
Uninstalling	Right click on the desktop and select gadgets.  In the window that appears, right click the Desktop URL Embed gadget, and click uninstall.
Notes	Requires IE unfortunately.  The desktop gadget content portion is only IE.

[Ath]

Hey wraith, that sounds (no looks yet) great

[kyrathaba]

Very cool!

[kyrathaba]

Is this one still going to become a Release? (fingers crossed)

[kyrathaba]

oops, I have a text file showing this one is canceled. Am I correct?

[wraith808]

No... not canceled.

[kyrathaba]

Great!

[Tiesenhausen]

Hello programmer,

Great gadget! Very cool and easy to use.

2 questions: Window Refresh Frequency: what unit is that in, milliseconds, seconds, minutes, centuries...?

Second question: can I embed more than one url on my desktop at the same time? Put another way, can I have two instances of the gadget simultaneously?

Many thanks,

Tiesenhausen

[wraith808]

Hi- thanks for the kudos!

On to your questions:
1. The Window Refresh Frequency is in seconds; I did just find a bug that initially, even though it says 5, the refresh actually isn't set.
2. You can embed more than one URL by using the gadget- just double click on the gadget again in the gadget install window.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Tiesenhausen]

Hi wraith,

I tried that, again, after seeing your message. The response is that I already have desktopurlembed installed; do I want to replace it? Okay, sez I, but a second response told me to close the running version before installing again. So it appears that no, only one copy can run at a time.

I'm running Windows 7 with Classic Shell.

Best, Tiesenhausen

[wraith808]

Not double clicking on the gadget again.

After you double click on the gadget to install and get it installed, you can right-click on the desktop.  Click the gadgets entry on that menu.

It should bring up a dialog like the one in the second image above.  If you double click there again, it will add another instance of the gadget.

[Tiesenhausen]

Sho' 'nuff! That works fine.

Many thanks. I'll stay in touch.

Best wishes, Tiesenhausen

[Tiesenhausen]

Does this gadget still work in Windows 8.1? I downloaded it again, extracted it from the zip file, and double-clicked--but W8.1 doesn't understand "gadget" as a file type, wants to know how to open it.

So, is the gadget obsolete, has it been replaced...?

[wraith808]

From https://fileinfo.com/extension/gadget

A GADGET file is a small program that runs within the Windows Vista or Windows 7 sidebar. It stores several web-based files in a Zip archive format and may include .HTML, .CSS, .JS files, as well as other web files. GADGET files are used for small programs such as news feeds, search tools, system utilities, and small games.

So it appears that the supported OSes above is indeed correct, and it doesn't work on anything past that.

[Tiesenhausen]

So, boo-hoo! Any chance of doing the same thing with today's OSes?

Many thanks for the very fast reply to a very old thread, Tiesenhausen

[Ath]

Gadgets have been actively discontinued by MS because of the insecure nature of the implementation. Even in Windows 7 they are getting 'problematic' to run. (Most backend services from MS have been dismantled, even before the support of Win7 ended)