Using widgets

You can open widgets from the My Widgets sidebar panel in different formats, set widget properties, remove widgets from the My Widgets sidebar panel, and update widgets from the widgets catalog. In addition to the widgets an administrator might have already added to the My Widgets sidebar panel for you, you can also add widgets from the widgets catalog.

About this task

The My Widgets sidebar panel toolbar contains the following options:
  • Browse the Widget Catalog button – This opens the widget catalog.
  • The sidebar panel has two columns:
    • The first column displays the widget's icon and title. If a widget is pushed to the user by the administrator, a * appears next to the title.
    • The second column tells the user the approved state of the widget; some widgets require approval from the corporate widget catalog administrator in order to use them. The different values for this column are:
      • Approved - An OpenSocial widget is installed from the corporate widget catalog and is approved by an administrator
      • Not Approved - An OpenSocial widget is installed from the corporate widget catalog and is not Approved by an administrator.
      • No Approval Needed - The widget type does not require approval for use

Use the My Widgets sidebar panel to perform any of the following tasks.

Table 1. Basic widgets tasks

Descriptions of opening, setting properties for, removing, and updating widgets
Task Description

Open a widget in one of these formats:

  • Tab
  • New window (if a web-based widget)
  • Floating window
  • Sidebar panel
 Right-click the widget in the My Widgets sidebar panel, select Open in, and select a format.

Double click on a widget to open the widget in a tab.

Tip: Select a format that suits the widget; for example, you might select New window for a web-based widget that displays a large web page or form, whereas you might select Floating window or Sidebar panel for a smaller widget such as a simple package tracking widget.

Set one or more properties for a widget, such as specifying a postal code for a weather widget
  1. Right-click the widget and select Properties.
  2. Set any of the available properties for the widget and click OK.

Remove a widget from the My Widgets sidebar panel

 Right-click the widget you are removing, and select Remove.
Note: If the widget is locked by your administrator, the Remove command is not available and you cannot remove the widget from the sidebar.

Update the widgets in the My Widgets sidebar panel manually

Note: Updates are based on changes made to the current, corresponding widget versions in the widgets catalog. Changes include widgets that have been removed from the widgets catalog, so updates can result in the removal of corresponding widgets from your My Widgets panel.

Right-click the My Widgets sidebar panel and click Update Widgets.

Note: Widget updates can also occur automatically based on a schedule set by your administrator. If a category of widgets is removed from the catalog, those widgets are removed from your My Widgets panel when the next update occurs, whether automatic or manual.

Add a widget from the widgets catalog to the My Widgets sidebar panel
  1. If necessary, open the My Widgets panel in the sidebar.
  2. Right-click the My Widgets sidebar panel and click Browse Widgets Catalog.
  3. Click the name of a widget to open its catalog document and get more information about the widget.
  4. To add the widget, drag the link to the widget, or its installation icon, from the widgets catalog document and drop it in the My Widgets sidebar panel.