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Introduction to Dashboard Reference

Contents:

Who Should Read This Document?
Organization of This Document
See Also

This document contains reference material for creating Dashboard widgets. It documents the JavaScript objects available to widgets and the interfaces used to configure and extend the behavior of a widget. It also covers the Objective-C interface used to create widget plug-ins.

Who Should Read This Document?

Dashboard Reference is for any widget creator looking for detailed information about the various interfaces available to widgets.

Organization of This Document

This document contains the following chapters:

• “Widget Object” describes the methods and properties of the Widget object—a JavaScript object you use to manage widget-specific behavior.

• “Regions” describes the use of regions within your widget. Regions allow you to specify areas for specific uses.

• “Dashboard Info.plist Keys” describes the custom and expected keys to include in your widget’s information property list file.

• “Widget Plug-in Interface” describes the interface used to create custom plug-ins for your widget.

See Also

For an introduction to Dashboard widgets, see “Widget Basics” in Dashboard Programming Topics. Read the other articles in Dashboard Programming Topics for information on the various technologies available to widget developers. To learn how to use Dashcode to create widgets, see Dashcode User Guide.

For more information on the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript capabilities found in WebKit, the technology behind Dashboard widgets, consult:

• Safari HTML Reference

• Safari CSS Reference

• WebKit DOM Reference

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