Category: Gadget Development

• A Who Is Gadget

The Magic Folder Update

Additionally, I am working on an update to The Magic Folder (version 1.3). If anyone does actually read this blog  and you might be interested in testing a pre-released version of the update please let me know. I have a four-page test plan that takes me forever to go through and unfortunately it does not always cover unique usage scenarios. If you are a user of the gadget and want to help make it robust (just by running with the beta), let me know. Contact me here. I want to post the update by this Friday – so time if of the essence.

Also, if you like The Magic Folder gadget, please spread the word. Pass the link (http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=0ed6a06a-6782-41a7-b68c-2753fad412a5) to everyone you know that has Windows Vista. Add the link to your blog or get your buddy to add it to their blog. Give me a good rating if you like it (like 5 stars ). But, please keep the downloads pouring in for this gadget.

1. The graphics are a bit fuzzy, the gadget does not have the same smooth feel as the more refined default gadgets that come with Vista. I will try to address this when I have time in an update. I was focussing more on getting the idea completed and the logic working than making it "perdy."
2. Some folks are finding it hard to modify the settings so they do not know that:
   • You CAN change the default locations for the folders.
   • YOU CAN add your own folder locations.
   • See how to do BOTH of these things at the end of this blog post.
3. The File Extensions are not working. Meaning if you drag a Word Document (.docx) to the gadget it asks you to register the file instead of recognizing the extension docx and dropping it in the Document Files folder. This is caused because the Gadget API function that I am using to identify the FILE TYPE by EXTENSION does not recognize an extension if they are turned off in the O/S. By default, file extensions for known types are turned off. To make this feature work, you need to turn on file extensions. Here is how:
   • Open Computer or Explore to ANY folder on the system.
   • Press the ALT key on the keyboard. The Menu should appear at the top of the window.
   • Click Tools, then click Folder Options.
   • Click the View Tab.
   • UNCHECK the option: Hide extensions for known types.
   • Click Ok. And your done. The Magic Folder should now behave.

1. Click on the settings icon, and then click the Add icon (looks like a plus sign).
2. You can then supply the name for the folder you want and then click the Browse icon (looks like a Folder icon) to select the path you want.
3. Then click the Save button (looks like a disk icon).

TO MODIFY THE PROVIDED FOLDERS
========================

1. Click the Settings button (the wrench on the gadget). 
2. Make sure you are on the folders tab. 
3. Select the folder you want to change from the list (or click Add [looks like a plus sign] to add a new one).
4. Click the Browse icon (looks like a folder). 
5. Select the folder you want, click Ok. 
6. Click the Save icon (looks like a disk).

Well, I spent about a week on The Magic Folder. I am planning on taking a break for a few weeks (maybe). The process for creating the first Gadget was just a little frustrating . The core issue is that the documentation for Gadgets is not quite what I would call "stellar." Additionally, The Magic Folder was a HUGE project – hundreds of lines of javascript and it touched nearly every aspect of the Gadget API. Good thing about that is that I have a good amount of experience from the endeavour and that should make future projects run smoother.

• Password Manager – gadget to help you keep track of website or other passwords. Problem here is that I would want to make this very secure and need to learn more about encryption and such and how to apply that to a gadget.
• SharePoint Manager – gadget to keep track of all your SharePoint sites and might even take a little code from the Magic Folder in that it will copy files dragged to it to specific SharePoint sites Shared Documents folders. The issue here is that the current Gadget API does not support HTTP, so I would need to figure a way around that.

Let me kow what you would like to see in a gadget.

Download the gadget.

So I have been playing around with the Windows Vista Sidebar and found that the gadgets are amazing and not so difficult to create. I knew there was a Gadget I could make that would be needed. I looked at how I used my own desktop and found that there are two common things I am doing with Windows:

1. I am dragging certain files to certain folders (moving them around)…usually form the desktop to somewhere else.
2. I am always opening specific folder to access files.

So the idea for The Magic Folder was born. With this gadget there are actually several cool things you can do:

1. You can drag a file to the folder and if it already recognizes the file extension (like .doc or .xls) it will move the file to the folder where that extension is currently registered to move files.
2. If it does not recognize the file extension, you can register an existing folder for the extension type to be moved to, or you can specify a new one.
3. You can also manage both the folder and extensions very easily from the Gadget Settings.
4. Additionally, if you just click on the Gadget, you can select a folder form the list and click Ok to have it open in Windows Explorer.
5. Finally, you can pull the gadget off the sidebar and place it anywhere on the desktop, so it will look just like another folder.

Have fun and let me know what you think.