Intro to Google Gadgets and
Facebook Apps
Hung Truong

What’s a Google Gadget?
• A “Box of Stuff” that lives online
• Possibly dynamic
• Potentially interactive
• A way to provide quick heads-up info

What’s a Google Gadget?

A Static Gadget

A Dynamic Gadget

Hello, World!

Creating a Gadget

Where Do Gadgets Live?

Distribution

Google Gadgets Pros/Cons
• Pros:
▫ Hosted by Google (optionally)
▫ Relatively easy to program
▫ Well documented, lots of examples
▫ Easy to share, distribute to anyone, anywhere
• Cons:
▫ Hosted by Google (author issues, etc)
▫ Still requires an understanding of html and
javascript.

What’s a Facebook App?
• A website within Facebook
• Can access user data
▫ Friends
▫ Interests
▫ Photos
• Can potentially change data
▫ Status updates
▫ Upload Photos
▫ Create Notes
▫ Etc

What’s a Facebook App?

What’s a Facebook App?

Creating a Facebook App
• Requires:
▫ Working programming knowledge (more than just
html)
 PHP is most common, Ruby on Rails or Python
Clients available too. Javascript useful.
▫ Web hosting (again, probably PHP support), a
backend database, access and ability to work in a
server environment.

Creating a Facebook App
• Previously:
▫ Library hosted PHP files to support Facebook
apps
▫ Library offered access to MySQL database on a
case by case basis.
• After Drupal:
▫ Stricter access to the development environment
▫ Library is supposed to help transition apps, has
experience with FB apps
▫ Future development…???

Facebook Apps Pros/Cons
• Pros:
▫ Lives in Facebook (most patrons have a window
open at all times!)
▫ Potentially engaging and fun
▫ Excellent developer support and community
• Cons:
▫ Requires lots of programming knowledge
▫ Lots of overhead in hosting, maintenance, etc.
▫ Might not be incredibly useful

Useful Links
• Google Gadget Editor
▫ http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/docs/legacy
/gs.html#GGE
• Gadgets
▫ Google Developer Gadget
▫ UM HSL Resources (Embed Link)
▫ Plain English Medical Dictionary (Embed Link)
▫ PHLI Workshops (Embed Link)
▫ PubMed MGetIt (Embed Link)

Useful Links
• Facebook Docs:
▫ Developer Website
▫ Anatomy of an App
• Applications
▫ PubMed Search
▫ Shushed by a Librarian
▫ Workshops at PHLI