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iGoogle Gadgets @ Your Library

The document discusses how to create and publish iGoogle gadgets for libraries. It provides step-by-step instructions on using the Google Gadget Editor to open an existing gadget, edit it to suit your needs, and publish it to the iGoogle content directory or syndicate it on a website. Examples are given of libraries that have created gadgets and how one was syndicated on a library blog. Readers are encouraged to do background reading on gadget development, test their gadget, and publicize it once completed.

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iGoogle Gadgets @ Your Library Presenter: Ed Metz Systems Librarian, USACGSC [email_address] 913-758-3027
Intro – What is iGoogle What is iGoogle? Personal information portal and virtual workspace iGoogle offers more than 25000 modules or “gadgets” to choose from.
Intro – What are Gadgets What are these gadget things? A gadget is a mini web application XML document residing on any public webserver At most basic level it is simply your HTML (and/or JavaScript, Flash) content nested inside an XML wrapper. A gadget…. … and it’s underlying XMLdocument
Intro – Library Gadgets What have some libraries done with gadgets? Hennepin County Library Catalog WorldCat Open Search Washington State Library CARL HIP, CARL DigLib , CARL RSS Feeds BYU Idaho Library Search
Intro – Library Gadgets
So how do you make one? Step 1 . Do your homework. Some essential reads: Google Gadget API Developer’s Toolkit Getting started Writing your own gadgets Development Fundamentals Creating a user interface Publishing your gadget
So how do you make one? Step 2 . Login to or create your free Google account Step 3 . Find a gadget that has a similar aim to what you want to do. Step 4 Open it in the Google Gadget Editor (GGE), study the source code and adapt it to your own needs. Step 5 Edit, preview, save, test and publish your gadget in the Google Gadget Editor (GGE)
Google Gadget Editor (GGE) Google Gadget Editor . (GGE) Use it for: Creating, editing, previewing, saving, publishing your gadget. Edit/create your gadget Open any gadget Preview your gadget
Getting started Go to the GGE Select File - Open by url - my catalog template http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/116444596163220004073/catalog1.xml Next, select File – Save as and give it a new name Begin editing
Getting started – Log-in Log-in to your Google account. If you don’t already have your iGoogle page as your default display click on the iGoogle link here as shown.
Getting started Find some source code Now go to the content directory by selecting the Add stuff link
Getting started Find some source code Now you can search or browse the Homepage (iGoogle) content directory
Getting started Find some source code select View source
Opening a Gadget in the GGE At the next page copy the url from the browser address bar
Opening a Gadget in the GGE Now return to the GGE Select File – Open from url
Opening a Gadget in the GGE At next window paste the URL you copied for our XML document
Opening a Gadget in the GGE This populates your GGE with the XML source code Before you begin editing, select File –Save as - give the document a new name Note: you MUST be logged into your Google account to take advantage of all the GGE features
Creating your gadget Defining the document <?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot; ?> <Module>
Creating your gadget Module Settings <ModulePrefs> <ModulePrefs attribute attribute attribute attribute height=“220” > </ModulePrefs>
title : required. Title of the gadget. Displays in the gadget title bar on iGoogle. title_url: make my gadget title a hyperlink to your library or institution directory_title : optional. Don’t really need this here since I don’t have any user preferences. author : required. author_email : required. Creating your gadget Module Settings <ModulePrefs>
author_affiliation  (suggested) Who’s to blame? Your library or college author_location  (suggested) author_link (suggested) description - required. Provide 1-2 sentences that tell something about your gadget. Creating your gadget Module Settings <ModulePrefs>
screenshot  (suggested) url address of image png, gif, jpeg width = 280 pixels Thumbnail – (required) url address of image 120 x 60 pixels Width – Required in GGE Normally the default is 320. Height – optional Default is 200. Creating your gadget Module Settings <ModulePrefs> Screenshot image Thumbnail image
Creating your gadget Content <Content type=“html”> <Content type=&quot;html&quot;> <![CDATA[ Place your content in this section. Can include HTML, JavaScript, Flash. In the following example I’ve created a simple table <table> containing two rows <tr> with a total of four cells <td>. The html search form, related hyperlinks, some JavaScript and an image are nested inside their respective cells. </td>
<table style=&quot;WIDTH: 99%&quot; borderColorDark=&quot;#333333&quot; borderColorLight=&quot;#666666&quot; border=&quot;2&quot; FONT color=&quot;#2B1500&quot;><center><b> Search the CARL Catalog </b></font></center><tbody> Creating your gadget Content : HIP Search Form <table>
The HIP Search Form Creating your gadget Content : HIP Search <form> <tr><td> <form id=&quot;catalog_form&quot; action=&quot;http://comarms.ipac.dynixasp.com/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=carlcgsc&quot; method=&quot;get&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; reloadxsl=&quot; true #focus&quot;> <font color=&quot;#2B1500&quot;><b> for </b></font> <input name=&quot;term&quot;> <font color=&quot;#2B1500&quot;><b> in </b></font> <select name=&quot;index&quot;> <option value=&quot;.GW&quot; selected> Keyword anywhere </option> <option value=&quot;.TW&quot;> Title keyword </option> <option value=&quot;.AW&quot;> Author keyword </option> <option value=&quot;.SK&quot;> Fulltext items </option> </select> <input type=&quot;image&quot; src=&quot;http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/images/b-go-red-full.jpg&quot; value=&quot;Submit Query&quot;> </form></td> Note: Option values come from the word_index table in Horizon HIP url
Library Thing bookcovers widget <td> <script language=&quot;javascript&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; src=&quot;http://www.librarything.com/jswidget.php?reporton=metzejr&show=random&header=&num=1&covers=small&text=none&onlycovers=1&tag=alltags&css=1&style=1&version=1&quot;> </script> </td></tr> Creating your gadget <Content> : Adding dynamic content Library Thing Widget
Other links of interest. <tr><td> <center><a href=&quot;http://comarms.ipac.dynixasp.com/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&amp;profile=carlcgsc&amp;menu=account&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;> <font size=&quot;3&quot;> <b> My Account </b></a></center> <center><a href=&quot;http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/new_titles.asp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;> <b> New Titles </b></a></center> <center><a href=&quot;http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/CARL/c_ya.asp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; > <b> New Youth Titles </b></a></center> </font> </td> Creating your gadget <Content> : Adding links
Add your logo and close the table <td> <center> <img src=&quot;http://pages.google.com/edit/edmetz1/cgsc2.jpg/cgsc2-full.jpg&quot;> </center> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Creating your gadget <Content> : Add your branding
Now we close our Content section </Content> and our XML wrapper </Module> Creating your gadget Let’s wrap it up
Testing, testing 1,2,3 Test your gadget in different browsers Firefox, Internet Explorer, (Safari, and Opera). This can be easily done via the GGE . Open a web browser of your choice, Select File – Publish – Add to a web page. Creator page opens and gives you a preview.
Publishing your gadget http://www.google.com/apis/gadgets/publish.html#Submitting iGoogle Content Directory Syndication Example: CARL Blog
Publishing to the Content Directory On the GGE select File – Publish At the next screen you’ll see this prompt. Click on the Publish to iGoogle Directory link.
Publish to the Content Directory Make sure you’ve dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s, read the fine print, and then click the Send button.
Syndicate your gadget On the GGE select File – Publish At the next screen you’ll see this prompt. Click on the Add to a webpage link.
Syndicate your gadget Customize your gadget Click on the Get Code button
Syndicate your gadget Now simply copy the code generated in the box below and paste it as appropriate into your website.
Syndicated gadget Here’s how our gadget appears on our library’s blog.
Review Do your background reading (Google Gadget Developer Toolkit) Open a gadget in the GGE Edit, Preview, and Test in the GGE Publish to the Content Directory and/or syndicate it for third party website(s). Publicize it (newsletters, brownbags, blog, RSS)
iGoogle Gadgets @ Your Library Questions? Contact Info: Ed Metz Systems Librarian, USACGSC [email_address] 913-758-3027