chronoskin

Samples in the kit

Kit 2.1Released 18 March, 6 MB, for every edition of chronoskin Desktop.

Download the kit

Build a desktop gadget in an afternoon

A gadget is one small page and a settings file. The chronoskin Gadget Kit gives you the glass, the clock and the storage; you bring the idea.

Start the first guide Browse the reference

Free to use. You need a text editor and twenty minutes.

hello.gadget12 lines

// a clock that says hello
gadget.title = "Hello";
gadget.size(130, 130);

clock.every("minute", function () {
  face.text = clock.time("HH:mm");
  face.glow = clock.isNight();
});

gadget.show();
  • 3,840gadgets in the gallery
  • 46guides and samples
  • 212members in the reference
  • 2 daysto review a submission

Start here

Your first gadget

From an empty folder to a clock on the desktop.

Settings and storage

Remember what the owner chose, between restarts.

Drawing on glass

Blur, glow and reflection without a single picture.

Clock and weather

The two feeds every gadget may read for free.

Objects and events

Every member, with the version it arrived in.

Into the gallery

Pack it, send it, and what the reviewers look for.

Recently updated

  1. Overview
  2. Guides
  3. Your first gadget

Guides: getting started

Part 1 of 4. Written for kit 2.1, nine minutes to read.

Download the sample

Your first gadget

A gadget is a folder with two files in it: a page that draws the gadget and a settings file that tells the desktop its name and size. This guide builds a small clock and puts it on the desktop. Nothing has to be installed except the kit.

Make the folder

Create a folder called hello.gadget anywhere you like. The ending matters: the desktop treats every folder that ends in .gadget as one gadget.

  • gadget.page holds what the gadget shows.
  • gadget.settings holds its name, its size and what it may read.
  • Anything else in the folder, such as sounds, is packed along with it.

Say hello

Open gadget.page in a text editor and type the lines below. The clock object calls your function once a minute, so the gadget never has to ask for the time itself.

gadget.title = "Hello";
gadget.size(130, 130);

clock.every("minute", function () {
  face.text = clock.time("HH:mm");
});

gadget.show();

Try it

Double click the folder. The preview tool opens the gadget on a sheet of glass and reloads it every time you save. When the clock looks right, read on in Settings and storage.

  1. Overview
  2. Reference
  3. Objects

Reference

Every object a gadget may use, with the kit version it arrived in.

Printable version Download the kit
Object What it is for Members Since State
gadget The gadget itself: title, size, showing and hiding.Every gadget uses it. 31 1.0 Stable
clock The time, the date and calls at a steady interval. 12 1.0 Stable
storage Small values kept between restarts.Limited to 2 MB from kit 2.1. 9 1.2 Changed
weather Today and four days ahead for the owner's town. 17 2.0 Stable
glass Blur, glow and reflection for any part of the page. 8 2.1 New in 2.1
ticker Scrolling text along the lower edge.Use the clock and a text field instead. 5 1.0 Removed

New in 2.1 Stable Changed Removed 6 of 23 objects

Reading an entry ?Entries are listed in alphabetical order.

Each object has a page of its own that lists its members in the order you are likely to need them. Since is the first kit version that had the object; a gadget that names a newer object will not start on an older desktop, so set needs in the settings file to match.

Common questions

Which file draws the gadget?

The page file named in the settings file.

Can a gadget run in the background?

No. It runs only while it is on the desktop.

  1. Overview
  2. Gallery
  3. Submit a gadget

Submit a gadget

Send a packed gadget to the gallery. A reviewer answers within two working days.

How to pack a gadget

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Write the version as numbers, for example 1.2.

Two or three sentences. This is the text people see in the gallery.

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