How To
This is where Konfabulator
gets really cool. Head over to
Widgetgallery.com and browse its
vast selection. If you find yourself
intimidated by the sheer number
of widgets available, you’ll find a
list of our 10 favorites on the very
next page.
Each widget is a self-contained
file, with the clever extension of
“.widget.” To load a new widget,simply double-click the .widget
file. Konfabulator won’t actually
copy your .widget files into the My
Documents/My Widgets directory,
so it’s very important you move
them there yourself after you’ve
downloaded them, and before
you run them the first time. If you
don’t, they’ll end up scattered all
over your hard drive and they’ll be
impossible to manage. We highly recommend that you store all your widget
files in the My Widgets directory in My Documents. If
you don’t, Konfabulator might get confused and have
trouble restoring your desktop.The Konsposé mode lets you move or
modify embedded widgets.MAXIMUMPC MARCH 2005
Konfabulator widgets behave differ-
ently than most other windows. There
are five levels that most widgets can
use, but there are some subtle differ-
ences between the options. When you
open most widget preferences, there’s a
“Level of Window” option. Here’s what
happens with each level setting.- Normal: Normal-level windows act
just like other windows. You can move
them around and click on them to make
them the currently active window. - Topmost: Not surprisingly, topmost
windows are always on top of other win-
dows. Here again, you can click on them
and move them like any other window. - Below: When you use the Below
setting, your widget will effectively be
embedded in your desktop. You can
click and move it, but it will appear
underneath any other windows on
your desktop.- Floating: The Floating setting puts
the widget above any other windows
on your desktop, but you can’t interact
with it at all. The floating setting is great
for objects—such as clocks—that pro-
vide info you need, but that you don’t
need to interact with. If you combine
the floating setting with 80-percent
transparency, you’ll get an unobtrusive
desktop item that won’t interfere with
your day-to-day computing. - Konsposé Only: The Konsposé-only
setting places the widget in question
on your desktop only when you’re in
Konfabulator’s special full-screen F8
mode. We don’t use this setting much.
Install New Widgets!
Tweak Your Levels
Working with Floating Widgets
Once you’ve set your widgets to floating mode, you can’t
click or drag them; in fact, you can’t really interact with
them at all. If you want to move a widget or change its
preferences, you’ll need to enter the Konsposé mode.
Konsposé mode lets you see and move all your wid-
gets easily. To enter it, press the F8 key on your keyboard,
drag your widgets as you please, and then click an empty
area of the desktop to return to your normal desktop
mode. Pretty easy, huh?You control the precise placement of your wid-
get, including its level of depth on your desk-
top. By setting the Level of Window option, you
can float a widget above all other windows, or
embed it in your desktop.