10.4: Use Widget Update to keep widgets current

Nov 02, '05 06:37:00AM

Contributed by: robg

Tiger only hintWidget Update imageThe macosxhints Rating:
9 of 10
[Score: 9 out of 10]

I'm not a huge Dashboard user, but nonetheless, my collection has managed to grow to something like 30 widgets since Tiger was released. And since Dashboard is a new technology, it seems most of these widgets are updated on a weekly basis -- keeping current is really time consuming, and to be honest, is something I haven't been very good about.

Enter Widget Update, which Dan Frakes covered in last week's Widgets of the Week. This handy free widget looks at your installed widgets, tells you which of them are out of date, and includes a link to the widget's download page on Dashboard Widgets, VersionTracker, MacUpdate, or Apple's Dashboard Widgets page.

Due to inconsistencies between widgets, Widget Update may not be able to automatically find updates for all your installed widgets -- it's not a given that Widget Update will be able to find info on 100% of your widgets. For troublesome widgets, there's an Advanced settings screen, where you can manually insert URL info that would allow Widget Update to check for updates. You can also use the Advanced settings area to handle version inconsistencies. For instance, one widget that I have didn't update its version number, even though a newer version came out. As a result, Widget Update kept telling me to update the widget. Using the Advanced screen for that widget, I manually set the version number to match, and now Widget Update knows I have the current version.

Widget Update is easy to use, has a well-designed interface, and helps me keep up with a housekeeping chore that had been slipping between the cracks. It's well worth the minimal download time if you need help managing your widget collection.

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