CodeProject: Desktop Gadgets. Free source code and programming articles

Creating a Database-Driven Google Gadget

Updated: 23 Dec 2007

This article demonstrates how to create an auto-refreshing Google Desktop Gadget that pulls data from a database.

JScript, XML, SQL, Windows, SQL, DB, Dev, XHTML, Intermediate

Bryan Sachdeva

4.52

Soapbox Video Gadget

Updated: 16 Apr 2007

The power of MSN videos in your Windows Vista sidebar with Soapbox. Create and share your favorite video list

Vista, VS2005, IE 4+ DHTML, JScript, XML, CSS, Dev, AJAX, Intermediate

Quartz.

4.43

.NET Interop for Gadgets – A C# GMail Inbox Reader Example
Updated: 30 Jan 2007

How to call absolutely any .NET code from your Vista Sidebar Gadget

.NET 2.0, Vista, C# 2.0, VBScript, JScript, XML, VS, HTML, Dev, Intermediate

Acoustic

4.37

A shoutcast Radio sidebar gadget
Updated: 31 May 2007

About writing sidebar gadgets

Vista, JScript, XML, VS, Dev, AJAX, Beginner

David Gevaerts

4.25

A Virtual Earth slide show Gadget for Windows Vista

Updated: 11 Apr 2007

Mobilis Immobile is a Virtual Earth slide show Gadget for Windows Vista

Vista, JScript, XML, VS, HTML, IE, Dev, Intermediate

Lionel LASKE

4.21

Developing Gadgets Using ASP.NET AJAX Extensions

Updated: 16 Aug 2007

How to develop sidebar gadgets using a base class developed with ASP.NET AJAX Extensions

Vista, VS2005, JScript, XML, Dev, AJAX, Intermediate

Scott Dowding

4.20

Daily Dilbert: A Sidebar gadget for Windows Vista

Updated: 20 Mar 2007

Daily Dilbert is a simple Windows Vista sidebar gadget which delivers the daily dilbert cartoon on your desktop

Vista, VS2005, IE 4+ DHTML, JScript, XML, Dev, AJAX, Beginner

Quartz.

4.18

Using COM in Gadgets without Installation
Updated: 5 Jun 2007

This article shows how to create gadgets that use COM, without requiring installation or administrator permission.

VC8.0, Vista, VS2005, C#, JScript, .NET, ATL, Dev, COM, Intermediate

msbsoftware

4.17

A Vista sidebar gadget to provide weather information
Updated: 30 Jan 2007

This article will show the different capabilities of the Vista sidebar, including settings, flyouts, different states when docked and undocked and pulling in live data feeds over the internet.

Vista, JScript, CSS, VS, HTML, Dev, Intermediate

bodrick

4.15

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Vista Sidebar Gadget
Updated: 27 Mar 2007

Accessing Microsoft Dynamics CRM information from a Sidebar Gadget

Vista, C#, JScript, .NET, VS, Dev, Intermediate

John Straumann

4.13

Weather Sideshow

Updated: 28 Mar 2007

A SideShow application that communicates with a Weather webservice.

Vista, VS2005, C# 2.0, .NET, Dev, Intermediate

Dr.Luiji

4.10

Remote Control for Winamp - creating a skinnable Sidebar Gadget

Updated: 15 Jul 2007

This article shows several not-so-basic tasks involved in creating a skinnable Gadget - the Remote Control for Winamp - a small front-end to the world's favourite media player.

Vista, VS, Dev, Intermediate

Jaroslav Klima

4.08

Practices and Hints for Gadgets
Updated: 19 Feb 2007

So you have read the Vista Sidebar gadgets tutorials, played around a bit, and now want to make something more graceful? Do you think it will run like clockwork? It didn't for me, and I've tried to summarize the surprises, gotchas and tips for you.

Vista, JScript, VS, HTML, Dev, Intermediate

Jan Kucera

4.07

Events Manager: A Vista Gadget
Updated: 2 Feb 2007

An events manager gadget for Windows Vista

.NET 2.0, Vista, VS2005, C# 2.0, Dev, Intermediate

badr zrari

4.02

A Gadget for Browsing the Astronomy Picture of the Day

Updated: 29 Jan 2007

This article shows a Vista Sidebar gadget that you can use to browse the APOD site and view previews of each day's picture.

VC6, Vista, IE 6.0, VS6, IE 4+ DHTML, JScript, CSS, ATL, Dev, COM, Intermediate

Michael Dunn

3.96

Lights Out - Building a Gadget for the Vista Side Bar
Updated: 15 Jan 2007

An introduction to building sidebar gadgets for the Vista side bar

Acoustic

3.82

Drag and Drop Archiver gadget
Updated: 10 Feb 2007

The proposed gadget allows compression of files and folders dragged on the sidebar using almost any format.

.NET 2.0, Vista, VS2005, C# 2.0, IE 7, JScript, HTML, Dev, WinForms, Intermediate

Dragos Dumitru Sbarlea

3.81

Thumbnailgadget: Windows Vista API meets the Sidebar
Updated: 23 Jan 2007

Most Sidebar Gadgets are simple scripts. The Sidebar, though, the has potential to host any application, even if it uses the native API. This demo gadget allows you to preview any window using the Sidebar.

VS2005, C# 2.0, .NET 3.0, Windows, Dev, Intermediate

Dragos Dumitru Sbarlea

3.78

Folding@Home User Stats Gadget for Vista
Updated: 29 Mar 2007

An article on a Gadget for monitoring Folding@Home user statistics

Vista, JScript, VS, HTML, Dev, Beginner

eitjepn

3.75

Networking with Gadget Sidebar
Updated: 31 Mar 2007

This gadget allows one to easily have instant access to shared network folders on multiple computers as well as simplified networking information via sidebar gadget. Also included is a sidebar to allow enhanced speed while using gadget and shortcuts.

Vista, C#, ASP.NET, VBScript, JScript, .NET, VS, Dev, WebForms, Intermediate

Bobbydoo9

3.75

Screen Snaper SideBar Gadget

Updated: 27 Mar 2007

Screen Snaper is perfect to quickly share a picture-perfect representation of anything on your screen.

VC7.1, VC8.0, .NET 1.1, .NET 2.0, Vista, VS.NET2003, VS2005, IE 7, VB 7.x, VB 8.0, JScript, XML, CSS, HTML, MFC, Dev, COM, Advanced

DCUtility

3.72

A Vista Wireless Network Scanner

Updated: 26 Jun 2007

A NetStumbler (sort of) for Vista

Vista, C#, .NET, VS, Dev, Intermediate

Charles Putney

3.65

Bloglines Sidebar Gadget

Updated: 9 Feb 2007

A Gadget that checks Bloglines feeds via AJAX, with some development tips

Vista, VS2005, JScript, XML, HTML, Dev, AJAX, Beginner

Jim Rogers

3.57

C# ColorPicker Gadget
Updated: 11 Feb 2007

A ColorPicker Gadget for the Windows Vista Sidebar, written in C#

Vista, VS2005, C#, .NET, Dev, Advanced

nd1279

3.56

Command Prompt Gadget
Updated: 30 Jan 2007

A sidebar gadget that allows you to do what you usually did in the Command Prompt Window.

Vista, VS, Dev, Intermediate

Dragos Dumitru Sbarlea

3.50

Creating a Database-Driven Vista Gadget

Updated: 11 Dec 2007

his article demonstrates how to create an auto-refreshing Vista SideBar Gadget that pulls data from a database.

Vista, JScript, SQL, Windows, DB, Dev, XHTML, Intermediate

Bryan Sachdeva

3.40

XClipboard Gadget
Updated: 30 Mar 2007

XClipboard is a multi item clipboard, that preserves more than one item.

Vista, JScript, VS, HTML, Dev, Intermediate

Kareem Shaker

3.36

Using a Vista Sidebar Gadget to Consume an Image Feed
Updated: 22 Jan 2007

The goal of this article will take you through the process of creating a Vista Sidebar Gadget for the first time

Mark J. Miller

3.33

Currency Converter Application using WPF and WCF in Windows Vista
Updated: 12 Apr 2007

This article is about implementing a simple Currency Converter Application using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology.

Vista, VS2005, .NET 3.0, C# 3.0, Arch, Dev, WCF, XAML, WPF, Advanced

Chandra Hundigam

3.33

A Gadget to control a cell phone
Updated: 28 Jan 2007

An article on creating a Vista Sidebar Gadget, that communicates/controls a mobile phone through a serial (COM) port.

.NET 2.0, Vista, VS2005, C# 1.0, JScript, HTML, Dev, COM, Intermediate

sghctoma

3.20

TimerGadget - A resumable timer gadget
Updated: 23 Jan 2007

A Windows Sidebar gadget that provides a simple resumable timer

Vista, JScript, VS, Dev, Intermediate

S. Senthil Kumar