Administering gadgets for IBM Connections and widgets for Home page

You can extend the functionality of the Home page application by adding custom widgets and extend IBM® Connections by adding OpenSocial gadgets. To make the widgets and gadgets available for use, you can add them from the Administration view and then enable them for use.

The widgets that you add to the Home page can be based on the iWidget specification, which uses technology based on JavaScript™, XML, HTML, and CSS, or the OpenSocial gadget specification. The widget files are stored on an HTTP server.

The gadgets that you add to IBM Connections need to be based on the OpenSocial gadget specification, which enables you to surface gadgets in an OpenSocial container that can interact with an OAuth 2.0 protected service

The widget files can be bundled as EAR applications and deployed on IBM WebSphere® Application Server. They can also be hosted in LAMP, .NET, and other environments.

You can add two types of third-party widget to the Home page:
Opened by default
This type of widget displays by default, but can be removed or hidden. It can also be moved to a different location. For example, the To Do List widget that displays in the Updates view is opened by default.
Optional
This type of widget is available for users to add to their Home page if they select it from the widget catalog. Optional widgets can be added, removed, hidden, or moved by Home page users.
Any widget can be used as a default or optional widget.

Third-party widgets can be added to the side column in the Updates view and to any column in the My Page view.