I like Dashboard . There , I said it . Yes , it can hog organization imagination and be ( very ) slow to launch , but it incorporate into my work flow very well : I use it many times each sidereal day for prompt access to OS X ’s Dictionary , the PCalc 3 whatchamacallit , weather updates , WidgetTerm , sports grade , and more . For me , it really is a productivity enhancer .
But there are time when I want to use particular widgets without proceed through Dashboard . Perhaps I do n’t want to deal with Dashboard ’s scheme overhead at that minute , or maybe I need to do something without bequeath my primary “ workspace”—Dashboard is great for flying , get - in - get - out labor , but if you need particular functionality repeatedly , get - in - get - out - get - in - get - out - get - in - get - out … gets honest-to-god quickly .
A trace over onMac OS X Hintsexplainedhow to habituate Dashboard ’s “ developer ” mode to drag a thingummy out of Dashboard and onto your Desktop , but this plan of attack offers limited options — for example , you ’re stuck with the whatchamacallum floating above all other applications . Last April , I covered Mesa Dynamics ’ Amnesty ( ) , a $ 20 public utility that lets you quickly place any widget on your screen background and ply a number of options for how that doohickey is display ( for lesson , swim above all other windows , as a stock practical app window , or as part of your background itself — you may even resize it ) .
Some readers finger that $ 20 was too high a price for this functionality ; others feel it was overkill if you only wanted to extract one or two widgets out of Dashboard . If you fall into either of these group , Amnesty ’s lower - priced sibling , Amnesty Singles 1.1.1 (; $ 10 ) , may be for you .
Amesty Singles admit a very unlike approach to “ Desktop widgets ” than its bigger sibling . Rather than run continually and let you choose widget on - the - fly for Desktop use of goods and services , Amnesty Singles actuallyconvertsindividual doojigger into standalone applications . You just drag your favorite widget into the Amnesty Singles window or onto the Amnesty Singles diligence icon :
The windowpane will then show you just which widget is being used and involve you if you want the resulting software to dilute the original widget from it ’s current locating — for representative , in ~/Library / Widgets — or if you want to create a standalone version , which make a new written matter of the widget inside the covering bundle . ( Note that you wo n’t be able-bodied to pass this new covering around to your friends — it will work only on a computer with a registered copy of Amnesty Singles set up . I also found that some widgets , such as Apple ’s Dictionary gismo , do n’t work on properly if you produce a standalone , bundled program , but work out very well if you use the option to load the original thingmabob from its original location . )
get across Build , choose a location to keep the new practical program , and you ’re done . ( The Save duologue provides a couple handy options : to reveal the fresh app in the Finder after you ’ve deliver it , and to launch the new app straight off to test it . ) The young program program , when set in motion , will come out in the Dock , allow for its own carte - bar fare , and appear in OS X ’s Command+Tab program whipper , just like any other program . The lotion ’s whatsis menu extend the same behavior options usable with the full version of Amnesty ( floating , standard software windowpane , or part of the Desktop ) , along with a setting for whatchamacallit that need to periodically refresh their content that determines how often these refreshes should pass . ( Many such widgets normally refresh only when Dashboard is alive ; this place setting lets them refresh on docket . ) And if you ’re still using Panther , the good news is that , like Amnesty , Amnesty Singles and its widget - app creations work with both Tiger and Panther ( 10.3.9 ) .
I ’ve used Amnesty Singles to make an software interlingual rendition of the excellentAmazon Album Art widgetto help me locate album artistry for iTunes — for this particular job , it ’s much more commodious to have the widget available continuously , on the Desktop , than to have to shift in and out of Dashboard . I ’ve also create an app from Apple ’s Dictionary widget , hand how often I access it while writing — the contrivance - based version takes up much less screen real estate than Apple ’s own Dictionary app .
Amnesty Singles work with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later on and is a Universal binary star ; however , widget app created using Amnesty Singles are Universal only if the original convenience was Universal .
