Stupid OS X Tricks: Understanding the Dashboard

If like me, you are new to the Mac, you might have a hard time understanding how the Dashboard works. The trouble is, the Dashboard doesn't behave like any other Mac program, so you may find it confusing figuring out how to configure a widget, or add or remove one from the Dashboard. Follow the instructions below and you should be all set.

Launching The Dashboard

 

This is the easy part. Simply click the Dashboard icon in the dock and the default widgets launch. These include the clock, weather, calendar and calculator.

Configuring Widgets

This is where I got stuck. There is no Dashboard menu system and the widgets disappear as soon as you click on another window. So how do you change the configuration? My default weather, for instance, was for Atlanta. I live in Massachusetts. That doesn't really work for me. With some digging, I figured it out.

To configure widgets:

1. Place the cursor on the widget and you will see a little 'i' appear in the bottom left corner.
2. Click the 'i' and the widget turns around to reveal a simple configuration page.
3. Change the Configuration options as needed.
4. Click Done. The widget turns again to display the new configuration.

Adding or Removing Widgets from the Dashboard

You may not be aware, but there is actually a whole gallery of widgets available for you to choose from. They are just well hidden.

To add or remove widgets:

1. When you launch the Dashboard, notice there is a little plus sign in the bottom left corner of the screen. Click this + sign and the Widget gallery opens and a Manage Widgets button also displays.
2. To add a widget to the Dashboard, click the desired widget in the gallery and it opens.
3. Follow the instructions above to configure it if it requires configuring. Some like the Dictionary widget work without configuring. You can also click the Manage Widgets button and click a Widget name to open it. Note that after you add a widget, it stays in the Dashboard until you close it as explained in Step 4.
4. To close a Widget and remove it from the Dashboard, click the X in the upper left corner. It won't appear the next time you open the Dashboard.

Finding New Widgets
Don't like the widgets you see in the gallery or you want to find others? Apple encourages developers to create new Dashboard widgets. You can peruse them on the Apple website.

Comments

[Neil Anderson]

To close a single widget, hold down the option key, mouse over the widget you wish to close and click the x that appears.

___
Thanks for the additional trick.

RM

[rofovnifo]

Hi

Looks good! Very useful, good stuff. Good resources here. Thanks much!


G'night

[Vagabundo]

Thanks, I was wondering how to configure weather wiget.

[cheche]

thanks a lot for the tip! I had a headache for the web clip. greetings from mx

[Annie Britts]

The weather widget really puzzled me. These widgets were supposed to make it easier for you to navigate your desktop, but they've made it in a way that would require someone to post a blog post about it just for configuration's sake. Thanks for doing that, by the way!