Adobe Dreamweaver Widget Browser

Recent Updates
May 9, 2011 — A new build of Dreamweaver Widget Browser has been released.
Download the Dreamweaver Widget Browser

The Adobe® Dreamweaver® Widget Browser is an Adobe AIR® application that lets you preview and configure widgets using a visual interface. The Widget Browser solves the problem of having to work with confusing or obscure CSS and JavaScript by providing designers with a tool for editing widget properties to suit their needs.

With the Widget Browser, you can:

Preview and download all of the OpenAjax widgets available on the Adobe Exchange
Add widgets to Adobe Dreamweaver so that you can easily insert them in your web pages
Export and package widgets for use in any other HTML editing tool

The Widget Browser also offers widget developers the ability to make their widgets available to a wider audience.

The Widget Browser’s developer tools let developers package their widgets into a format that they can then upload to the Adobe Exchange. Developers interested in creating a widget package can find more details in the Widget Browser Developer's Guide.

The Widget Browser uses an OpenAjax Alliance XML format as its basis. The OpenAjax Alliance is a group of industry leaders who are helping to define a common way of communicating between frameworks.

Download and Discuss

The OAA Widget Metadata spec describes how to create the XML file for a widget, as well as a widget's dependencies, markup, and options. Adobe has been a part of the OAA since its inception and has helped to define this specification.

Getting Started

Follow these steps to get started with the Widget Browser:

If you don't have Adobe AIR installed, you’ll need to download and install Adobe AIR.
Download the Widget Browser installer
Install and launch Widget Browser by double-clicking the .AIR file on your desktop.
Read the Using the Widget Browser article
Watch the Using the Widget Browser video
Browse the widgets and add one to My Widgets.
Click on the widget in My Widgets and click the Configure button.
Check out the Developer Presets and customize the widget as you wish.
Save the Widget files or open Dreamweaver CS5 and use the Widget object to insert into a page.
Ask questions and share your feedback in the Widget Browser forum
Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

Community

Below you'll find references and links to help you participate in the Widget Browser community.

Online Forum

Ask questions and discuss ideas with other Widget Browser users in the Labs forums.

Visit the Widget Browser forum

Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

Developer Center

Learn more about creating Dreamweaver in the Developer Center.

Adobe TV

Watch videos straight from Adobe engineers and partners and learn more about Adobe technologies.

Resources

If you want to learn more about releases on Labs as well as other Adobe technologies, visiting a user group or connecting with an Adobe Community Expert is a great place to start.

Documentation

The documentation describes how to package a widget for submission and distribution via the Widget Browser.

Read the widget Developer's Guide

FAQ

What is Adobe Widget Browser?: Adobe Widget Browser is an AIR application that allows users to visually configure and save a javascript/CSS widget via a dynamically generated GUI.
Who should try Widget Browser?: Widget Browser is great for web designers that have a little experience with javascript but want a simple way to add widget functionality to their pages. The Widget Browser makes customizing the look and feel of a widget easy. It also handles dependent files so the user doesn't have to.
Which platforms are supported?: While the Widget Browser runs on all configurations supported by Adobe AIR, we have only tested on Mac and Win platforms. See the AIR system requirements.
Do I need to buy Dreamweaver CS5to use this Widget Browser?: Widget Browser is free for anyone to use. The Widget Insert Object is only available in Dreamweaver CS5.
What is Adobe AIR?: The Adobe® AIR® runtime lets developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that run outside the browser on multiple operating systems.
How can I make my own widget packages?: Widgets are delivered to the Widget Browser as zip files. These zip files are based on the Open Ajax Alliance Widget Metadata Spec. Anyone can create and upload a widget zip for sharing. Read more in the Developer's Guide.
What does the OAM file do?: The OAM file is a XML file that describes all the properties of a widget: The default markup, dependent files and any properties that the developer wants to expose in the Configuration pane.
What is the difference between and widget and a widget package?: A widget is the markup, javascript and CSS that actually runs in the browser. A widget package is a zip that that contains the OAM xml file (See the Metadata spec above.) and any dependent files. This zip can be generated by the Widget Browser.
Where can I post issues and comments?: Please use the Labs forum for Widget Browser to ask questions and post issues/comments.

System Requirements

Adobe AIR must be installed. See the AIR system requirements.

Inserting via the Widget Object is only supported in Dreamweaver CS5.

Release Notes

This release of the Adobe Widget Browser is prerelease software and is designed for evaluation purposes only. The software contained within the installer is not final; but, many portions of the technology are fully implemented and ready for you to try and discuss.