widget

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widget

1. Informal any small mechanism or device, the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten

2. a small device in a beer can which, when the can is opened, releases nitrogen gas into the beer, giving it a head

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

widget

(1)

A meta-thing. Used to stand for a real object in didactic examples (especially database tutorials). Legend has it that the original widgets were holders for buggy whips. "But suppose the parts list for a widget has 52 entries..."

widget

(2)

[possibly evoking "window gadget"] In graphical user interfaces, a combination of a graphic symbol and some program code to perform a specific function. E.g. a scroll-bar or button. Windowing systems usually provide widget libraries containing commonly used widgets drawn in a certain style and with consistent behaviour.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

References in periodicals archive ?

The widget is designed to display the 14-day expiration date until the sample is activated, and then it recalculates the expiration date to three days.

Making transfusion medicine information accessible for all

The Fires Command and Control widget allows the user to create, edit and delete geometries and plot them on the map, work with target lists and air support lists, send air support requests, send a "check fire" message to stop fire on targets, view active mission status and perform a "what If" analysis on a target.

Mission command technologies providing Web-based simplicity

To access the FiOS1 High School Sports Widget, FiOS TV customers can click on the "Widgets" button on their remote control, access high school football under "Sports" and "Featured," and then click on "FiOS1 High School Sports Widget."

Verizon FiOS1 Dallas to Air Texas High School Football

Severine Philardeau, the company senior director of partnerships, said, 'Our new Widget Center helps hospitality businesses and destination websites quickly and easily leverage the power of TripAdvisor content on their own sites.

-TripAdvisor Offers Widgets for Client Websites

Yet it has grown much louder with the widget enablement.

Calabrio's app-based performance solutions

Ricoh announces three new widgets for App2Me

Plus turn your shower into an ecoshower with the water widget. *Using the energy saving plug to shutdown multiple appliances could save you up to pounds 20.

FREE energy saving plug; Don't miss our energy saving gadget giveaway

Plus, your water widget cuts the amount of water used by up to 70 per cent, which could result in a saving of up to pounds 80.