Registering a Gadget

How to:

You can register a gadget on any WebFOCUS server that is running PMF. With this capability, you can add third-party gadgets to a PMF dashboard without the need for additional PMF development work. For example, you can add an iGoogle™ gadget (a personalized Google page) or Yahoo gadget to a dashboard, or your own Web 2.0 mini-application.

As part of the registration process, you will import the file that contains the gadget. Before you can import a Gadget, you must copy the .GDG file to the [approot]\pmfgadgets\pmf_import_export folder on your WebFOCUS server. This can be a .GDG file you exported previously and are migrating to a new server, or a .GDG file you obtained from Information Builders or another developer.

A registered gadget appears in the list of gadgets on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer.
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Procedure: How to Register a Gadget

When you Register a Flex or FOCEXEC-based Gadget, the main executable file is automatically binary-copied from the export (.GDG) file into the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your server. Note that Web type Gadgets are only URIs pointing to a executable resource on a Web server. No files need to be copied for this type of Gadget.

  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Class Designer panel opens.

  3. Click Register, as shown in the following image.

    Register button on New Gadget Class Designer panel

    PMF displays the properties and the Preview graphic for the Gadget export file you selected.

    Register panel for a gadget

  4. Complete the fields on the Register panel, as described in the following table.

    Field

    Description

    Gadget Import File

    Select a Gadget to Register.

    If file or definition exists

    From the drop-down list, click the action that you want PMF to take if the gadget has already been registered. Possible values are:

    • Replace it with this one
    • Add it as a new one anyway
    • Cancel registration

  5. Once your Gadget has been registered, the Gadget Class Editor panel displays all the properties for the Gadget. The registered gadget appears in the list of gadgets on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer.

    Important: Since Flex-based Gadgets are Web-deployed, if you are running WebFOCUS in a two-tier environment, after Registering a Flex Gadget, you should make sure to copy the resulting SWF file from the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your WebFOCUS server machine to the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your WebFOCUS client machine.

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