T
Tiberious
http://www.stoyanoff.info/blog/2007/01/17/windows-sidebar-styler/
Windows Sidebar Styler is an application which takes advantage of various
technologies introduced in Windows Vista in order to provide extensions to
the existing functionality of Windows Sidebar.
Custom styles allow users to customize the appearance of Windows Sidebar so
that it fits the style of other UI elements, such as the Aero Glass
colorization or an actual third party theme. Designers could save their
visual styles for Sidebar so that other Windows users could apply them.
Designers would not necessarily create these files on Windows Vista -
Sidebar Styler is backward-compatible with legacy operating systems as well.
Gadgets - these mini applications which are managed by Windows Sidebar can
now take full advantage of Windows Presentation Foundation - a powerful
managed code-oriented framework for presenting rich visual compositions such
as vector graphics, 3D drawing, animations and more. In addition to that, it
could be used in conjunction with the Communication Foundation in order for
the Gadgets to connect to services and provide frequently updated
information. Using compiled class libraries also helps protect the
intellectual property of developers because the actual source code is not
distributed.
The tight integration with the core of Windows Sidebar allows the
application to extend the current set of features of Windows Sidebar by
allowing users to customize its appearance and by providing a more powerful
framework for building Gadgets and visualizing information.
Windows Sidebar Styler is an application which takes advantage of various
technologies introduced in Windows Vista in order to provide extensions to
the existing functionality of Windows Sidebar.
Custom styles allow users to customize the appearance of Windows Sidebar so
that it fits the style of other UI elements, such as the Aero Glass
colorization or an actual third party theme. Designers could save their
visual styles for Sidebar so that other Windows users could apply them.
Designers would not necessarily create these files on Windows Vista -
Sidebar Styler is backward-compatible with legacy operating systems as well.
Gadgets - these mini applications which are managed by Windows Sidebar can
now take full advantage of Windows Presentation Foundation - a powerful
managed code-oriented framework for presenting rich visual compositions such
as vector graphics, 3D drawing, animations and more. In addition to that, it
could be used in conjunction with the Communication Foundation in order for
the Gadgets to connect to services and provide frequently updated
information. Using compiled class libraries also helps protect the
intellectual property of developers because the actual source code is not
distributed.
The tight integration with the core of Windows Sidebar allows the
application to extend the current set of features of Windows Sidebar by
allowing users to customize its appearance and by providing a more powerful
framework for building Gadgets and visualizing information.