# Web widget concept, how does it work?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [September 1, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437 "2008-09-01T20:46:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/h4lfl1ng)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437/1 "2008-09-01T20:46:07Z")

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I want to start a simple web project, a small web widget that users with  
blogs/webpages can add to their page (like the meebo me widget). The  
thing  
is that i dont know what the technical concept behind the whole thing  
is,  
how does a widget get loaded from just a url? or piece of js. I would  
love  
for someone to explain to me the general concept, or point me to an  
article  
or some code 😃 Thanks all.

Flow chart would be helpfull.

The project is an event ticker, used for conferences including date,  
times,  
and map(directions)

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**Author:** ![h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/h4lfl1ng)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437/2 "2008-09-02T13:02:09Z")

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This question probably shouldn’t be posted on this forum ,but:

> **[Web widget](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget)**
>
> A web widget is a web page or web application that is embedded as an element of a host web page but which is substantially independent of the host page, having limited or no interaction with the host. A web widget commonly provides users of the host page access to resources from another web site, content that the host page may be prevented from accessing itself by the browser's same-origin policy or the content provider's CORS policy. That content includes advertising (Google's AdSense), spon Wi...

Also (maybe):

> **[Java Portlet Specification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portlets)**
>
> The Java Portlet Specification defines a contract between the portlet container and portlets and provides a convenient programming model for Java portlet developers.
> Portlets are pluggable user interface software components that are managed and displayed in a web portal, for example an enterprise portal or a web CMS. A portlet can aggregate (integrate) and personalize content from different sources within a web page. A portlet responds to requests from a web client with and generates dynamic c...

And also (maybe):

> **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)**
>
> Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo!

h4lfl1ng wrote:

> I want to start a simple web project, a small web widget that users with  
> blogs/webpages can add to their page (like the meebo me widget). The  
> thing  
> is that i dont know what the technical concept behind the whole thing  
> is,

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/h4lfl1ng)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437/3 "2008-09-02T15:50:57Z")

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h4lfl1ng wrote:

> I want to start a simple web project, a small web widget that users with  
> blogs/webpages can add to their page (like the meebo me widget).

Are widgets still worthwhile?  
[http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080229\_131531.htm](http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080229_131531.htm)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/h4lfl1ng)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437/4 "2008-09-02T16:43:06Z")

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My reasons behind making a widget isnt to push something, but to help a  
user  
community get the information they want, but dont have. Basically Im not  
getting anything from it except the satisfaction of making it and  
portfolio.  
And practice :D. Thanks for the article.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@h4lfl1ng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/h4lfl1ng)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-widget-concept-how-does-it-work/147437/5 "2008-09-02T16:39:35Z")

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Well from all those links the most they tell me is what a widget is,  
konfabulator has a little more indepth info but thats too specific to  
the  
api and not general enough and it doesnt go into detail how it works,  
the  
basic technologies and concepts. Also this widget will be writen in  
ruby/rails so I think this is the right place… but i could be wrong.  
Thanks  
for the links though, had some interesting info.