science

Web widget

Web widget is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Web widget rather than just read about it. In short: 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 prov…

Key takeaways

Web widget belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Web widget to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Web widget from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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), sponsored external links (Taboola), user comments (Disqus), social media buttons (Twitter, Facebook), news (USA Today), and weather (AccuWeather). Some web widgets though serve as user-selectable customizations of the host page itself (Common Ninja, Elfsight, Powr, OpenWidget).

Usage in social media End users primarily use widgets to enhance their personal web experiences, or the web experiences of visitors to their personal sites. The use of widgets has proven increasingly popular, where users of social media are able to add stand-alone applications to blogs, profiles and community pages. Widgets add utility in the same way that an iPhone application does. The developers of these widgets are often offering them as a form of sponsored content, which can pay for the cost of the development when the widgets' utility maps to the user's needs in a way where both parties gain. For example, a sports news brand might gain awareness and increased audience share in exchange for the utility of current game scores being instantly and dynamically available - the blog which posted the Sports score widget might gain in having a stickier site. Video platforms such as YouTube and Dailymotion support iframe-based video embedding.

Security considerations As any program code, widgets can be used for malicious purposes. One example is the Facebook "Secret Crush" widget, reported in early 2008 by Fortinet as luring users to install Zango adware. One important factor with client-side widgets is that often the host can not control the content. The content or the functionality it provides cannot be modified by the host. The content is pre-published by the publisher/author/service provider and the host can either accept that content or not use the widget. The host does, however, control the placement of the Widget. Because the host can always take the Widget down, it assures a large degree of mutual advantage and satisfaction with performance and content.

SEO considerations Links generated by client-side widgets will not be seen by search engines that do not run the widget code before analysing the page. Those links will not contribute to page rank.

Widget management systems Widget management systems offer a method of managing widgets that works on any web page, such as a blog or social networking home page. Many blog systems come with built-in widget management systems as plug-ins. Users can obtain widgets and other widget management tools from various widget companies.

Mobile Web widget A Mobile Web widget has the same purpose and function as a web widget, but it is made for use on a mobile device such as mobile phone or tablet. In contrast, a web widget is on a personal computer or laptop computer.

References

Further reading Rajesh Lal; Developing Web Widget with HTML, CSS, JSON, and AJAX (ISBN 9781450502283) Soylu, A., Wild, F., Mödritscher, F., Desmet, P., Verlinde, S., De Causmaecker, P. (2011). Mashups and Widget Orchestration. The International Conference on Management of Emergent Digital EcoSystems, MEDES 2011. San Francisco, California, USA, 21–24 November 2011. ACM.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Web widget

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Web widget claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Web widget before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Web widget ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Web widget

In research: Web widget appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Web widget in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Web widget is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Blogs, Internet terminology, Widget engines, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Web widget outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Web widget in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Web widget means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Web widget out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Web widget in simple terms?

Why does Web widget matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Web widget?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Web widget.