One of the most interesting features in Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger) is the Dashboard program for using and controlling Widgets. Widgets are small programs that are easily accessed from the Dock. Mac OS X comes with a good supply of Widgets, but thousands more have been created.

To see which Widgets are installed on your Mac, click the Dashboard symbol on the Dock (it looks like a black clock but with icons instead of numbers).

widgets_icon

When you click on the Widget icon, you'll instantly see several small windows or panes on your screen for all open Widgets.

widget_panes

You can get information about some of the programs and change settings by clicking on the "i" in the lower-right corner of a Widget.

widget_i    widget_information

You can reposition any Widget by dragging it to a new location on the computer screen.

Closing a Widget is quite easy. Click the + in a circle in the lower-left corner of the Widget screen.

widget_settings_button

Each open Widget will now have an X in a circle button in the upper left corner of the Widget. To close a Widget, click the button on that Widget.

widget_close_button

Opening a Widget is just as easy. When you click the plus symbol in the lower left corner of the Dashboard screen, a horizontal pane will open at the bottom of the screen with all of the active Widgets on your system listed. Simply click the icon for the Widget you want to open.

widget_pane

You can permanently remove some Widgets by clicking the "Manage Widgets..." button in the lower left corner of the screen.

manage_widgets_button

A new pane will open, listing all installed Widgets. To remove a Widget, click the minus (-) symbol next to the Widget's name.

manage_widgets_pane

When you have finished adding or removing Widgets, click the X in a circle button next to the "Manage Widgets..." button.

It may take a little time to get used to Widgets, but once you start using them, you might wonder how you managed without them.