Windows/Yahoo widgets to Rainmeter

[singinfool]

Has anyone developed a translator to turn windows gadgets or yahoo widgets to be incorporated in rainmaker. I have a time tracking app that I think would be pretty simple with an API (if anyone would like some contract work for this, PM me) but it got me thinking that it might be a huge value to provide guidance or a tool to do this so people could leave the over-bearing ways of Windows & Yahoo and do something simple, that works: rainmaker.

Any ideas?

[Alex2539]

One word: Impossible.

[jsmorley]

One word: Impossible.

And possibly illegal.

[singinfool]

Well there ya have it!

[jsmorley]

And it's Rainmeter... We don't dance in a circle and chant to the rain gods...

[singinfool]

Ha! Trueche.

I have been thinking about this more and it seems like taking the XML schema to C++ should be something someone could implement. I'm just talking about finding a way to make a bridge.

Or should I just start from scratch from my API and see how I can make it work? I'm obviously new to this all (rainmaker = rookie move) but I'm really interested in making my desktop functional and, while the gadgets are nice and all, they get in the way and distract.

Where is square one?

[jsmorley]

You are welcome to give it a go any way you like, but my recommendation is to just install Rainmeter, learn how to create skins, take a look at the Yahoo Widgets you like, and replicate the functionality using Rainmeter.

If you do a google search for "Vista Rainbar" you will find a set of skins that does a pretty faithful replication of some Vista Sidebar Gadgets. All created from scratch in Rainmeter by the author.

Any thought of some kind of "translator" is pie in the sky. Aside from probably being illegal, there is more to commercial "gadgets" than just some XML. There is an underlying application engine, and guess what, it isn't Rainmeter.

[maminscris]

yahoo widgets was good when it name was konfabulator, the it was screwed, now exist Rainmeter, witch is a lot easy to use, and create skins, that java/xml yahoo widget, I quit it when i learn how to make my own Rainmeter skins, and now i have what i like on my desk.

Just name a widget that shows iTunes artwork, or changes desktop wallpaper (and grabs it from a site not from computer), and that is why Rainmeter is THE BEST, and we do not need any other gadget or widgets

[wasky1]

hehe rainmaker! .. chuckles!

anyhow Rainmeter is an exellent replacement to windows/yahoo gadgets and it uses very little system resources. One way to figure the code of a skin is to download a couple of from the rainmeter section on DeviantArt that look good to you and change some lines of code and see the result.
good luck! and welcome to rainmeter.

[singinfool]

I'm not too worried about the look and feel, more concerned with getting the information from the website.

In short, I use http://www.getHarvest.com as a time tracking app and want to have my projects, tasks and the start/pause buttons shown on my rainmeter interface in a simple, clean fashion. They have an API, but not sure where to go from there...

Thanks for your help!