From The Complete Guide to Google Wave: How to Use Google Wave
You know all the ins and outs of Wave's built-in features. Now it's time to enrich your waves with third-party gadgets.
In Chapter 5 you started adding rich content to your conversations with Wave's built-in YouTube, maps, and Yes/No/Maybe gadgets. That's a good start, but there's a whole universe of gadgets available for Wave. In this chapter, you'll learn how Wave extensions enable developers to create and users to enjoy new functionality beyond what's available in Wave by default—specifically through the use of gadgets.
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Wave Extensions: Gadgets and Robots
Wave extensions are add-ons that add new features and functionality to your waves.[1] If you've ever used any Gmail Labs features,[2] Wave extensions are very similar—extensions add new functionality to the Wave client, normally accessible through a button installed on your edit toolbar when you install the extension. Where Gmail Labs add-ons can be developed only by Google employees, Wave extensions can be developed by anyone. As a result, an impressive handful of extensions are already transforming Wave into an even richer experience.
Wave extensions come in two flavors: gadgets and robots. We'll cover robots in more detail in the next chapter; right now, let's take a closer look at gadgets.
What's a Gadget?
Wave gadgets are small applications you can insert inside any wave to extend the default functionality of the wave. In fact, in Chapter 5 you already learned how to use two of Wave's built-in gadgets: the Map gadget and the Yes/No/Maybe gadget. As you saw then, when you insert a gadget into a wave, all participants in that wave share access to the gadget and can interact with it.
The gadget fun doesn't end with those two pre-installed gadget extensions, though. Even at this early stage in Wave's development, busy programmers have created gobs of great gadgets to provide you with even more clever ways to interact, share, and collaborate with other wave participants. You just need to know where to find them and how to insert them in your waves.
Like many aspects of Wave, you can insert gadgets into a wave in a couple of different ways. If you've installed a gadget extension—like the Map or Yes/No/Maybe gadget extensions—you've already seen how easy inserting a gadget in a wave can be. While you're editing a blip, just click the gadget button on the edit toolbar to insert it where your cursor is. You can't yet install some gadgets as extensions accessible from your edit toolbar, but you can still insert those gadgets in a wave. Below, we'll show you how to do both.
Gadget Extensions
As mentioned above, both gadgets and bots (you'll learn more about bots later) fall under the category of extensions. At this early stage in Wave's development, however, the naming conventions, as well as the process of installing and using extensions, are a little blurry. Most of the time, when you install an extension, the extension adds a new button to the Wave client's edit toolbar[3]—much like the Map and Yes/No/Maybe gadgets already are. When a gadget extension is installed, you can click the new button any time you're editing a blip to insert that gadget. You can, however, add gadgets (or bots) to a wave on a case-by-case basis, without installing an extension at all.
First, let's take a look at how to install a persistent extension—the kind that adds a button to your toolbar and is always available when you log into your Wave client. Then we'll detail how to add gadgets to individual waves on a case-by-case basis.
Install a Gadget Extension
In this section, you'll learn how to install extensions to the Wave client that show up every time you log into Wave. Wave provides two different methods of installing such extensions. The first is simple but limited only to extensions featured by Google, while the second requires a little more legwork but allows you to install any extension you want.
Install a featured extension from the Extensions Gallery: When you logged into Wave for the first time, you should have had a wave in your Inbox from Doctor Wave, the fictitious mascot for Google Wave who welcomes you to your account. Inside that message is a link to an Extensions Gallery [4] highlighting a handful of gadget extensions you can install on your Wave client, including the already installed Map and Yes/No/Maybe gadgets.
"welcome to google \/\/ave" with:doctorwave@googlewave.com to find it in a jiffy.
Once you've found your way to the Extensions Gallery, installing featured gadget extensions is a breeze. Each gadget is listed as a puzzle piece displaying the gadget name, what it does, a small logo or screenshot of the gadget in action, and an Install button, as shown in Figure 7-1. Click Install and confirm the installation. The extension adds a button to your Wave edit toolbar that allows you to easily insert the newly installed gadget into any wave with the click of your mouse.
Install an extension that isn't featured: Anyone can develop a Wave extension, which means there are a lot of extensions available that you can't yet install through Wave's current Extensions Gallery. You can still manually install non-featured extensions to add quick access to your favorite gadgets; it just takes a little more know-how.
First, you need to install an extension called Extension Installer, which you can find at the bottom of the Extensions Gallery in a section marked "For Developers Only." While most extensions add a new button to the Wave client's edit toolbar, the Extension Installer adds a drop-down arrow next to the New Wave button on the Search panel.
Next, find an extension you want to install. Right now the best place to browse for gadgets is at the Google Wave Samples Gallery.[5] If you find a gadget that looks interesting in the Samples Gallery, click through to its page for details, then look for the Installer XML link on that page (see Figure 7-2). Right-click the link and copy the URL (this link should point to a manifest.xml file that tells the Wave client a little about what the extension does and how to install it). Then head back into Wave.
When you are back in Wave, manually installing your extension is simple:
- Click the drop-down arrow next to the New Wave button on the Search panel and select New Extension Installer.
- Paste the URL of the Installer XML you copied above into the Insert Extension Installer pop-up and click Insert.
- A new wave containing the same puzzle-piece layout you're familiar with from the Extensions Gallery appears, only this one should contain information regarding the extension you're installing. Click the Install button, confirm the installation, and you have successfully performed your first manual extension installation.
Uninstall an Extension
As convoluted as the different current extension installation processes may seem, uninstalling extensions is actually very easy. If you decide you no longer want an extension cluttering up your edit toolbar, click the Settings link in the Navigation panel. (This performs a search for with:settie.) A wave called Extension Settings appears; open it and every extension you've installed is displayed. Now you can uninstall any extension with the click of the Uninstall button.
Once you've installed an extension, it's always accessible in the Extension Settings wave, where you can reinstall or uninstall it as you like. If you're sure you'll never want to install a particular extension again, click the Remove button to entirely remove the extension puzzle piece from your Extension Settings.
Insert Gadgets by URL
Not all gadgets are available to install as extensions through the Extensions Gallery or manually. On top of that, you won't always want to install a full-on extension just so you can use a gadget one time. Wave's Add Gadget by URL feature inserts new gadgets into a wave on a case-by-case basis.
All you need to insert a gadget by URL is, obvious as it may seem, a link to the gadget. Just like when you're searching for installable gadget extensions outside of Wave, the Google Wave Samples Gallery is also the best place to browse for single-use gadgets. In fact, while not all gadgets in the gallery have an Installer XML, almost all of them do have a Gadget XML link—the URL you need to copy to add a single gadget. Right-click the Gadget XML link, copy the URL, and then open up the Wave client.
To insert the gadget in a blip, open the wave into which you want to insert the gadget, start editing the blip, and then click the Add Gadget by URL button on the toolbar (it's the one that looks like a jigsaw puzzle piece). Paste the gadget URL you copied above into the pop-up, click the Add button, and Wave inserts the gadget into the currently active blip.
A Few Great Gadgets
New Wave gadgets find their way into Wave every week, and as you saw above, finding them can be difficult. This section highlights some of our favorites and describes what they do.
You've already seen the Yes/No/Maybe and Map gadgets, so we won't cover those again. Most of the gadgets listed here are available through the Extensions Gallery we covered above, so they are easy to install. (It's no coincidence that the extensions Google features in the gallery are also the most stable.) For those gadgets that aren't available by default or inside the Extensions Gallery, we've including both the Installer XML and Gadget XML links so you can either install the gadget as an extension (using the New Extension Installer) or insert it in a wave (using the Add gadget by URL feature).
Ribbit Conference Call
Get to a point in your wave that a quick conference call would be more productive than continuing your back-and-forth in Wave? Pop the Ribbit's Conference gadget into a blip and instantly fire up a conference call with whichever participants you want.
This gadget is currently available in the Extensions Gallery.
Video Chat Experience
Sometimes a phone call just isn't enough. The Video Chat Experience gadget—as its name suggests—allows you to start a video chat with another participant in a wave.
This gadget is currently available in the Extensions Gallery.
iFrame
The iFrame gadget embeds an iFrame in your blip that can display any web page you choose. Just click the Edit link, type the URL of the web site you'd like to embed, then click the View link. You can also adjust the height of the gadget in your wave when you're editing the URL.
AccuWeather.com
The AccuWeather.com gadget provides you with a weather forecast based on any date and location you choose. Sure it's information you can find out by searching elsewhere, but if you're planning a getaway with other participants, just insert this gadget and your friends won't have to duplicate your efforts.
This gadget is currently available in the Extensions Gallery.
Retro Chat
Feel like taking your conversation into an old-school instant messaging conversation? The Retro Chat gadget inserts an IM window into any blip that all participants in a wave can use.
Brainstorming
Insert the Brainstorming gadget to collaboratively mindmap ideas with other participants in a wave.
Google Wave Sample Details - Brainstorming
Napkin
The Napkin gadget lets you and other participants in your wave do some "back of the napkin" brainstorming. Draw your ideas when words can't express what you're trying to get across.
HTML
HTML is the markup language that gives structure to the internet, and you can copy HTML code from sites all over the web (like the embed code available for most internet videos, for example). By default you can't simply copy and paste HTML into a blip and expect it to work, however. Instead, insert the HTML gadget, click its Edit link and insert your HTML text, then click the View link; the HTML gadget will render your HTML code like it was meant to be displayed.
Wave Sudoku
Using Wave by itself not keeping your mind nimble enough? Take a break from work and give your brain a little workout with the Sudoku gadget. You can either tackle a puzzle by yourself or compete against the participants in a wave.
This gadget is currently available in the Extensions Gallery.
This is just a taste of the available Wave gadgets. In the next chapter, we'll introduce you to the other type of extension: Wave bots.
References
- ↑ What are extensions? - Google Wave Help, Google.com
- ↑ Gmail Help: About Labs, Google.com
- ↑ Google Wave Extension Installers - Google Wave API, Google.com
- ↑ Extensions Gallery, Google Wave
- ↑ Google Wave Samples Gallery, Google Code
