It has much more standard and fully-featured Javascript and XML support, the implementation of javascript is much more elegant. Xwidgets implementation is lacking and is used merely for as the glue for scripting. The YW engine has full and thorough documentation, you can see it here:
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I wish Xwidgets had the same.
Xwidgets has an IDE - YWE does not. However, with YWE the IDE is Photoshop and your own code editor along with a photoshop conversion script the combination of which which suits me just fine - view that script here:
You can get photoshop here for free:
Xwidgets has the advantage of being the only current javascript widget engine that is still being developed (if not actively). The idea of the IDE is good though the implementation is VERY clunky and needs serious improvement. The documentation is extremely patchy and unfortunately no improvement is expected here soon. As a result support is required but this is very patchy too. Xwidget has a few more cores than Yahoo Widget engine and this makes it much easier for a newbie to create widgets without using a single line of code. However, those core functions that are missing from the Yahoo widget engine you can create in code instead using fully-featured javascript. Xwidget is expected to have the functional advantage here overall and in the future as new cores are introduced.
On the downside, YWE has no support and no active forum, parts of it will also start to fail to function if Windows radically changes in the future, the equivalent of the volume core has already stopped functioning due to changes in the way that NT6 systems secure the volume controls. When Xwidget 2.0 and 3.0 come out Xwidgets deficiencies may change and it may start to be functionally superior to the Yahoo Widget Engine? Who knows? I am hoping though my hopes here are not currently being realised...
For the moment though I still code for the YWE and only then do I convert to Xwidgets. The process is shown here:
I have only created four Xwidgets but I have many more to convert. What is stopping me? Frankly, I will create no more Xwidgets until the serious structural problems of Xwidgets are sorted. The lack of developer involvement in the forums, the lack of updates and news about same. No visibility of the core code and no development/support team to take the infrastructure forward. The serious site problems (listed as malware-supporting by many main browsers) and the a/v tools marking the widget engine itself as malware. So much has to be fixed before anyone should seriously touch Xwidgets with all its technical deficiencies.
So, a comparison of Yahoo widgets and Xwidgets means that the Yahoo Widget Engine wins hands down at the moment, purely because of that complete documentation and Xwidgets clunky IDE. Xwidgets are definitely not the best - not yet but if that IDE is sorted and the documentation starts to appear, well then...
I failed to mention the ability to port simple clock/battery widgets to Android. If this is your aim then Xwidgets has a serious advantage.Statistics: Posted by yereverluvinuncleber — September 10th, 2015, 7:26 am
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