Lotus Notes and widgets - bringing the world to your desktop

Did you know that widgets are available within Lotus Notes?

As a Lotus Notes user, a vast array of individual widgets (or plug-ins) are available for you to download. These small applications that run within the Lotus Notes client may be used to supplement – or indeed enhance – your communication and collaboration needs.

For example, LinkedIn – the world’s largest online professional community – can be integrated as a widget within the Lotus Notes 8.0.2 desktop client, along with others that enhance contacts functionality and make it easier to send an email or open a chat session compared with the established mechanisms.

You can also access Twitter, or Dictionary.com, all without having to leave Lotus Notes!

Please note: The ICE Program advises widgets be used as a supplementary tool and not be relied upon to conduct essential business at Monash. We cannot guarantee the ongoing availability of this tool in the long term.

Frequently asked questions about widgets…

Q. What are widgets?
A widget (also known as a plug-in) is a small program that runs on your desktop all the time (in this case within your Lotus Notes desktop client), which replaces the need to constantly visit a website in order to get common or frequently-used information.

In Lotus Notes, there is a sidebar that can be enabled from which to view and access widgets.

Q. How do I enable widgets in my Lotus Notes desktop client?
Before you download any widgets, you first have to make your My Widgets sidebar panel appear. To do this, follow these steps:

1. From Notes, click File > Preferences > Widgets
2. Select the check box next to "Show Widget Toolbar and the My Widgets Sidebar panel"
3. Click OK

You can also visit the following website for additional widgets compatible with Lotus Notes:
http://www.noteswidgets.com/

Have you found others that are not on the above websites? Please let us know!!! Simply send an email to: communicate@its.monash.edu.au and we’ll let inform other Lotus Notes users.

Q. How do I install widgets?
Simply drag the widget download icon from the webpage you are accessing into your Lotus Notes widget sidebar. If you are requested to provide authentication details, use your authcate username and password.

Q. Where do I go for support for widgets?
Monash University does not provide any support where staff download and install widgets to their PC. Staff should be advised that they do so at their own risk.