With smart-phones and touch-screens flooding the cell-phone market with cheapest of prices, what we look for now is apps and widgets to our interest. Android, iOS and windows take the place of always being the first choice of every tech savvy person and out of the three it is Android that most of us seem to be attracted to.
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Android lets us make our own widgets, and what attracts customers is one doesn’t need to have knowledge about android development to make android widgets. With the SDK and Eclipse installed, you are ready to start with your android widget making adventure, or there’s an easier way. Here’s the easier way on how to make Android Widgets;
1. Create a project : You must have an android phone to do this and a little knowledge on widgets. You must also know where the options are so, that you don’t make a mess of your widget.
- Select UCCW
- Go to your home screen and add a widget.
- Choose a 4×4 screen
- Create a new skin, click on the option to do so.
2. Build screens : Once you have clicked on the “create a new skin” tab you will find yourself at the build screen. At the top of the navigation bar, you will find three options:
- “Select Object” Use it to modify your widget. Customize the font, color, transparency, etc.
- “+/-” Use this to add or remove an object.
- “Sort”, it gives you access to the layers on which the date, time, messages, etc are set. You can modify the layers and items here.
3. Add items : Save every step you move ahead and add items to your widget.
- Click the +/- button to add or remove items
- Then press “close”
- Click the select object button and choose an item each time
- Position the item
- Remember every item is different with different customization options
4. Download add-ons : You would like to give your widget a custom look. Next thing you do after completing step 3 is downloading add-ons. You might want to download different fonts to start with;
- Visit the Google Play Store for some free stuffs for your widget
- Look for UUCW skin
- Use any .ttf font while you add UCCW font to your widget
- Also visit dafont.com for more choices
- Press the font button and select your new font
5. Give time : Make your widget attractive and to your interest. It is a widget you’re making for yourself so its utility is what you should concentrate on. Be creative and make it presentable. Add/remove different icons and objects.
This was just to start off. You can make simple widgets using this method. A little more complicated and engaging widget would require more involvement and dedication. You can design widgets for yourself and your friends too. There are lot more possibilities, you can take inspiration from popular widgets made by others.
