# Introduction to widgets

S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 and later support installing and running widgets on mobile devices.

### Default behavior of widgets on mobile devices

From the mobile device user point of view, the appearance and functionality of a widget is similar to any other mobile application. Users can download widgets to mobile devices in several ways, as a `wgz` file. The device platform takes care of the actual installation process. For more information on downloading and installing widgets, see the deployment methods table.

Once a widget has been installed on a mobile device, it can be found in the application menu, under the folder that contains installed applications. The name of this folder varies between mobile devices, and can be Installations or Applications, for example. A widget has its own icon and name, which are defined in the widget component files. The user can launch a widget by navigating to it and opening it.

Widgets can have a full screen view and a home screen view. In full screen mode, only one widget can be on the foreground at a time. The home screen can display several widgets at a time.

Figure: A widget in the Installations folder and a widget using the full screen of the device

When a widget is running, it is visible in the Open applications list. To see the list, long-press the menu key.

Figure: A widget in the Open applications list

### Customization options for the mobile device user

Similarly to mobile applications, users can also create shortcuts to their widgets. They can have widgets in the My Today applications list in the Active Idle, which is intended for frequently used applications. From there, the widget can be launched by navigating to its icon and selecting it. Users can also set widgets to the active idle softkeys, so that they can be launched by pressing the left of right softkey. In addition, users can move widgets into folders that they have created themselves in the application menu.

Figure: A widget in Active Idle

### Adding widgets to the home screen

Users can add widgets to the home screen on compatible devices. Users cannot interact with a widget in home screen view. It is a graphical representation of the widget that is for data display only. The mobile device user must access the full screen view to make selections, request specific data, and so on. For example, if a weather widget is added to the home screen, the mobile device user must open it in full screen view to change the location for local weather. For more information, see Introduction to home screen widgets.

Figure: Widgets on the home screen