Developer Documentation
We are very interested in partnering with developers that wish to create and submit
gadgets to the igHome.com gadget directory. The documentation below is provide to
assist you in understanding the requirements for gadget development. They are subject
to change over time as the site and technology evolve.
Gadget Hosting
Our preference is that gadgets be hosted external to igHome.com, whether that is
on a dedicated server, a shared hosting server, or a cloud hosting service. All
gadgets are rendered as mini-sites or applications within an iframe. So, at a minimum,
all we need from the developer is the URL to the gadget.
User Preferences
In addition to the content URL of the gadget, you can also provide a settings URL.
This is a separate URL that will be displayed when the user clicks the gear icon
in the title bar of the gadget. You can save preferences as cookies or by any other
means.
Tokens
If you wish to track user's preferences between devices, you can include an optional
@token in your URL that will be replaced by a unique token representing a user's
subscription to your gadget. No other user information will be provided to gadgets
for privacy reasons.
Example:
- Content URL: http://www.yoursite.com/gadget/?subscriptionid=@token
- Settings URL: http://www.yoursite.com/gadget/settings.php?subscriptionid=@token
Advertising
No one likes advertising, but most users recognize that there must be some incentive
for developers and content providers to develop, host, and maintain their gadgets.
igHome's policy is that only one ad be shown per gadget view. In addition, large
ads should be displayed under the main content of the gadget. Small ads such as
link units can be displayed at the top, if desired, as long as there is only one
ad per gadget.
Submitting Gadgets
To submit a gadget, simply fill out a help request with the following information:
- Title of Gadget
- Description (optional)
- Content URL of the gadget
- Setting URL of the gadget (optional)
- URL that you want users to be directed to if they click the title of the gadget.
(optional)