» What is it?
The Windfinder
widget/
gadgetis a small program, which displays wind, waves and weather from your favorite surfspot as observations and forecast on your computer desktop. The widget/gadget frequently loads the observations and forecasts from windfinder.com. You can select your favorite surfspot, a maximum of 3 weather parameters (e.g. wind speed, wind direction, air temperature), and the units of measure (Beaufort, Knots, kph, mph, Meter, feet, Celsius, Fahrenheit) for the display. Additionally you can set a threshold for wind speed, wave height, wave period. If the limit is exceeded, the display alerts you with a blinking icon or text. You can also use the widget to jump to the corresponding wind report or forecast on the Windfinder website. If you want widgets for other platforms (FreeBSD, Solaris, native KDE or Gnome) send us an
e-mail
Here you'll find widgets/gadgets with the same features for Windows Vista, Mac OS X and the Google Desktop Search which runs on Windows XP and Windows 2000. We also provide a widget with sligthly different features for the Yahoo Widget Engine (Konfabulator) which runs Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X.
» System requirements
You need an internet connection + one of the following operating systems:
» Installation
Click on the widget for your operating system. If a page with cryptic text appears then right-click on widget and select "Save as.."
» Configuration
To enter the configuration menu in Mac OS you click on the i-icon on the bottom right and in Windows Vista move the mouse over the gadget and then click the wrench icon. Select the menu entry "Weather station", select the continent, country, region and then the preferred weather station. In the menu "Display" select a maximum of 3 parameters (out of wind speed, wind direction, wave height, wave direction, wave period, air temperature, precipitation, clouds, air pressure) which shall be displayed in the widget. It might occur that there are no observations or no forecasts for some parameters or that there is no data at all for some spots/weatherstations (e.g. wave height for inland spot). In the menu "Measuring units" you can set the units for the weather parameters (Beaufort, Knots, kph, m/s, m/h for wind speed, meter or feet for wave height, Celsius or Fahrenheit for air temperature). The widget allows you to set a threshold for wind speed, wave height, wave period, air temperature) in the "Alarm" menu, assuming that you have selected these weather parameters before in the "Display". When the limit is exceeded the corresponding value starts to blink in red color.
If the widget/gadget displays n/a or a dot (instead of a weather icon or value), this means that there is no data available for the corrsponding date/time.
If the widget/gadget never displays observations then windfinder does not have access to a local weather station. If you know someone who has got a weather station near the surfspot then please
contact us.. If someone else or you want(s) to install a weather station near this spot then please read our weather station howto. If you provide us the weather data from this weather station the data will be accessible through the widget and we offer you a free ad banner on windfinder.com.
If your favorite surfspot does not appear at all in the weather station selection menu please send us an e-mail and let us know the name and location of your favorite surfspot. We will try to add it.
» Display
The widget/gadget displays the name of the selected surfspot on the very top. Below appears a table with the weather data: in the first row the local date, in the second row the local time. In the third, fourth and fifth row the selected weather parameters are displayed. In the first data column appears the latest observation from the weather station and in the following three visible columns the forecasts are displayed in time steps of 3 hours. By clicking on the forward arrow near the word forecast you an scroll forward up to 2 days into the future. By clicking on the backward arrow you can scroll backwards again. If you want to see the complete 7 day forecast then click on the area with the forecast values and you'll be directed to the corresponding forecast page on windfinder.com. If you click on the area with the observations you'll be directed to the corresponding wind report (diagram) on windfinder.com with all observations for the current day.
» Languages
At the moment the widget/gadget is available in German, english, French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese and Dutch. The widget/gadget automatically uses your operating system's language.
You are free:
- to share - to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
- to remix - to make derivative works (add new features, make improvements, fix bugs)
Under the following conditions:
- Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
- Noncommercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
- Share Alike: If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.
- For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to Windfinder.com.
- Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
- Apart from the remix rights granted under this license, nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights.
Windfinder Addtions:
- Respect trademark rights: You may not alter the Windfinder logo or remove it from the software.
- Respect data source: You may not change the download source of the weather data that is displayed in the software. The weather data that is displayed in the software has to originate from Windfinder.com.
- Display limitations: You may not display more than three weather parameters (e.g. wind speed, wind direction, air temperature) in the software.
- No advertising, logos or ad banners from third parties: You may not display advertising,logos or ad banners from companies other than Windfinder.com
German
Spanish
French
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Dutch
Japanese
Chinese
Turkish