Gadget is a software application for creating dynamically generated interfaces and views to data. Gadgets are able to be added and removed from the user interface without requiring any change to the code behind them, and can be configured to respond to various events (e.g. a click on a button or the opening of a file). Gadgets can also interact with each other. This makes it easy to construct a custom application from reusable components. Gadgets can also run on a variety of hardware platforms.
A gadget snap is responsible for defining and configuring system properties specific to one or more devices. This includes the bootloader configuration, and optional hooks that are invoked during various parts of the device initialisation process – including installation, and establishing or retrying device identity through an exchange with a device service.
The prepare-device hook can also be used to dynamically set options relevant to the gadget e.g. setting the serial identification via an exchange with a device service. The snap can also configure the interface connections by defining the default connection settings, which will be applied during the gadget’s first boot. Changes to this section at later times – through gadget refreshes – will not be applied until the next reboot, or when the device is factory reset.
GADGET is free software, and may be copied and distributed as desired, as long as the GNU General Public License terms are observed. For example, the license allows for modifications and distribution of modified versions, as well as attribution to the original authors of the software. Further information on GADGET is available at the project’s website. The results of simulations done with GADGET are visualised in a data visualization web-site run by MPA’s galaxy formation group.