Until recently, the whole thesis of providing and sharing software services within the EGI community has been that these applications must be either accessible through well defined portals operated by EGI members, or must be available as downloadable packages so users can operate their own installations. As I have explained it earlier, there are several problems with this approach and these problems can be solved if our software services were provided through web gadgets. I have good news: there are two new web gadgets available for the EGI community. One gadget to access the Training Marketplace and another gadget to access the EGI Requirement Tracker.
Web gadgets (also called widgets) are small applications that can be embedded into third party web sites by any user on a page where they have rights of authorship - for example within your personal website (your institutional portal, the website of your country or scientific community). The EGI Application Database has a web gadget since April. This gadget is already integrated into at least eight NGI and technology project
web pages. The providers of the EGI Training Marketplace and of the EGI Requirement Tracker recently released web gadgets to embed and access their system from any website.
The Training Marketplace gadget provides customised views to search and browse training events, materials, resources, requirements and university courses from the EGI Training Marketplace. The gadget can be customised so that it would present content which is relevant for you and those who visit your website.
The Requirements Tracker gadget provides customised interfaces to browse and submit requirements from the EGI Requirements Tracker. Using this gadget you can more easily follow and become involved in the EGI requirement tracking process, the process that drives the evolution of EGI services through the captured user community needs.
You do not have to be an experienced Web developer to customise and to integrate any of the EGI gadgets into your website – so go ahead, use them! The following section of the EGI page tells you everything you need to know: http://www.egi.eu/user-support/gadgets.
