Widgets have the option of being sized dynamically, rather than the end user typing in a specific width and height in pixels.
What it does
Widgets are hosted in an iFrame (for security reasons), and iFrames don’t naturally have the ability to resize themselves to nicely fit around their contents. Dynamic sizing attempts to size the iFrame to fit the contents.
How it works
When a dynamically-sized widget renders, Widgetbox’s Javascript listens for the widget’s HTML inside the iFrame to finish loading. Once loaded, the Javascript attempts to determine what the desired size of the HTML page. It then communicates back to the parent page, which adjusts the iFrame’s size. This communication is done using Adobe Flash.
How does it determine my widget’s size?
It looks at a combination of things. One thing to note is that it often chooses the narrowest possible width. In order to keep your widgets from being too skinny, try wrapping your widget’s content in a DIV and specify a width or min-width.
Does it work for both HTML/JS and Web Page widgets?
Yes. Though for Web Page widgets you have to add some Javascript to your page, as explained here.
It’s not sizing my widget correctly!
- Try wrapping your widget’s content in a DIV and specifying one dimension (either width or height). It’s easier for the Widgetbox Javascript to figure out one dimension rather than both.
- Document.writes() are not yet supported. If your widget uses document.writes(), dynamic sizing probably won’t work correctly.
- If your widget is a Web Page widget, make sure you put the Widgetbox Javascript in your page.
Does it perform consistently across browsers?
In our tests it has. However, like all Javascript, there’s a chance that it won’t. If you find cases where it doesn’t, please notify support.
When I check “size dynamically”, why does my widget suddenly start requiring Adobe Flash?
The communication between the widget’s HTML page inside the iFrame and the parent page requires Flash. Using Flash is the only way to avoid cross domain scripting issues. This is very simple Flash. Flash is available on 98 to 99% of all web browsers, according to Adobe.
