✦ ChattyWidgets 1.0.2 — Native Desktop Widget Engine for Windows (.NET 8)

Language / Язык: 🇬🇧 English • 🇷🇺 Русский

ChattyWidgets 1.0.2 is an ultra-lightweight, high-performance, and visually stunning desktop widget engine for Windows 10 & 11 built on .NET 8, WPF, and DirectX. It natively supports glassmorphic XAML widgets, web widgets (HTML5/CSS3/JS via Microsoft Edge WebView2), desktop layer management (WorkerW/Progman desktop pinning, normal window, and always-on-top), .chw packages cryptographically signed with RSA-4096, desktop layout presets (.chwp), and an autonomous AI agent development skill (/chw).

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🚀 Key Advantages & Architecture

• Ultra-Low Resource Footprint:
  • Native XAML Widgets: 0% CPU usage when idle, hardware-accelerated DirectX rendering, minimal RAM footprint (~15–25 MB per instance).
  • Web Widgets: Isolated in lightweight WebView2 processes with a secure two-way window.chatty bridge.
• Deep Windows Desktop Integration (Rainmeter-style):
  • Desktop Layer (WorkerW / Progman): Pins widgets behind all application windows directly onto the desktop wallpaper; never minimizes when pressing Win + D ("Show Desktop").
  • Normal & TopMost Layers: Switchable on the fly.
  • Click-Through Mode (WS_EX_TRANSPARENT): Forwards mouse clicks through transparent regions directly to desktop icons and background apps.
  • Smart Snap-to-Grid & Screen Edges: Magnetic snapping to monitor edges and configurable grid intervals (5px to 40px).
• Desktop Presets (.chwp):
  • Save and restore entire multi-monitor widget layouts in one click.
  • Quick workspace switching in the Hub (Default, Work, Monitoring, Compact).
  • Export and import .chwp files with automatic detection of missing widgets and a 1-click installation prompt.
• Always-Resizable Mode:
  • Global setting in Hub Settings («Always Resizable Widgets» / AppSettings.AlwaysResizable) allowing interactive resizing of any widget by dragging borders, regardless of manifest constraints.
  • Per-instance free resizing toggle in the context menu.
• Universal Running Marquee Text:
  • Smooth automatic horizontal ticker scrolling (ping-pong or continuous loop) whenever text (song titles, news headlines, crypto prices) exceeds container bounds.
  • Automatically pauses on mouse hover.
• Automatic GitHub Update Checks:
  • Silent background release checks with an unobtrusive banner in the Hub and manual checking in the About settings section.
• Bilingual Interface & Adaptive Themes:
  • Instant on-the-fly switching between English 🇬🇧 and Russian 🇷🇺 across the Hub, settings windows, and widgets without restarting.
  • Dark 🌙 and Light ☀️ themes with automatic contrast and icon adaptation.
• Security & Signed .chw Packages:
  • Secure zip containers with strict manifest validation (manifest.json).
  • All official widgets are signed with RSA-4096 cryptographic signatures (✦ Official badge).
  • Native Windows file and folder picker integration.

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📦 Catalog of 12 Official Native Widgets

Available in 1 click from the built-in Store powered by the official ChattyWidgetsLibrary:

Icon	Widget	ID	Features & Description
⏱️	Timer & Focus	com.chatty.pomodoro-timer	Regular countdown timer on 1st place with quick buttons (+1m, +5m, +10m), Pomodoro Focus & Break intervals, audio completion alerts.
🕒	Glass Clock	com.chatty.clock-glass	World timezones and major cities (UTC, London, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, etc.), 12/24-hour formats, seconds toggle, localized date.
📊	System Gauges	com.chatty.system-gauges	CPU, RAM, system SSD, and network throughput monitor. Linear bars, circular rings, and compact 2-in-a-row grid layout.
🎮	GPU Monitor	com.chatty.gpu-monitor	Hardware DirectX/DWM counters: 3D Core load %, dedicated VRAM (GB and %), temperature, circular rings and linear styles.
🎵	Mini Music Player	com.chatty.music-player	Windows SMTC integration (Spotify, Yandex.Music, YouTube, web browsers), realistic spinning vinyl disc, running text marquee without button clipping.
🌤️	Weather Card	com.chatty.weather-card	Real-time weather and 5-day forecast (Open-Meteo), accurate city search, clean short units (m/s, mmHg, km/h, hPa).
💎	Crypto & Currency	com.chatty.crypto-tracker	Live rates for any crypto and fiat pairs (BTC, ETH, SOL, Gram [GRAM 💎], USD, EUR, RUB, GBP) via Binance API and CoinGecko.
📝	Sticky Notes & Tasks	com.chatty.sticky-notes	Interactive task checklist with persistent state, task counters, smart empty state, 5 accent colors (Amber, Sky, Emerald, Violet, Slate).
🚀	Quick Dock	com.chatty.quick-dock	Floating application launcher, custom file and icon selection via Windows Explorer, horizontal and vertical orientation.
📅	Glass Calendar	com.chatty.calendar-glass	Interactive calendar with month flipping, first day of week selection (Monday / Sunday), and today highlight.
🖼️	Media Photo Frame	com.chatty.media-frame	Local photo albums and single photo mode, rounded photo corners, centered cropping, auto-hiding navigation arrows.
📰	RSS News Reader	com.chatty.rss-reader	Live news ticker: UN News in Russian (un_ru), Euronews, Tech & AI, Habr, Crypto, Science, and custom RSS feed URLs.

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🛠 Installation & Quick Start

Method 1: Bilingual Installer (Recommended)

1. Download the latest ChattyWidgetsSetup.exe from Releases.
2. Run the installer. It features a modern glassmorphic UI with runtime EN 🇬🇧 / RU 🇷🇺 language switching:
   • Choose destination folder (defaults to %LocalAppData%\Programs\ChattyWidgets).
   • Create Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts.
   • Configure Windows autostart.
   • Register system file associations for .chw (Widget Packages) and .chwp (Desktop Presets).
   • Install the AI Agent Skill (/chw) for Google Antigravity, Claude Code, and Cursor.

Method 2: Build From Source

• Operating System: Windows 10 (version 1809+) or Windows 11 (x64)
• SDK: .NET 8.0 SDK

# 1. Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/chattytoaster/chattywidgets.git
cd chattywidgets

# 2. Build solution
dotnet build -c Release

# 3. Run application
dotnet run -c Release

Run Built-in Engine Self-Tests

dotnet run -- --test

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🤖 AI Agent Skill (/chw)

ChattyWidgets features built-in pair programming support for agentic AI tools (Google Antigravity, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

• Installed automatically by ChattyWidgetsSetup.exe into ~/.agents/skills/chw/.
• Triggered with /chw in chat to let AI agents autonomously:
  1. Scaffold widget packages (manifest.json, Widget.xaml).
  2. Implement ViewModels and register localization keys (EN/RU).
  3. Design adaptive glassmorphic XAML UI with dark/light theme support.
  4. Create widget configuration settings cards.
  5. Package, cryptographically sign, and locally test widgets on the desktop.
  6. Publish verified widgets to ChattyWidgetsLibrary.

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⌨️ Global Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Win + Alt + W	Toggle visibility of all active desktop widgets
Win + Alt + P	Peek mode — temporarily brings widgets to the foreground
Win + Alt + H	Open ChattyWidgets Management Hub

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📦 Widget Package Specification (.chw)

A .chw package is a standard zip container with the following structure:

my-widget.chw
├── manifest.json       # Metadata, permissions, dimensions, and entry point
├── icon.png            # Widget icon (64x64 or 128x128 px)
├── Widget.xaml         # Native XAML layout (for type="native")
└── index.html          # Web widget frontend (for type="web")

Example manifest.json:

{
  "id": "com.developer.my-widget",
  "name": "My Widget",
  "name_ru": "Мой Виджет",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": "Developer",
  "description": "Clean, glassmorphic desktop widget for Windows",
  "type": "native",
  "entry": "Widget.xaml",
  "icon": "icon.png",
  "defaultWidth": 280,
  "defaultHeight": 180,
  "minWidth": 160,
  "minHeight": 100,
  "resizable": true,
  "defaultLayer": "desktop",
  "clickThrough": false,
  "permissions": ["system", "storage"]
}

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🛠 Developer Workshop

1. Open the 🛠 Workshop tab in the Hub.
2. Enter widget name, ID, author, select runtime (Native or Web), and click «✨ Create Scaffold».
3. Edit files in your favorite IDE — changes reload instantly thanks to Hot Reload.
4. Click «📦 Build .chw Package» to package and sign your widget for distribution.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.