LocalWineEvents.com Google Gadget

Just finished a Google Gadget for the LocalWineEvents website. It uses the Google Gadget API, of course, which is in JavaScript, XML, a little HTML, CSS, and the obligatory IE CSS hacks. Basically it asks the user where he or she lives when it's run for the first time, then it grabs the corresponding RSS feed from LocalWineEvents.com, parses that, and produces the output as shown in the screenshot below. Clicking on the + reveals the event's details and changes the + to a -, which can then be hidden again using the - button. I used a new tool to make this gadget, since it's primarily coded in JavaScript, called Aptana. It's essentially a plugin for Eclipse, but the authors also provide a stand-alone client preloaded with the plugin. I liked it except that it didn't detect JavaScript inside an XML document, which is the format for Google Gadgets. So I just coded the JavaScript in an HTML file and pasted the JavaScript into the XML as needed. I was once again reminded how bad I am at using the GIMP or any other graphics editor. Must be missing that visual creativity gene... Add to your Google Homepage.