IBM Lotus Connections Version 2.0 — the latest release of IBM’s Web-based social software application — builds on the IBM Lotus Connections platform’s existing integration possibilities via REST/ATOM application programming interfaces (APIs). It also introduces a new and exciting set of extension capabilities with iWidgets that are only available in IBM Lotus Connections V2.0 and later.

iWidget is a proposed standard for building fragments of Web pages that enables various third-party developers to add their own functionality to IBM Lotus Connections without needing to modify the existing core code. iWidget helps to standardize the myriad of ways that currently exist to deliver page fragments. Examples of existing widget tools include Yahoo! Widgets, Google Gadgets, Microsoft Vista Sidebar Gadgets, and Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets, and users can use them either on a desktop or within a Web page.

Because there are so many different proprietary widget standards, developers might have to support each standard to serve a broad audience. iWidget can help to overcome these problems by encouraging everyone to adopt a single open standard.

This article helps developers who work with widgets, as well as IT managers trying to maximize their use of IBM Lotus Connections. I briefly explain the iWidgets that IBM provides with IBM Lotus Connections. However, IBM Lotus Connections V2.0 also allows you to build and deploy your own iWidgets. I teach you how to build three such widgets: a simple Hello World! iWidget and two slightly more advanced widgets, the picture iWidget and the IBM Lotus Domino calendar iWidget. Note that when I refer to widgets in the context of IBM Lotus Connections, I’m talking about those that use the iWidget standard.