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Posting Widgets via an HTML Form Post? Brilliant!

Last year TypePad introduced a new feature called "TypePad Widgets." To accompany this feature we wanted to provide a way for 3rd parties to easily inject their widgets onto TypePad weblogs. We initially started down the path that everyone else did: by re-inventing some XML based protocol/schema for packaging and describing widgets. It didn't take us long to realize that the methodology we were devising was far too complicated for the vast majority of people. Then someone had the idea, "why not just let the person POST the widget via a web form?"

And we're happy to see others embracing these kinds of APIs as well -- Google recently deployed a similarly simple Widget API for their Blogger service. They now allow 3rd parties to post widgets into Blogger blogs via a simple HTML web form, and it should be pretty easy to reuse your TypePad widget work there as well.

6 Comments
May 11, 2007 12:43 AM

I like it.

May 29, 2007 7:00 PM

sounds so interesting,i haven't thought of it before.wow power leveling,i think i would have a test as u describe.Thank u very much

Pozycjonowanie said:
June 19, 2007 8:15 AM

Brilliant idea. btw. I really enjoyed reading all of your articles. It’s interesting to read ideas, and observations from someone else’s point of view… makes you think more. Tom

Razi said:
August 12, 2007 5:37 PM

Very good information about Posting Widgets via an HTML Form Post. Its sounds to be good. i liked it very much. thanks for sharing your ideas!

bembi said:
January 19, 2008 2:17 AM

Hi! It`s true - Brilliant idea. Makes you think more and see about HTML Form Post more useful info.

satılık said:
February 28, 2008 1:47 PM

as for me interesting

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