Is it possible to create a widget on the garmin Fenix 7X Pro ?

jim_m_58 said:

In VSC, use "edit products and add the device, where the app type is widget.

I mean, as you pointed out, the app will actually be built as a device app ("watch-app") for newer devices like Fenix 7X Pro, so why recommend (or imply) selecting "widget" for the app type without further explanation?

Since you didn't explain it, I will: the only reason to select "widget" now is if you also need to support older devices with CIQ version of 3 or less. On those old devices, the app will actually be built as a widget, but on newer devices (CIQ 4 and higher), it will be built as a watch-app / device app.

If you only support CIQ 4+ devices, there is absolutely no reason to select "widget" as your app type. (Ofc it doesn't hurt to do so)

mwick said:

I want to create my first widget (not an app !) on my garmin fenix 7X pro (solar edition).

The least-understood change in newer watches which have CIQ 4 or higher [*] is that there is technically no such thing as a CIQ widget anymore. Tech bloggers and end users talk about CIQ widgets all the time, but from a technical POV, it's just a CIQ device app with a glance.

[*] Watches with CIQ 4 or higher: Fenix 7, FR255/FR955 and newer, which are about 4 years old at this point

You can see this very easily by using the Connect IQ store app on your phone, selecting such a newer device like your Fenix 7X Pro, and using the search feature in the app. You will see that the available app types for filtering do not include "widget". So there is actually a real impact on the end user - end users with a newer device will not be able to filter by the "widget" app type in the store and they won't see the "widget" app type / app type icon for any given app.

But if you have an older CIQ1/2/3 device and you select it, you will see that "widget" is still available for filtering.

(Ofc you can still text search for "widget", and you'll find apps which have "widget" in the title or description)

For newer watches with CIQ 4 or higher:

- CIQ widgets do not exist

- Any app with "widget" as the app type in the manifest will actually be built as "watch-app" (device app)

- CIQ device apps can always be launched from the activity/app launcher (as before)

- CIQ device apps can optionally be launched from the glance list, if the developer implements a glance view by implementing AppBase.getGlanceView(). Note that you *must* implement getGlanceView if you want your app to have a glance. For CIQ 3 widgets, you could get away with not implementing getGlanceView and the system would provide a default glance view, but that doesn't happen anymore (this has caused problems with certain old widgets that don't implement getGlanceView; they're ported to newer devices and they lose their widget-like properties, like the ability to be launched during a native activity)

- If the user launches a CIQ device app from the activity/app launcher, it acts like a fully-fledged device app (e.g. it can record an activity, it won't automatically time out)

- If the user launches a CIQ device app from the glance list, it acts like an old-style widget: e.g. it can't record an activity and it will automatically time out in the absence of user interaction

- There is no way to create a CIQ device app which is *only* available from the glance list and not the activity/app launcher. (Contrast with native glances, which are able to exist without a corresponding icon in the activity/app launcher)