# Arranging widgets

> Edit Widgets: add cards from the gallery in three sizes, drag them where you want them, and take them off again.

Source: https://wolos.org/manual/widgets-edit

## What it is

**Edit Widgets** is the mode in which you arrange the cards on your desktop: the clock, the calendar, the weather, music, batteries, system load, a world clock, a timer, a note, and widgets from plugins. In this mode a gallery opens next to the cards, every card gets a minus button, and you can drag cards around. Outside it, the cards stay where you put them and cannot be moved by accident.

![Edit Widgets: 2 the gallery's list of widgets, 3 Small, Medium and Large, 4 Add Widget, 6 the minus button on a card, 7 Done.](/img/manual/widgets-edit-annotated.png)

## Why

A desktop you look at all day should hold what you glance at, where you glance. A separate editing mode keeps that simple: you see exactly what you will get, sources never run in the gallery (it previews with sample data), and nothing moves when you only meant to click a card. How each widget works, and how to build your own, is on [Desktop widgets](/reference/widgets).

## How

1. **Start editing.** Right-click an empty spot of the desktop and choose **Edit Widgets…**. Or open Settings > Widgets and press **Edit Widgets…** on *Arrange widgets*.
2. **Pick a widget** in the gallery's list. Its preview shows on the right.
3. **Choose a size**: **Small**, **Medium** or **Large**.
4. **Press Add Widget** (or click the preview). The card goes to the first free spot that fits.
5. **Drag cards** to move them; they snap to a grid.
6. **Take one off** with the minus button at its corner (*Remove Widget*).
7. **Leave** with **Done**, Esc, or the desktop menu's **Done Editing**.

For the weather, the gallery asks for a city first: type it in *Search for a city* and pick one. Only what you type is sent to look it up.

### Without the editing mode

- **Right-click a card** for its own settings: its size, the clock's face (**Analog** or **Digital**), the weather's city (**Choose City…**) and units (**Celsius** or **Fahrenheit**), and **Remove Widget**.
- **Settings > Widgets** adds a built-in widget at the first free spot, removes one, and has *Arrange widgets* for the rest.
- **From a terminal**: `wol widgets add <kind> [size]`, `wol widgets remove <id>` (the id `wol widgets list` shows).

## A worked example

Alice wants a clock and the weather on her desktop. She right-clicks the desktop and chooses Edit Widgets, clicks Clock and then Add Widget, picks Medium for the weather and clicks Add Widget again. She drags the two cards to the right side of the screen and clicks Done. They stay exactly there until she opens Edit Widgets again.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "No room. Remove a widget or pick a smaller size." | The desktop has no free spot of that size. Remove a card, or choose Small. |
| "The desktop is full. Remove a widget first." | Settings found no free spot. Remove a card first. |
| "Pick a city before adding, or choose one on the widget." | Search for a city in the gallery, or add the weather card and use **Choose City…** on it. |
| "No city by that name." | Try the city's name in another spelling, or a larger city nearby. |
| "This widget has problems. Fix its widget.json and reload." | A widget package of yours has an error; the gallery shows it. Fix the file and run `wol widgets reload` ([Desktop widgets](/reference/widgets)). |
| Cards will not move | Cards move only in Edit Widgets. Right-click the desktop and choose **Edit Widgets…**. |