title: Adding a Gadgets icon to the Windows 7 System Tray (to show the gadget)
body: <p>Is it possible for a <em>Windows Desktop Gadget</em> to add an icon to the <em>System Tray</em> in <em>Windows 7</em> to to show the gadget without showing the desktop? and if so how? Are there other workarounds?</p>
  
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  <p><strong>Rationale</strong> (and back-story)<br>
  I use <a href="http://www.andrewflusche.com/freshbooks-vista-sidebar-gadget/" rel="nofollow">Freshbooks Sidebar Gadget</a> by Andrew Flusche - which is a time tracking widget.</p>
  
  <p>In Vista, the Gadget could be accessed from the Sidebar icon in the System Tray (option: "Sidebar is always on top of other windows" is <em>unchecked</em>). When clicking the Sidebar System Tray icon, the sidebar would display - and so would the current time tracking. The main bonus here was that the gadget would show above the current window - meaning you don;t lose continuity with what you're working on.</p>
  
  <p>This was extremely handy and <strong>non-intrusive</strong> way of time tracking - easy start, pause and logging of time. </p>
  
  <p>In Windows 7, the aero-peek system feels like it doesn't work here. You can peek at the desktop, and see if the gadget is tracking time, but if you want to interact with it, you need to "show desktop", then interact, then "show desktop" again to return to your work. Depeding on your gadget location and the corner of your screen, it could be lots of mouse 'swinging' if you don't use the "show destop" shortcut key <code>WINDOWS+D</code>.</p>
  
  <p>The <strong>main disadvantage in Windows 7</strong> is that you can't see <strong>the gadget</strong> AND <strong>the work you were doing</strong> on the <em>same screen</em>. </p>