> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.peanutsapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Widgets

> Read your data at a glance with visual summaries

<Info>
  **Time:** 10 minutes | **Level:** Beginner\
  **Prerequisites:** [Logging Like a Pro](/tutorials/beginner/logging-like-a-pro)
</Info>

## What You'll Learn

* What widgets are and why they matter
* The five core widget types
* How to read and interpret widgets
* Customizing time ranges

***

## What Are Widgets?

Widgets are **visual summaries** of your data that update automatically. Instead of scrolling through entries to understand your patterns, widgets show you the answer instantly.

Every Helper comes with widgets—Peanuts suggests the most useful ones based on what you're tracking.

***

## The Five Core Widget Types

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Total">
    **Shows:** Sum of a number field

    **Example:** "Total Spending: \$1,245.00"

    **Best for:** Expenses, income, quantities

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/widget-total.png" alt="Total Widget" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Chart">
    **Shows:** Data over time or by category

    **Types:**

    * **Line chart:** Trends over time
    * **Bar chart:** Comparisons
    * **Pie chart:** Category breakdown

    **Best for:** Seeing patterns, comparing categories

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/widget-chart.png" alt="Chart Widget" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Streak">
    **Shows:** Consecutive days you've logged

    **Example:** "🔥 15 day streak"

    **Best for:** Habits, daily tracking, motivation

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/widget-streak.png" alt="Streak Widget" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Counter">
    **Shows:** Number of entries

    **Example:** "47 workouts this month"

    **Best for:** Frequency tracking, counting events

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/widget-counter.png" alt="Counter Widget" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Recent">
    **Shows:** Your latest entries

    **Example:** Last 5 expenses with amounts

    **Best for:** Quick reference, recent activity

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/widget-recent.png" alt="Recent Widget" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Reading a Chart Widget

Let's decode a typical spending chart:

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/peanuts/images/tutorials/chart-anatomy.png" alt="Chart Anatomy" />
</Frame>

1. **Title** — What data this shows ("Spending by Category")
2. **Time range** — Period covered ("This Month")
3. **Legend** — Color coding for categories
4. **Values** — Actual numbers or percentages
5. **Trend indicator** — Up/down compared to last period

<Tip>
  Tap any chart segment to see the exact value and percentage.
</Tip>

***

## Widget Time Ranges

Most widgets can show different time periods:

| Range            | What It Shows          |
| ---------------- | ---------------------- |
| **Today**        | Just today's entries   |
| **This Week**    | Monday to now          |
| **This Month**   | 1st of month to now    |
| **Last 30 Days** | Rolling 30-day window  |
| **This Year**    | January 1st to now     |
| **All Time**     | Everything ever logged |

### Changing the Time Range

1. Look for the time label on the widget (e.g., "This Month")
2. Tap it
3. Select a different range
4. Widget updates instantly

***

## Why Widgets Update Automatically

Every time you log an entry:

* Related widgets recalculate immediately
* No refresh needed
* Charts, totals, and streaks stay current

This means your "Total Spending" widget always shows the real total—even if you logged something 10 seconds ago.

***

## Widgets on the Home Screen

The Home screen shows widgets from **all your Helpers** in one place:

* **Daily summary** — What you logged today
* **Streak highlights** — Active streaks across Helpers
* **Key metrics** — Important numbers from each Helper

This gives you a dashboard view without opening individual Helpers.

***

## Customizing Widgets

You can customize which widgets appear and how they look:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Helper">
    Navigate to the Helper you want to customize.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter settings">
    Tap the **⚙️** icon in the top right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Widgets">
    Select the **Widgets** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add, remove, or reorder">
    * Tap **+ Add Widget** to add new ones
    * Drag to reorder
    * Tap the **×** to remove
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure each widget">
    Tap a widget to change:

    * Title
    * Data source (which field)
    * Time range
    * Chart type (for chart widgets)
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Exercise

<Card title="Practice: Explore Your Widgets" icon="dumbbell">
  Using your Expense Tracker (you should have several entries by now):

  1. Find the **Total Spending** widget — what's your total?
  2. Change it to show **This Week** instead of This Month
  3. Find the **Category Breakdown** chart — what's your top category?
  4. Tap a chart segment to see the exact amount
  5. Bonus: Add a **Counter** widget to show "Number of Purchases"

  **Question to answer:** What percentage of your spending is on food?
</Card>

***

## Key Takeaways

<Tip>
  **Remember:**

  * Widgets are automatic visual summaries
  * Five types: Total, Chart, Streak, Counter, Recent
  * They update instantly when you log entries
  * Time ranges let you focus on specific periods
  * Customize widgets in Helper settings
</Tip>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ask Peanuts Basics" href="/tutorials/beginner/ask-peanuts-basics" icon="arrow-right">
    Chat with your data to get answers widgets can't show
  </Card>

  <Card title="Widgets Feature Guide" href="/features/widgets" icon="book">
    Complete widget reference
  </Card>
</CardGroup>