Simple Scripting on iPad and iPhone

Create a Countdown Widget for Free for Your iPad or iPhone in 10 Minutes

It’s easy to do with the free JavaScript app, Scriptable. Just copy the JavaScript from this article. No coding skills required.

Alarming times (Illustration by Author)

Ever been caught out when an event has sneaked up on you? Your birthday is tomorrow? What? Of course, I’ve booked a restaurant. (Who doesn’t love McDonald’s?)

I know that’s what we have diaries for, and calendar apps for, and even alarms warning about calendar events. But you have to remember to keep checking the calendar and have the discipline to not ignore warning alarms.

A widget on your home screen that warns you about how many days you have left until the event is a good way forward. It’s just sitting there staring at you when you unlock your iPhone or iPad.

Now you can buy apps with widgets to do just that, but it’s a simple script to write, especially in JavaScript. Of course, Apple uses Shortcuts for scripting, not JavaScript. Luckily, there’s a free app that fills that gap: Scriptable.

So here’s what you need to do. Download the app, copy the JavaScript in this article, and paste it into the app.