The Last Post: Note to Followers

I'm Bugging Out!

This is the last of 228 posts. I never did like the Followers Gadget. The Followers (you and a few others) might have been very nice, but not via the clammy tentacles of Blogger's bug-eyed "friends" toy! All my "old friends" can testify that I'm pretty anti-social. So now that I'm abandoning MFBQ, I just thought I'd mention that this blog will still be here, but there will be no new posts after this one. It is hard to say this because I've become so addicted to writing the blog. But I was meant for other things. I might make noise from time to time over at The Rat Squeaks. Last one out, turn off the light!

Remove Blogs You Follow from Dashboard's "Reading List"

How to remove titles from "Blogs I'm Following" in the "Reading List" below the Dashboard list of your own blogs: Go to bottom of page under your blog titles that you're following. Next to "Add" is "Manage"--click it. You'll see a page called "Manage blogs I'm following". On the far right side of each title is the word "Settings"--click it. On the far right side of the new page you'll see "Stop following this site"--click it. You will be asked "Are you sure?" in a small pop-up window. Click on "Stop following" to confirm that you are sure! After a few seconds, it shows your original list minus the blog you just removed from the list. FINISHED!

WYSIWYG Instead of Preview

Many Bloggers are unhappy about the Blogger notion of Preview. They do not like either the one in the template or the one in the html editor. Many are dissatisfied with the Compose mode of the Blogger Editor being only an approximation of the appearance of the published post. There is no "What You See Is What You Get", they think. So how does one wiggle past this problem? My solution is to create a private "practice blog" where the template is exactly the same as in The Real Blog. All the Styles created in the CSS section will be identical and the "published" posts in The Fake Blog will look EXACTLY like they will look in The Real Blog. This will leave you free to start with a rough draft (but one that you can Publish right away and see how it looks!), to make various revisions, and, lastly, achieve the polished post. All this work can occur in the private blog and no one will have access to see that post while you're fumbling around with it in The Fake Blog. When you copy it later and paste it into The Real Blog, you can Publish it for real and be back in the normal public view. WARNING: Name your practice blog so that it can't be confused with The Real Blog at any time! Avoid having both blogs open at the same time. Create A Practice Blog Assuming there is a recent download of the template for The Real Blog on your hard drive, follow these steps: Create The Fake Blog, using any Blogger template. Create a quick phony First Post and proceed if post and blog look okay. Click "Customize" or otherwise get to the Dashboard. Click "Layout". Click "Edit Html". Follow the instructions about uploading a copy of the template from your hard drive to The Fake Blog. Click "Browse" unless you actually have the full file-name at your fingertips. After you browse for it, double-click it. Then click "Upload". There will be a warning about losing widgets and you'll be asked if that's okay; answer Yes. It will both delete the contents of all the Widgets except Archive and Profile (which may have to be re-added to the page elements, but will be intact) and it will Save the new template. YOU ARE NOW READY TO WRITE YOUR FIRST POST IN THE PRACTICE BLOG. When it is close enough to being perfect, copy all the code in the Blogger Editor and paste it into a new post in The Real Blog. Remember this is a Practice blog for Posts and it doesn't matter if the Widgets or the Gidgets get deleted! Here again, it's important to not be confused about which blog you have open in front of you! If later you want to work like crazy to re-create all the Page Elements, that's up to you. I just figure the sidebar is generally very monolithic, very unchanging once you like it. The WYSIWYG for it is less important than for the posts, that's my view. (And there is a Preview button on the Layout page that lets you view the rearranged gadgets before you Save.)

When Header Image is Stuck, Won't "Remove"

When the blog header image you decided you don't like after all won't let itself be removed, what are you supposed to do? People say their photo is stuck there and won't be removed! I believe them, but I've barely had it happen to me, so my experience has been of small proportions! I only had a stuck header image once. What did I do? I panicked, of course. WHAT was it doing? So I tried everything that I ever heard of or could vaguely imagine might work!. Attempts to "Remove Image" NO REAL SUCCESS AT THIS: I hit "Escape". I cleared the cache and cookies. Put the cursor over the window for the image and alternately clicked "Home" and "End" a few times. (This didn't work, although in the past, it DID WORK, turning out to be the odd solution to a newly-added header url that wouldn't go ahead and appear as an image in the same "Configure Header" Gadget. If the url doesn't change to an image in that small window, it usually means that the url had not actually "taken".) I closed the Gadget and then reopened it. I logged out of Blogger and logged back in. I restarted or changed the browser (or both). I did break it loose at last, but not before I'd gotten so flustered that I very unscientifically lost track of the order in which I did all these things. I can't even guess which one really "fixed" it. I nearly feel that it just gave up when it saw how hard I was going to work at it! (You can see how insensible it made me!!!) Remove Gadget, Not Just The Image! SUCCESS! The thing that has always occurred to me is this, though I only just now tested it. It seems to work. Why can't we just "Remove" the Header Page Element entirely if the header image stays stuck? Remove it, then add it back with "Add a Gadget" just like we do when some glitch kicks the "Archive" or "About Me" off the blog? This does work, although I had to "test" it without having a stuck header image. My solution was: IF THERE IS A "REMOVE" IN THE "CONFIGURE HEADER" AS THERE IS IN MANY PAGE ELEMENTS: Click "Remove" in the lower left corner of the "Configure Header" page. Confirm that request when you see "Are you sure?" Go to Layout page and click "Add a gadget". Select the "Header" type. IF THERE IS NO "REMOVE" IN "CONFIGURE HEADER": Go to Layout page. Click "Edit Html". Click "Expand widgets". locate the "header" widget. If the header widget code says "maxwidgets=1", change 1 to 2. (You may want to put something extra up there some day!) If the code says that "Locked="yes", change "yes" to "no". (This is the one that's NECESSARY. This action is what will put "Remove" in the lower left corner of the Configure Header page--otherwise, you have no icon to click!) Return to Layout page and click "Edit" on the Header. Click "Remove" Confirm that request when you see "Are you sure?" Go to Layout page and click "Add a gadget". Select the "Header" type. After either the short or the long list, I can only hope that you can finally remove the header image (replace it, too, if that's what you'd meant to do!). In my case, I ended up with a new Header Gadget with no image as I'd expected. I was then able to put a new image in the header, remove it, replace it (just to see if it would!). But I had no way of knowing that if it had originally been stuck, would the next attempt to add an image also stick?! This may be the problem, the "rub"--I had to test this (all 3 times) without a "stuck" header! So I wish you great Good Luck. You may learn a number of new things, but I can't promise any success! If anyone tries this, let me know if it fails or succeeds!

Template Corruption

PROCEED WITH THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Though it's not very hard to do, it may be like killing flies with a shotgun. Be aware that it may correct or change, not only the "broken" or missing item you're concerned about, but some other things you have forgotten that you changed or added! When the post template is "reset", some items you added in the post area (not content) may disappear and you'll have to do some work to put it back.

This procedure surprised me when it eliminated the coding I'd done that placed one cartoon image near the end of each post and another "divider" image at the very bottom of the post. Also, the image signature (my initials in script) in the "Posted by" will have to be replaced in one of my other blogs. I'm in no hurry.

[The same sort of warning may apply to the link you find below the "Edit Html" box that says "Revert widget templates to default". I have not yet used this button, mostly because I have a lot of gadgets that I've edited and I worry that the revert (like this one) might fix too much! But certainly I have read where some people said it had worked for them.]

Missing Post Template Components

Nitecruzr has already done a good job, I think, on explaining this little fixit, so I've added notes and direct you to his post also called Template Corruption The only significant addition I can make is to show the code line in another way so that you can be certain of what you're intended to delete and then replace in his directions. [More below...] In my own code (for this blog) I located the following: <div id='main-wrap1'><div id='main-wrap2'> <b:section class='main' id='main' showaddelement='no'> <b:widget id='HTML9' locked='false' title='' type='HTML'/> <b:widget id='HTML6' locked='false' title='' type='HTML'/> <b:widget id='HTML8' locked='false' title='EMERGENCY STEPS' type='HTML'/> <b:widget id='Blog1' locked='true' title='Blog Posts' type='Blog'/> </b:section> </div></div> It is the line of code in red that I removed and later replaced. (See further important details at Chuck's post.) Make sure that you made a note of where in your code you removed the red line of code! If you can't put it back in the right place, you may beat your head against the wall trying to remember (ouch!). If you were really familiar with this blog, you'd notice the Email envelope icon has returned below each post for the first time in ages!

Captioned Photos In A Small Table

PICTURE1 PICTURE2 Caption1 Caption2 Caption1 Caption2 Below in red is the code for the two small tables shown above. The style definition NOBR is invoked to prevent a pile of line breaks on top of the table, which is something I use for every table. There are also some artificial line breaks that had to occur in the long url's; this was done to prevent the table margins from getting wacky! <div class=nobr> <table border=2> <tr> <td>PICTURE1</td> <td>PICTURE2</td></tr> <tr> <td>Caption1</td> <td>Caption2</td></tr> </table> </div> <div class=nobr> <table border=2> <tr> <td><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/ _AVxLoZ0mR_0/R0tYGSDQasI/AAAAAAAAAcI/ fNyWP--ziLI/s1600/twinkiebite.gif" /></td> <td><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/ _AVxLoZ0mR_0/R0tYGSDQasI/AAAAAAAAAcI/ fNyWP--ziLI/s1600/twinkiebite.gif" /></td></tr> <tr> <td align=center>Caption1</td> <td align=center>Caption2</td></tr> </table> </div>

Place Gadget Above The Posts?

It's sometimes possible to create a page element and then slide it across (drag and drop) the blog and drop it above the posts. If that won't stick, you may have to find this line in your "edit html" (template): <b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='1'> and change the maxwidgets number to 2. Don't neglect to Save template before you return to the Layout page. Now you should be able to "Add a gadget" from above the header. Then you can drag and drop that new Page Element below the header, where of course it'll be above the posts.

Add Line or Divider Between Posts

Directions, for white or black minima: Make a safety copy of your template as per the instructions on the "Edit html" page. I can't guarantee that all blog codes are going to look the same, but I did this on several of the Minima templates. I've done it on a couple of other template styles and they varied a little. So it might work right away or you might have to tinker! (Note: You can see the blue divider I talk about here at the end of all my posts.) Go to the template. Expand the widget templates. Locate the line of code in red below. add line or divider image like the .gif that I added before "post-footer-line-3". <center><img src='http://bp2.blogger.com/_AVxLoZ0mR_0/R3-8aw3SxjI/ AAAAAAAAAnM/Z3AlnL1FsMY/s400/bluedivider-b.gif'/></center> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'>

[More below...Harbor example, etc.]

In a Harbor template I placed the same blue-divider gif in the footer as above, just before the (almost) same red line of code about "post-footer-line-3". <p class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> <b:if cond='data:post.labels'> <data:postLabelsLabel/> <b:loop values='data:post.labels' var='label'> <a expr:href='data:label.url' rel='tag'><data:label.name/></a><b:if cond='data:label.isLast != &quot;true&quot;'>,</b:if> </b:loop> </b:if> </span> </p> <center><img src='http://bp2.blogger.com/_AVxLoZ0mR_0/R3-8aw3SxjI/AAAAAA AAAnM/Z3AlnL1FsMY/s400/bluedivider-b.gif'/></center> <p class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/> </div>

When you make the change or addition, use Preview to see if it's what you think it's going to be. Wait until you're satisfied to save it. You can always "clear edits" and back out if you're not confident.


Bla bla bla, says the post!

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LAZY WAY TO ADD A LINE:
I used to include <hr color=crimson> in my post template code so that a crimson line would be drawn during creation of the blank post and I'd then write my post above the crimson line. This was easier than adding a line or image to the footer widget, so a beginner might be attracted to it just for the ease of it. Some day all beginners stop being nervous about getting into the template, but it doesn't have to be today! I remember the feeling.

NOTE: additional graphics at http://www.graphics-4free.com/

More than 20 Important Sticky Posts

I tried to go back through the blog and find those twenty Most Frequent Blogger Questions and their answers, but I can't quite limit it that much! Some on this list may be of NO importance to you and certainly there are some good ones left out because they just aren't asked for very often. Maybe it's sufficient that this is a Short List compared to the more than 200 total! It is not in any order, alphabetical or otherwise.

Short List for Beginners

NEW Undelete Button on Dashboard! Can I Save My Blog? (Export/Import) Blogger Has N0 Email or Phone Support! How To Post Photos Blogsend--Email Notification for 10 or Less Small/Large Photos Quick Edit Crossed Tools What Is A Layout Page? TOS Violation Page Adding Pages Activate Post Pages Transfer Blog From One Account To Another Mailto, Or "Email Me" Link Change The Url (Web Address) Clickable "Button" Link To A Web Site Create A New Post? How To Add Or Edit A Post Language Settings Expandable Post Summaries Write Blogger Support Clear Cache Table In Blogger Post Copyright Low Sidebar Strange Symbols or Behavior From Pasting MS Word into Blogger Line Breaks--No Paragraphs Your "posted by" Or Display Name Links As Code Recover Password and Username Recover Your Template Set Number of Posts On Front Page

Linking to a Google Doc From Blogger

If you make a file in Google Docs and Spreadsheets, this is how to link to it from Blogger If you've created one document and saved it already, locate the url (web address) in the window above on your screen and copy it. Use the right-click button on your mouse and then the Copy on the small menu so that you don't make a typo. Then go back into the post or sidebar where you intend to keep the link and produce this: <a href="http:...documentLink">DocumentName</a> Paste the url that you already Copied into the above code, replacing everything between the quotation marks with the url. Keep the quotation marks, of course. The "DocumentName" is whatever name you choose to call it, whether a title or description. If you can succeed with one link, you can make a list of them, maybe using the ul or ol list or create a LinkList type Gadget. Neither one is very hard, though anything can be intimidating the first time you try (remember bicycles?). Unordered & Ordered Lists