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Schizophrenia When Editing Your Post

Lately, there have been a few odd complaints in the Google Blogger Help forums.
Help, my toolbar is missing buttons!
I can't change the text colour.
Where's my font name / size list selection?
Why do I see code, instead of text and pictures?

Now, these complaints aren't strange at all. Blogger makes changes to their code, and has even admitted to causing these problems, occasionally. You, too, can cause your problems - on your computer or network.

Besides permanent changes caused by security on the computer or the network, you can also have temporary, and transient, problems. If we don't use the same URL when we login, consistently, we can have problems. If we don't use the Post Editor the same way, consistently, we can have problems too.



Oh No! Where are my toolbar buttons?



If you don't see a tab for Compose mode, do not panic. Go to Settings - Basic, and under Global Settings, set "Select post editor" to "Old editor" (or to "Updated editor", if you're daring).



There they are!


If you don't spend equal time in Compose and in Edit HTML modes, when editing your posts, you may not realise that the Compose mode toolbar has a few more buttons. Why the difference? I have no idea.

Personally, I have been in Edit HTML many times, and wanted a font size change. Having to edit the CSS tags in by hand isn't as easy.

If you agree with me on this issue, tell Blogger to make the "Edit HTML" and "Compose" toolbars the same.

And don't switch from Edit HTML to Compose without thinking, when you have photos in the post, and have properly arranged the photos. Not unless you want to rearrange them. Stay in Edit HTML mode, and paste CSS rules into the code.

When I edit a post, I always switch back into Edit HTML, before Publishing the post. That way, when I open a Post Edit window, I always open in Edit HTML mode. Open in Compose mode, on a post with carefully arranged photos, even for a second, and you'll learn why this is a good idea.

Get used to recognising the differences between Compose and Edit HTML, and be observant when accepting blog membership from friends. And be aware of Draft Blogger, and of the New (2010) Post Editor. Or, one day, you'll be thinking
OH NO, my toolbar is missing buttons again!


(Update 2009/09/02): The toolbar in the latest Post Editor appears to be missing components, too.

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Comments

Laurence Boyce said…
Thanks Chuck, but the problem is more serious than that. All the toolbars have been missing since at least Friday. At first Ctrl-F5 cleared the problem after a long wait, but now that no longer works.

I tend to compose offline in HTML so you’d think that it might not bother me, but the point is that the entire edit box is malfunctioning and won’t allow normal posting at all.

For anyone who is not up to speed with Blogger, this sort of thing is a total disaster.
Nitecruzr said…
Laurence,

You need to read about Ctrl-F5, and what it does. It is not the same as clearing your cache!

After you do that, read about how you login.

These are all issues which have become a problem with New Blogger, and some of them you have to solve.
Basil Becky said…
Help
I am missing the icon to download media/videos on my toolbar plus spellcheck
Nitecruzr said…
Basil,

Perchance, are you using the new post editor?

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