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Editing The Blog Template

The template is like the skeleton of your body - you can't see it (easily), but the success of the blog depends upon its being there, and being structured properly.

If you're going to have a blog, and publish it effectively, eventually the dashboard Layout and the Template Designer pages won't do enough for you. You're going to want to get to the details, underneath the GUI processes.

You access the template editor using the dashboard Theme page, where you will find (among other options) the "Edit HTML" button.


Click on "Edit HTML".



Clicking on "Edit HTML", you may get a serious warning to read.

Directly editing HTML may affect the way some features work and is only recommended for advanced users. Editing template HTML may unpredictably affect other Blogger features. We recommend using the Template Designer first, where you can Add CSS under the Advanced section.

Should you choose to click on "Proceed", you'll be into the "Edit HTML" display.


Edit carefully. Some changes may require editing / removing multiple lines of code.



With a Classic template, you have just one major activity when you're in "Edit HTML" - and that's what the name suggests, you edit the HTML. You'll have some CSS code, but no XML - so it's all relatively straightforward.

With a Layout template, you'll have a few extra options.


With a Designer template, you'll have one additional minor option.


And with a layout template, you'll have "Edit HTML", but with a few more tweaks than with a classic template. You'll have CSS and HTML - and XML - code to edit. And don't overlook the possibility of using HTML code in place of XML code, in a layout template.

One of the least understood selections in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard is the option to "Expand Widget Templates" , which has been replaced by selectively unfolding any gadget to be edited. Just understand when to unfold - and when to not unfold.

Remember that Blogger blogs offer many possibilities. Some code can be installed using HTML / JavaScript gadgets, as an alternative to adding code to the template using "Edit HTML".

And please, as always - backup the template, before and after using Template Editor.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for your help here. It is good to know I can use my blog again. I had a nasty malicious gadget problem that this page helped me to fix.I will post which gadgets for you in the area you requested. Thanx again!
See, and that's why I love the Classic template so much. It's easy to manage if you know HTML, and I don't use many widgets anyway. I like my blog sleek and free of animated fun. :)

I also use the HTML mode to compose my posts and that way get the font I want and photos where I want them, and not the mess some of my friends have to deal with, like mysteriously changing font sizes within a post.

Sp please, Blogger, don't abandon the Classic templates. Ever.
Nitecruzr said…
Gabriele,

You can use HTML code in a layout template, and I predict that will become a necessity one day. You really should move ahead, while it's easy to do so.

If you don't move ahead, you'll learn one day.
The problem is that I have adapted my template over the years, and it would take hours to recreate that in any other code. Simply chosing Layout and then deleting what's there and copy/paste my own template won't work, I'm afraid. ;)

Though I'll better learn XML and more CSS just in case - one can at least hope that Blogger gives a warning if they do something as heavy as abandoning classic templates, like they did with the whole move to a new system some years ago. I did that move already during the beta stage and it wasn't a problem.

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