Simple Edit / Removal Of Problem Blog Gadgets

Blog owners frequently have to edit or remove various blog gadgets - and sometimes need coaching, to edit or remove.

Editing or removing gadgets, normally, is pretty simple - when you know what you're looking for. Whenever you are logged in to Blogger, as a blog administrator, you can find the "Edit" link, on the dashboard Layout wizard - or the "Quick Edit" link on the blog (when "Quick Edit" is enabled), as displayed.

Sometimes, identifying a problem blog gadget, to another person, isn't easy. What happens, if someone misreads your instructions?

Even when identified, it may not be a simple task to locate a given gadget.

• The "Quick Edit" option may not be enabled, on a blog.
• Even when "Quick Edit" is enabled, a blog with lots of gadgets may be tedious to search, looking for the gadget in question.
• Mistakes can be made. What happens, if you click on the wrong link, and remove the wrong gadget?
• When a malicious or misbehaving gadget is involved, either loading the blog or the dashboard may produce unacceptable results.

Fortunately, with the right diagnostic work, we may not have to load either the blog, or the dashboard, to edit or remove an identified gadget.

Start by locating, and identifying, the gadget in question. As an example, I will use a gadget from my test blog. First extract the code, for gadget "HTML13" - my so called "Empty HTML Gadget".

<div·class='widget·HTML'·id='HTML13'>(LF)
<h2·class='title'>Empty·HTML·Gadget</h2>(LF)
<div·class='widget-content'>(LF)
This·is·a·(<span·style="font-weight:bold;">somewhat</span>)·empty·HTML·gadget.(LF)
</div>(LF)
<div·class='clear'></div>(LF)
<span·class='widget-item-control'>(LF)
<span·class='item-control·blog-admin'>(LF)
<a·class='quickedit'·href='//www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=6231987187698503326&widgetType=HTML&widgetId=HTML13&action=editWidget§ionId=sidebar-right-1'·onclick='return·_WidgetManager._PopupConfig(document.getElementById("HTML13"));'·target='configHTML13'·title='Edit'>(LF)
<img·alt=''·height='18'·src='http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_wrench_allbkg.png'·width='18'/>(LF)
</a>(LF)
</span>(LF)
</span>(LF)
<div·class='clear'></div>(LF)
</div>

Look for "quickedit" - and extract the "href" value.

//www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=6231987187698503326&widgetType=HTML&widgetId=HTML13&action=editWidget§ionId=sidebar-right-1

Be really careful here - extract the complete string, between the ' ... '.

Add "https:" to the front of the extracted value.

https://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=6231987187698503326&widgetType=HTML&widgetId=HTML13&action=editWidget§ionId=sidebar-right-1

And there is the exact URL needed, to access the Edit wizard, for the gadget, "HMTL13".

Now, to point out the "obvious".

• The URL will work, for the gadget on any blog, even if "Quick Edit" is not enabled for the blog - for a blog administrator.
• The URL will not work, for the gadget on any blog, even if "Quick Edit" is enabled for the blog - for a non blog administrator.
• Disclosure / possession of the URL poses no security threat to your blog - nor any benefit to a hacker. Try the link below, and see for yourself.
• Even if you are logged in as an administrator, the URL may not work - if "third party" cookies are not enabled.

The URL is simply a tool, which can be extracted, by anybody - and can be used, by a blog administrator (and only by a blog administrator), when properly logged in to Blogger.

Having noted the "obvious", your life can be a bit simpler, when instead of having to instruct someone how to locate and use the correct "Quick Edit" or Layout Edit link, to remove a problem gadget, you simply instruct them.

Login to Blogger, and click on the link below:
https://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=6231987187698503326&widgetType=HTML&widgetId=HTML13&action=editWidget§ionId=sidebar-right-1.
Then click "Remove".

Now, extract and try a link from your blog - and see for yourself. Isn't that simpler?