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Comment Publishing Preview, And "Error 400"

We're seeing a problem with Blogger Hosted Comments - and "Bad Request Error 400", following the use of the comment "Preview" feature.

When a blog owner or reader composes a long or important comment, use of the Preview feature is normal. Right now, after hitting "Publish", following a successful Preview, one frequently sees the bad news.
Bad Request
Error 400
There is a workaround for this annoyance - and it's not difficult to use.

Until Blogger Engineers fix the "Error 400" problem, there is a workaround - and the workaround adds very little time to comment publishing.

The most obvious alternative would be to not use Preview. But how well can you eyeball your comment, without Preview?

If you find it inconvenient to eyeball check a comment without using Preview, it's a small effort to copy then paste, before Publishing. Just a little planning, before composing, lets you copy then paste.


OMG, where is my comment? All my work, gone??



Opening a new tab / window lets you publish, after the preview / edit cycles (and avoid the "Error 400"), when composing an important or long comment.


Here's the key to the workaround. "Open link in new tab" - a context menu option, for any link.

With most browsers, you'll either "Alt" click or right click on the link, to get the context menu.



  1. Recover the comment content, if you're looking at the "Error 400".
  2. Open the post, where a comment is needed.
  3. Open a comment composition window, in a new tab / window.
  4. Compose the comment, carefully edited.
  5. When satisfied by the Preview display, click Edit once more.
  6. Copy the edited comment.
  7. Close that browser tab / window.
  8. Open a comment composition window, again.
  9. Immediately paste into the new comment composition window.
  10. Immediately Publish.
  11. Done.

Recover the comment content, if you're looking at the "Error 400".

If you're looking at the "Error 400" display, right now, refresh the display and follow the prompts. Recover the comment composition window, with your work in progress. Skip ahead, to Step #6.

Open the post, where a comment is needed.

Start with a post - and the "Post a Comment" link at the bottom of the post.

Open a comment composition window, in a new tab / window.

Click on the "Post a Comment" link - and use the "Open in new tab / window" browser option. With most browsers, you'll either "Alt" click or right click on the link, to get the context menu - and the "Open in new tab" / "Open in new window" option.

Compose the comment, carefully edited.

Use Preview and Edit, and the composition window, as necessary. Compose, preview, and edit - until your comment is properly phrased.

When satisfied by the Preview display, click Edit once more.

If it's an important or long comment, you'll use the Preview - Edit sequence, a few times. Just finish, with a final "Edit".

Copy the edited comment.

From the comment composition window, hit "Ctrl - A" to select everything as edited, then "Ctrl - C" to copy.

Close that browser tab / window.

Close the tab / window - and bid farewell to the carefully written content, and the Bad Request.

Open a comment composition window, again.

Click on "Post a Comment" from the displayed post - again, using "New tab / window". You will have an empty comment composition window.

Immediately paste into the new comment composition window.

Immediately paste the copied comment ("Ctrl - V") into the empty comment composition window.

Immediately Publish.

You already previewed and edited your comment - now, Publish.

Done.

The comment publishes - and, you're done.

Do this a few times - you'll see that this adds maybe 30 seconds to the comment composition / preview / edit cycle.

How long does it take to compose (preview, edit) a comment, to your liking? I take a lot longer than 30 seconds.

Just copy, close, open, paste, and publish.

And you're done.



Publishing a comment, using #Blogger hosted comments, following use of the Preview feature, subjects us to "Bad Request Error 400". Using a browser supplied new tab / window, and copying then pasting, we can workaround the "Error 400".

Comments

dolorah said…
When I post a long comment (or especially witty short one) I've learned to copy it so it doesn't matter if blogger eats it. The few seconds it takes saves massive frustration energy.

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