Extracting HTML / JavaScript From A Source Listing

If you do any work on your blog, and the template, eventually you will need to extract gadget source code.

The ability to extract source code can be useful in various tasks.

• Identifying a problem gadget, to others.
• Publishing a gadget on a separate page, by embedding the code in a page or post.
• Recovering the content of a deleted gadget.

In each case, use of the proper text browser or source listing is where I start.

Having produced the source listing, I must find and extract the relevant code which represents the gadget in question.

Here is a very basic example, from my Template Laboratory blog. We'll look at a gadget in the sidebar, which I labeled "Empty HTML Gadget".
HTML13
If I locate the gadget, when viewing the blog - and I am logged in as an administrator, I can use the Quick Edit icon (if Quick Edit is enabled), and identify the gadget by the URL. I can do the same, with the "Edit" link in the dashboard Layout wizard.

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

In this case, I know to search for gadget "HTML13".

I have this luxury, when I am able to view the blog - or to view the dashboard Layout wizard. If I am identifying a problem gadget - maybe a malicious accessory on somebody else's blog, I won't have that ability. Searching for a malicious gadget may require use of two or more source code listings - plus imagination or deductive reasoning.

But, once I identify the gadget, in the source listing, I can start.
See "id='HTML13'"?
Here is the complete section of code, which this gadget produces.

<div class='widget HTML' id='HTML13'>
<h2 class='title'>Empty HTML Gadget</h2>
<div class='widget-content'>
This is a (<span style="font-weight:bold;">somewhat</span>) empty HTML gadget.
</div>
<div class='clear'></div>
<span class='widget-item-control'>
<span class='item-control blog-admin'>
<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'>
<img alt='' height='18' src='http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_wrench_allbkg.png' width='18'/>
</a>
</span>
</span>

The code which I need is inside the "widget-content" tags.

<div class='widget-content'>

... (Everything here is the "widget content").

</div>
<div class='clear'></div>
<span class='widget-item-control'>

And, in this case, what I need:

This is a (<span style="font-weight:bold;">somewhat</span>) empty HTML gadget.

This is a very simple example - but you will find, consistently, that you need to look for the proper tag set, starting with "<div class='widget-content'>", and ending with the corresponding "</div>".

Identifying the proper closing "</div>" can be tricky. Many gadgets have nested "<div>" ... "</div>" pairs in the "widget content" - so I search for the "<span class='widget-item-control'>" tag, and work backwards from there.

<div class='widget-content'>

...

</div>
<div class='clear'></div>
<span class='widget-item-control'>

And copy the code, from inside the tag set.

This is a (<span style="font-weight:bold;">somewhat</span>) empty HTML gadget.

Once you practice, you'll find it easily enough.

Now, take the extracted gadget code, and publish the gadget to a specific blog page.