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Adding Pages To A Dynamic Template

We all know the limitations of the dynamic template - how you can't easily edit dynamic template HTML code, or accessories as freely.

At one time, you could switch back to dynamic view, for the comments and posts - and view the complete blog, using a non dynamic template. That ability was taken away, in early 2014.

That doesn't mean that you have to give up completely, however, on adding pages - though this may not yet provide a solution for a custom home page.

As with every Blogger feature, Blogger has been working on the dynamic templates.

Dynamic templates support the Pages gadget, installed in the link bar.

If your blog has been published to a dynamic template, for a while - or if you don't use the Pages index in the tab section of the blog - you may not know that the dynamic templates will now provide a Pages "tabs" menu bar. You'll see a "Pages" style menu bar on some blogs, published to a dynamic template, with the dynamic view selector in a pull down list.

If your blog, published to a dynamic template, doesn't have a pages menu, in the menu bar, you can always index the pages in your blog, from a linklist in the sidebar. Or, you can upgrade your blog. It's your choice.

First, add the Pages gadget (if not already in place).

If you want to upgrade your blog to index pages in the menu bar, use the Template wizard, and select a non dynamic view, to start. With the blog using a non dynamic template, use the Layout wizard and add a Pages gadget into the tab section of the template - or relocate the Pages linklist from the sidebar.

Remove the Views menu, if desired.

If you don't need the Views menu (which will be a drop down list), use the Template Designer "Add CSS" wizard, and add the CSS rule.
  #views { display: none !important; }  

If there is code already present, add the leading blank line above / below the new code.

Use "Configure Page List", and add dynamic and static pages.

Once you have a working Pages gadget, add dynamic (external links and label searches) and static pages - and add any gadgets into the static pages - as you like. Then, make sure that any static pages are selected, under "Pages to show".

Test the new Pages gadget, and make sure the links work.

Checkout the blog, using a non dynamic template, and make sure that the new pages (dynamic and static), and the Pages gadget, works as expected. Once you have what you like, go back to the Template wizard, and re select the dynamic template.

Return the blog to using the dynamic template, and check again.

With the blog once again using a dynamic template - and if you added / relocated the Pages gadget into the Tabs section of the template, you should now see the pages, indexed in the linkbar, just below the title section of the blog.

And consider the other possibilities, using Pages.

This still won't let you add every page feature (it does not appear that redirected home pages will display on a dynamic view) - but it should give you a few possibilities - such as adding custom gadgets, or label searches - or plain old static pages.

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