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05 January 2008

Blogger bX Errors - How to Fix Them Blogger Templates

Blogger bX Errors - How to Fix Them Blogger Templates

Any of you who have tried to change Blogger templates or moved around your blog’s page elements have probably seen the dreaded Blogger “bX-xxxxxx” cryptic error message.


“We’re sorry, but we were unable to complete your request. When reporting this error to Blogger Support or on the Blogger Help Group, please:

- Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
- Provide the following error code and additional information.

Great…this really helps us fix the problem right now. It’s frustrating enough to see an error message after trying to make what seems like a trivial change to your blog and how can you fix the problem if you’re given an error code instead of a actionable error message like “template is incorrect on line xx”? Blogger’s support area doesn’t even give you information on what each error means and how to resolve it so if you want their help you need to post a message and wait 12+ hours for someone at Google support to respond. You would think Google would spend some more time and resources to improve their error messages and Blogger support.

So the main question is what does the error message actually mean and how can you fix it now?



For me, I was able to fix it by making a few changes but there was no exact science as to how I did it. I first attempted to search Google for a solution as well as Blogger’s help center and support group. No such luck. What I did discover though was the numerous others who had similar bX error messages as me with no resolution. Apparently the best way to get assistance is to first read Blogger’s How to Report a Problem and then post in the Blogger support group. I wasn’t interested quite yet and wanted to fix the problem myself (or at least try) before posting in Blogger’s support group.

What I discovered when trying to repair my blog was the following:

- The bX-xxxxx error codes don’t mean anything specific. The characters after the bX- change each time so there’s no logic behind the numbers. Next time you get an error, try refreshing the page a few times. You’ll notice the error codes actually change even though your error should still be the same.
- When I tried to modify my page elements (clicking on the wrench/screwdriver icon) within my browser using Firefox I later had trouble. Seems to be a bug within Blogger.
- Clicking on the “Revert widget templates to default” link within the “Template” => “Edit HTML” page didn’t fix nor hurt anything (besides losing my widgets). In other words, don’t do it.
- Adding a new Blogger template and clicking “Save Template” instead of “Preview” showed me a couple of page elements like Text1 and Footer1 that were going to be deleted. The problem was, I didn’t have either of those in my current Blogger layout. They were removed via Firefox previously (don’t edit Blogger layout using Firefox).
- Switching over to Internet Explorer I was able to successfully apply the new template. I then could go back to Firefox (my browser of choice) and modify or apply any other new template.

So in my experience Firefox as well as some ghost page elements that I previously removed seemed to cause the issue. If you are troubleshooting your own bX errors and using Firefox, I would switch over to Internet Explorer and apply a new template. If you only use IE and still get a bX error, I would first try another Blogger default template (there might just be a problem with your new template) to isolate the issue.

If that fixes it then you know it’s the new template having trouble interacting with your page elements. If it’s still not fixed with the Blogger default template then it’s probably because of your page elements. If you don’t mind removing any custom page elements you may have (you’ll lose the data within the page element if you do) then one by one, remove the page elements. Apply the new Blogger template after each time and see if that fixes it.

Conclusion

Unfortunately there isn’t a clear cut solution for addressing the Blogger bX error codes. In most instances, each case is unique depending on the number of page elements you may have, the type of page elements, and the template you’re using. I feel really bad for the hundreds of Blogger users out there who come across this bX error and don’t know what to do. I do have confidence that Google will soon enough fix this issue one way or another because it’s eventually going to become a huge issue (it’s already a big deal).

If you’ve attempted to fix your blog using the techniques I’ve mentioned above and still didn’t have any luck, feel free to comment below. We will do our best in answering your questions but can’t promise any solution. I’d also post your error information in Blogger’s Help Group so in case you can’t figure it out yourself, someone from Google will fix it for you within the next day or so.

Blogger bX Errors - How to Fix Them Blogger Templates

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04 January 2008

How to Setup Your Recent Posts and Recent Comments Blogger Page Elements

How to Setup Your Recent Posts and Recent Comments Blogger Page Elements

In order to enable the Recent Posts and Recent Comments page elements in your recently downloaded Blogger template, you need to follow a couple simple steps.

These lists aren’t going to show up when you first install the template so we’re going to bring them to life now. They are actually both RSS Feed widgets so we’ll need to paste in your feed and comment rss feeds to make them work.
Let’s start with the Recent Posts page element so click to edit it. Then paste in your RSS feed url which will most likely be in this format http://YOURSITE.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default . Make sure to replace “YOURSITE” with your actual blog url.


There’s no need to change the title (unless you want to call it something else) so then hit “Save Changes”. Then save your blogger layout and go over to your other browser window, refresh and see the Recent Posts appear in your blog’s sidebar.

Now you’re going to do the exact same thing with the “Recent Comments” page element but you’ll instead use this feed format http://YOURSITE.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default . Again, make sure to replace “YOURSITE” with your actual blog url. Save and make sure it’s working properly. If it doesn’t appear on your blog, chances are you don’t have the correct feed url or you might not have any comments yet.

If you really want to fine tune your Recent Posts and Comments settings like increasing the max number displayed to 10 you can. Go read our advanced recent posts settings article and take your widgets to another level.

Source:eblogtemplates.com
How to Setup Your Recent Posts and Recent Comments Blogger Page Elements

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03 January 2008

How to Install a Blogger XML Templates

How to Install a Blogger XML Templates



This article was written to provide a step-by-step guide on how to correctly apply a new xml Blogger template to your blog. This process can be tricky depending on several factors (quality of the code in the new template, your existing widgets, etc) so you need to be careful when changing your template. Don’t worry though, just follow our step-by-step instructions below and we’ll hopefully get you through it without much pain.

Many people make the same mistake when installing a new blogger template. Most problems when installing a new template are caused by the blogger widgets (Page Elements) that you’ve spent time setting up in your previous template. Almost all Blogger templates available for download on this site are in the new Blogger xml template format so if you’ve downloaded the template from us, it’s going to be much easier to follow our instructions.

Step #1 - Backup Your Current Template



Backup your current Template just in case you make a mistake. This is very important so you can always go back (click on the screenshot to the left to see exactly how this is done). You’ll want to navigate to the “Template” => “Edit HTML” section of Blogger and then look for the “Before editing your template, you may want to save a copy of it. Download Full Template“. Click on the “Download Full Template” and save it somewhere easy to find later on your computer. We are not responsible for any mistakes you make in applying your new Blogger template. Once you have saved this .xml file onto your computer, move on to step #2

Step #2 - Take a Screenshot of Your Page Elements



This next step isn’t necessary but I like to do it anyhow. Take a screenshot of your “Page Elements” page just so you know exactly what widgets (Page Elements) you had before applying the new template (an example of the exact page you should take a screenshot of is in the image to the left). If you blow away all your widgets and you don’t remember which ones you had, this screenshot will at least help you remember. If you’re unsure as to how to take a screenshot, then check out this quick tutorial (MS Windows).

Step #3 - Upload Your New Blogger Template



Now it’s time to upload the new Blogger template from your computer. You’ll want to navigate to the “Template” => “Edit HTML” section of Blogger and then look for the “Upload a template from a file on your hard drive:” text. To the right of that you’ll see two buttons. First, you’ll click on “Browse” and navigate to the new .xml Blogger template on your computer and click “Open”. Then you click on the “Upload” button and cross your fingers.

At this point Blogger is attempting to apply the new .xml Blogger template to your blog. After it’s done, you’ll get a message stating that the upload and new template was applied successfully (in that case you’re done!) or more likely in my case, you’ll get a red error message that states something like:

Widgets are about to be deleted

Please confirm that the following widgets should be deleted. All the widgets’ configuration data will be lost.

- Text1
- BloggerButton1
- Poll1
- Profile1

Now if you’re like me, you don’t want to lose all those widgets (Page Elements) you spent lots of time configuring and arranging on your blog. If you don’t care and really don’t have anything you’ll be upset losing, then go ahead and click on the “Confirm and Save” button that looks like this:



Just remember, that you’ll need to re-add any page elements that you had previously setup in your old template. If they were simple or just recently added then I’d recommend just re-adding them instead of having to follow the next steps. If you decide you want to keep your widgets (Page Elements) then write down (or take another screenshot) the list mentioned above that are going to be deleted. You’ll use this list later when we migrate over your widgets.

Step #4 - Transfer Widgets to New Blogger Template

This process is going to take some careful cut and pasting within the template code so if you’re not comfortable doing this, then I’d recommend just ending on the previous step. First things first, click on the blue cancel button (you should still be on the previous step) that looks like this:



This will cancel out of the new Blogger template you were just trying to upload. Next, we’re going to essentially make a temporary placeholder for your widgets (Page Elements) within your current template. You should still be in the “Template” => “Edit HTML” section of Blogger so if you’re not, go back to that section.
You’re going to actually edit this template code now so pay close attention. Look for the following piece of code which is all the way at the bottom.


</body></html>


Now you’re going to replace that code with the following bit of code:


<b:section id='widgets-placeholder' showaddelement='yes'/></body></html>


Save your template and you’ll see this message (which is a good sign):



What did we just do? We created a brand new widget (Page Element) in your current Blogger template so we can move all your widgets over to keep them safe! Next navigate over to the “Template” => “Page Elements” section of Blogger and you’ll see a blank new footer section.



Drag all your widgets (Page Elements) that were going to be deleted (we wrote them down or took a screenshot in step #3). The order doesn’t really matter as long as you’ve moved them all down into the widget (top image on left). After you’re done, it should look something like this (bottom image on left):

Now click on the “Save” button and the temporary placeholder for our widgets will be saved. We’re not done quite yet but if you’ve gotten this far already you’ve done great! The hardest part is over. Now we’re going to copy the widgets we just protected over to your new template. Hold off on that bathroom break and let’s keep going.



Next, go back to the “Template” => “Edit HTML” section of Blogger and scroll down in the template code and look for the line of code you added before:


<b:section id='widgets-placeholder' showaddelement='yes'/></body></html>


There should now be a bunch more code in between it which will look something like this:


<b:section id='backupwidget' showaddelement='yes'>
<b:widget id='BloggerButton1' locked='false' title='' type='BloggerButton'/>
<b:widget id='Poll1' locked='false' title='What is your favorite car' type='Poll'/>
<b:widget id='BlogArchive1' locked='false' title='Blog Archive' type='BlogArchive'/>
<b:widget id='Profile1' locked='false' title='About Me' type='Profile'/>
</b:section></body></html>


This is a list of all your widgets (Page Elements) that we just moved into the footer. You want to select all this code and copy it. We’re going to paste it into our new Blogger template code which will complete the transfer safely.
Now open your new Blogger template xml file in a text editor (you can use Notepad, just right click -> Open With -> Choose Notepad). Once you have it open, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the code and look for the following code:


</body></html>


You’re going to replace this code with the new code you just copied above. Make sure you only replace that one bit of code otherwise you might run into some problems. Save your new Blogger template and you’ve finished transferring your widgets (Page Elements) into the new Blogger template!

Now after all that work just to save your precious widgets, let’s hope the new template works ok in Blogger. Go back to step #3 above and upload your new template like you attempted to do before. If all goes well, your new template will properly save and your blog will be updated!

Step #5 - Move Your Widgets Back To Their Original Spots

I’m assuming your new template installed without and problems and you’re ready to move your widgets (Page Elements) back to their original spots. This is just the reverse process of what we did before by going to the “Template” => “Page Elements” section of Blogger and moving them out of the footer and back into the sidebar (or wherever you originally had them in your old template).

After you arrange them to your liking, make sure to save and view your blog. If all went well then your blog should be looking the way it did before the new template was applied (well, except for the new beautiful design which is the main reason for this hassle in the first place right?).

Summary

Congratulations on adding a new custom Blogger xml template to your blog! The whole process should have taken anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on your experience and comfort with blog template code, the code quality of the new template, and the number of widgets your blog currently has. Blog designs shouldn’t have to change very often so hopefully this is a one-time process for you. If not, I recommend you bookmark or add this page to your favorites so it’s easy to find the next time you decide to change Blogger templates.

Still Having Problems?

Problems or errors during this procedure? Unfortunately, the Blogger xml templates are very picky and don’t always work with your blog. This can be because of several reasons so it’s not always easy to resolve. Sometimes the best way is to just delete one widget at a time and see if that resolves the issue. Blogger doesn’t give you very good error messages to act on so sometimes it’s a shot in the dark.

If you’ve got a specific case you’d like to ask about, please post a comment below. I will respond and help if possible. Your specific problem might help others address their issue as well.

Source:eblogtemplates.com
How to Install a Blogger XML Templates

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02 January 2008

SEO Blog Post Page Title Tags Blogger Templates

SEO Blog Post Page Title Tags Blogger Templates

Until recently, the title tags generated for each page of your Blogger blog would display the blog title first, then the name of your post.

This wasn't so good for SEO (search engine optimization) as this made keywords from your post titles appear after your blog title.

Luckily, Blogger have come up with a simple fix for this problem for those who use Layouts templates: the


<data:blog.pageName/>
tag!

This new tag is already installed for new blogs (or if you change your existing template to one of Blogger's default ones).

However, if you have customized your template or uploaded a third party template, you will need to change the original

<data:blog.pageTitle/>
to the new

<data:blog.pageName/>
tag for this change to take effect.

But don't worry: this is REALLY easy! Here's what you have to do:

1. Go to Layout > edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard.
2. Search for this tag:

<data:blog.pageTitle/>

3. Replace this tag with the following:


<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;index&quot;'>
<title><data:blog.title/></title>
<b:else/>
<title><data:blog.pageName/></title>
</b:if>



4. Save your template! (See, this is an easy hack!)
Once you've changed this tag, you'll see that on post pages, the default [blog name] page title format for your post titles in the browser window will be replaced solely by your post title instead.

This will increase the chances of your posts being picked up in search engine results for keywords which appear in your post titles (and can ultimately help draw more targeted traffic to your blog.

I hope this little trick will be useful to you all! And for the Blogger team (if you're reading this): Thank you!

Source : bloggerbuster.com
SEO Blog Post Page Title Tags Blogger Templates

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01 January 2008

Remove Navigation Bar Blogger Video Tips

Remove the Navigation Bar Blogger in Video

How to hide and remove the Blogger navbar with simple CSS, How to Turn Off Blogger Navbar and why you should remove and disable the blogger navbar

Step by step in video How to Hide or Remove Blogger Navbar :



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