A cry for help.

As you can see, I've changed my template. I'm now using one of the newfangled modular template doohickies that the Google peeps are giddy for.

All is not roses and sunshine.

Mainly the problems I'm having are with my sidebar links.

The way sidebar links are handled now, all I have to do is add a Link Module, name it and start adding links. That would be lovely, if Link Modules worked like the Archive Module.

If I were able to make it so that next to the name of the Link Module (ex. "Friends" "Blogs Friends" whatever) there was a twirly triangle like in the Archive section that could expand and collapse the link list it would be perfect.

I don't see a way of doing that.

There is an option to limit the number of links shown, but that just makes the rest of the links past that number disappear, which kinda makes it pointless as far as I can tell. I mean really, really pointless. Find me the point. Why have extra links in a list that nobody, including you, can see? Grr.

The problem I have now is if I were to add back in all of the links and all of the sections that I had before "the change", I could quite possibly win the "Longest and most pointless web page" award. I'm sure that award is out there.

So, does anyone know of a way to modify the code in the module to add in twirly triangles for collapsing and expanding a sidebar link list? I searched Blogger help, but it wasn't any. If you think you may be of help, but need the module code, let me know and I'll send it to you.

... Don't get me started on the header. Oh, sure, I can modify the freaking Header Module so that it links to where I have the original f-n-p image on the web instead of displaying the words "Fizzle & Pop", however then the name of my blog changes to that full link at the top of the tab or window that it's viewed in. And it won't let me just throw away the Header Module and replace it with old fashioned HTML like I did before.

The future is annoying.

Comments

Derek Knight said…
And THAT'S why I live in the past.

(yes, back when Pluto was a planet and Star Jones was on the View)
Lou said…
I haven't tried anyof these, but this seems to be an interesting read: http://consumingexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-blogger-page-elements-widgets-code.html

Also: http://hoctro.blogspot.com/2006/11/having-table-of-contents-widget-from_07.html

Good luck!
Heather said…
I agree with Derek. The world was much simpler when Pluto was a planet!
valerie walsh said…
I can't switch for some reason but i'm kinda glad! I have encountered problems with comments all the time... Good to hear from you and looking forward to more of your art and posts in 2007!
Ditto. Let's remake Pluto a planet! Everything was more or less okay then.

Anyway, I have a blog I never post to and the template was a stock Blogger one, so using it as a guinea pig. I'll let you know if I figure out how to fix the header.

The links bit might be harder though. Collapsible nested lists tend to run all over the place in terms of what it takes to make them.
Solution! Switch to WordPress and be done with it. There's tons of help available for the templates there, and hundreds of options, not to mention what you can tweak yourself.

I know, not much help. But that's what I did because I wanted categories and I can't have them on Blogger if I use "external" hosting, which I do.

Popular Posts