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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tony from Engadgeteer has sent news of a great new widget developed for Blogger users: a recent posts widget which includes thumbnails from your posts.
Here is a preview of how the gadget would appear in your blog (based on recent posts from Blogger Buster):
The gadget is very easy to install in your blog: simply visit the widget generator page and edit the settings as required. You can preview your feed and then add it to your blog sidebar using the "Add to Blogger" button on the top right of the page.
Thanks Tony for letting me know about this widget!
Here is a preview of how the gadget would appear in your blog (based on recent posts from Blogger Buster):
The gadget is very easy to install in your blog: simply visit the widget generator page and edit the settings as required. You can preview your feed and then add it to your blog sidebar using the "Add to Blogger" button on the top right of the page.
Thanks Tony for letting me know about this widget!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Over the past few weeks, I've been working with Bloggers improved API for Gadgets and have now completed work on several useful gadgets which can be installed with just a few clicks.
I've found that the Gadget API offers a much better interface to the end-user than HTML/Javascript widgets (although it takes me far longer to create Gadgets than widgets!). While they are a little more difficult to create, I think the end-product is worth the effort:
A pop-up screen like this will appear:
From here, you can browse gadgets in the directory, search for gadgets of interest, or add a gadget using the URL where it is hosted.
Once you have chosen a gadget to add, you should be presented with a configuration screen like this:
There will be different options here, depending on the gadget you have chosen to install. This example shows the configuration options for my Twitter Updates gadget.
At the very least, you should be able to alter the title of the gadget, however most gadgets have other configuration options available. A preview of how the gadget will look in your blog will appear below these options (do bear in mind that the width of the gadget may be wider when displayed in your blog if the area in which it is added has larger dimensions than the preview screen).
Once you've changed any settings, be sure to click the "Update" link in order to see the changes appear before you save. The gadget will then appear in your blog, and it's position can be changed in the Page Elements section of your dashboard.
I'm thrilled to find four of my own gadgets are "featured": Recent Posts, Recent Comments, Picasa Photostream and Twitter Updates, and look forward to seeing the efforts of other Blogger developers in the future.
I've also begun a three-part series for creating Blogger gadgets over at Blogging Tips to explain the basics including how to utilize Blogger feeds in our gadgets, use skinning parameters and user preferences for customizable gadget utilities.
Once you've created a Blogger gadget, you can add it to the Blogger Gadget directory using this link. Your gadget should appear in the public directory within about 30 minutes of successful submission and the best gadgets will be featured in the Featured Gadgets blog.
Over the next few days, I'll update with posts for all my gadgets with full details of functions and installation so you can add and enjoy these gadgets in your Blogger powered blogs.
If you've created a gadget for Blogger or if there's a particular gadget you'd like me to create, please let me know by leaving your comments below.
I've found that the Gadget API offers a much better interface to the end-user than HTML/Javascript widgets (although it takes me far longer to create Gadgets than widgets!). While they are a little more difficult to create, I think the end-product is worth the effort:
- Gadgets can be added from within the Blogger dashboard (so we don't need to use search engines, or visit the owner's site to install).
- Gadgets are easily customized, and can be easily reconfigured after installation
- The new API includes the ability to include Blogger post and comment feeds for the blog in which they are installed.
- Developers can ensure gadgets blend with the theme in which they are installed using "Skins" parameters.
How to install Gadgets in your Blogger blog
Gadgets are as easy to install as Blogger's default widgets. Simply go to Layout>Page Elements in your Blogger dashboard and click the "Add a Gadget" link in the area where you want to install your gadget.A pop-up screen like this will appear:
Once you have chosen a gadget to add, you should be presented with a configuration screen like this:
At the very least, you should be able to alter the title of the gadget, however most gadgets have other configuration options available. A preview of how the gadget will look in your blog will appear below these options (do bear in mind that the width of the gadget may be wider when displayed in your blog if the area in which it is added has larger dimensions than the preview screen).
Once you've changed any settings, be sure to click the "Update" link in order to see the changes appear before you save. The gadget will then appear in your blog, and it's position can be changed in the Page Elements section of your dashboard.
Blogger's Featured Gadgets
The Blogger team have created The Featured Gadgets blog which details gadgets of particular interest. Some of these gadgets are also included in the Featured Gadgets section of the Gadget directory (available when you choose to add a new gadget through your dashboard).I'm thrilled to find four of my own gadgets are "featured": Recent Posts, Recent Comments, Picasa Photostream and Twitter Updates, and look forward to seeing the efforts of other Blogger developers in the future.
Developing Blogger Gadgets
The Blogger team have created extensive documentation for those hoping to develop gadgets for use with Blogger in addition to the extensive resources for creating Google gadgets.I've also begun a three-part series for creating Blogger gadgets over at Blogging Tips to explain the basics including how to utilize Blogger feeds in our gadgets, use skinning parameters and user preferences for customizable gadget utilities.
Once you've created a Blogger gadget, you can add it to the Blogger Gadget directory using this link. Your gadget should appear in the public directory within about 30 minutes of successful submission and the best gadgets will be featured in the Featured Gadgets blog.
Gadgets I'm working on now
In addition to the four gadgets mentioned above, I have a further three gadgets which are almost ready for public release: a Flickr Photostream Gadget (install with your Flickr username, not the URL of your feed); a TwitPic gadget (to display your recent TwitPic updates) and a Juitter gadget, for real-time updates which mention your username or other search terms.Over the next few days, I'll update with posts for all my gadgets with full details of functions and installation so you can add and enjoy these gadgets in your Blogger powered blogs.
Your thoughts?
I hope you will enjoy using Blogger gadgets which use this improved API and look forward to seeing gadgets which other developers create.If you've created a gadget for Blogger or if there's a particular gadget you'd like me to create, please let me know by leaving your comments below.
A few weeks ago, Blogger made some changes to the Gadget API which enables us to create interactive Gadgets specifically for use in Blogger blogs.
I've spent a lot of time these past few weeks experimenting with this API and have successfully built several Gadgets specifically for Blogger, including:
I've found the Gadget API far preferable to creating HTML/JavaScript widgets with widget installers. Blogger gadgets are much easier for Blogger users to install and customize; what's more, they can be accessed directly from the Blogger dashboard rather than having to search the internet to visit the authors site.
What's more, it is possible to access Blogger post and comment feeds within the gadget (instead of having to create code to draw them in), and style gadgets to match the colour schemes already present within the Blogger template.
Admittedly, it can be much more difficult to create Gadgets than widgets. Since experimenting with the Gadget API, I've learned far more about XML, Javascript and various other APIs than in all the years I've been customizing Blogger templates. While it is easy to create a simple gadget with little knowledge of scripting or HTML, the gadgets I feel would be welcomed most by the Blogger community required me to learn much more.
However, I believe the benefits to those using my gadgets are of much more importance. Some of my gadgets have over 20,000 installs already, but with only a handful of reported problems so far I'm assured my efforts were worth the trouble!
Simply go to Layout>Page Elements in your Blogger dashboard and click the "Add a Gadget" link in the area where you'd like to install your gadget.
On the pop-up page, the first screen presented displays the regular "widgets" which we can add to our blogs (profile, archives, link list, HTML/Javascript, etc).
To add a Google or Blogger gadget, there are various options available:
Some
I've spent a lot of time these past few weeks experimenting with this API and have successfully built several Gadgets specifically for Blogger, including:
- Recent Posts
- Recent Comments
- Twitter Updates
- Picasa Photostream
- Flickr Photostream
Why I prefer gadgets to Widgets
I've found the Gadget API far preferable to creating HTML/JavaScript widgets with widget installers. Blogger gadgets are much easier for Blogger users to install and customize; what's more, they can be accessed directly from the Blogger dashboard rather than having to search the internet to visit the authors site.
What's more, it is possible to access Blogger post and comment feeds within the gadget (instead of having to create code to draw them in), and style gadgets to match the colour schemes already present within the Blogger template.
Admittedly, it can be much more difficult to create Gadgets than widgets. Since experimenting with the Gadget API, I've learned far more about XML, Javascript and various other APIs than in all the years I've been customizing Blogger templates. While it is easy to create a simple gadget with little knowledge of scripting or HTML, the gadgets I feel would be welcomed most by the Blogger community required me to learn much more.
However, I believe the benefits to those using my gadgets are of much more importance. Some of my gadgets have over 20,000 installs already, but with only a handful of reported problems so far I'm assured my efforts were worth the trouble!
How to install Blogger gadgets
Installing a Blogger gadget in your blog is very easy! It's very similar to installing a regular widget, except we have a far wider variety to choose from :)Simply go to Layout>Page Elements in your Blogger dashboard and click the "Add a Gadget" link in the area where you'd like to install your gadget.
On the pop-up page, the first screen presented displays the regular "widgets" which we can add to our blogs (profile, archives, link list, HTML/Javascript, etc).
To add a Google or Blogger gadget, there are various options available:
- Browse through the directory for a gadget of interest
- Search the directory (using the form on the top-right of the window)
- Add a gadget by pasting the URL.
Some
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I realize my posts have been rather scarce lately, mostly because I've been so busy with work and other commitments which have left me so little time to write posts for this blog.
So let me explain what's happening with Blogger Buster at the moment, along with a few hints about what you can expect in the forthcoming weeks.
This is because my hosting service has been completely overpowered by the sheer number of requests for files and has been temporarily suspended. I need to transfer all of my files over to a new (enhanced) hosting account which can cope with this level of bandwidth, but I'm afraid it's taking a little longer than expected due to some issues I'm having with FTP.
I may well need to move all these files to a completely different location, and if so, I will of course update with the new URLs you'll need to download these files. My main concern is to find a reliable file host for all our file-hosting needs, and which won't impact too much on the running of this site. Please bear with me while I make new arrangements for these files.
In particular, I've been learning a lot about the Gadget API for Blogger. This enables us to create interesting, useful and interactive gadgets for Blogger using a system which (I feel) is a great improvement to using widget installers.
I've created a few Gadgets for Blogger now which I'll post about over the coming days (though you may already be able to find some if you search for "Blogger Buster" when adding a gadget to your layout).
Update #1
I've just managed to get a new laptop, and have spent the past few days transferring over my files and settings. Finally, all is fixed so I'll have a new post (or two) up this weekend :)
If you're a web/blog designer or artist, this is something you may well want to check out. You can find out more and register your interest in participating on this page.
While I can't promise to fulfil every request, I'll try to do the most popular ones over the coming weeks.
There's so much happening at the moment and many more updates in progress which I really look forward to showing you in the future.
Thank you all for visiting, subscribing and sticking around!
So let me explain what's happening with Blogger Buster at the moment, along with a few hints about what you can expect in the forthcoming weeks.
Problems with my file hosts
Many of you have reported problems downloading templates and other files which are hosted on http://bloggerbuster.com.This is because my hosting service has been completely overpowered by the sheer number of requests for files and has been temporarily suspended. I need to transfer all of my files over to a new (enhanced) hosting account which can cope with this level of bandwidth, but I'm afraid it's taking a little longer than expected due to some issues I'm having with FTP.
I may well need to move all these files to a completely different location, and if so, I will of course update with the new URLs you'll need to download these files. My main concern is to find a reliable file host for all our file-hosting needs, and which won't impact too much on the running of this site. Please bear with me while I make new arrangements for these files.
What I'm working on now
There have been several developments for Blogger (and perhaps more planned for coming months), so as you may imagine I've been working on these developments to create useful resources and tutorials for you all.In particular, I've been learning a lot about the Gadget API for Blogger. This enables us to create interesting, useful and interactive gadgets for Blogger using a system which (I feel) is a great improvement to using widget installers.
I've created a few Gadgets for Blogger now which I'll post about over the coming days (though you may already be able to find some if you search for "Blogger Buster" when adding a gadget to your layout).
Update #1
I've just managed to get a new laptop, and have spent the past few days transferring over my files and settings. Finally, all is fixed so I'll have a new post (or two) up this weekend :)
Blogger is still looking for web designers and artists!
A couple of weeks ago, the Blogger team tweeted a request for web designers and artists who are interested in designing templates for Blogger.com.If you're a web/blog designer or artist, this is something you may well want to check out. You can find out more and register your interest in participating on this page.
Requests for tutorials and gadgets
If you have any particular requests for tutorials or Blogger gadgets, please let me know about these by leaving your suggestions in the comments.While I can't promise to fulfil every request, I'll try to do the most popular ones over the coming weeks.
There's so much happening at the moment and many more updates in progress which I really look forward to showing you in the future.
Thank you all for visiting, subscribing and sticking around!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
One of the functions most voted for in Blogger's recent Product Ideas forum was the ability to summarize blog posts on non-item pages.
I've written about a few different approaches to this, but these methods were never so easy to implement.
Luckily I came across this tutorial from Quite Random which offers the simplest - and most useful - method of displaying post summaries automatically for our Blogger posts, complete with a thumbnail from images used in our posts.
This customization is very easy to implement (there are literally only two steps) with very little editing of the template required. I installed with immediate success on several templates to test it out, and with only a little tweaking on one of my most customized designs.
In short, this is a fabulous implementation of post summaries for Blogger. Be sure to pop over to Quite Random to check out this post and learn how to install this hack for your own Blogger blogs.
However... This is not my only source of good news regarding post summaries for Blogger!
The Blogger team are in the process of implementing this function in Blogger! Or at least, I'm pretty certain they are.
Take a look at this screenshot which was taken from a clean installation of Minima (a default Blogger template) on a new blog (click the image for a larger version):
These tags look suspiciously like tags which could be used for implementation of post summaries. What's more, it seems we can choose whether or not to summarize our posts, and also the text used for the link to read the full article.
I can't say for sure when this implementation will become available, though I believe this will first be rolled out into Blogger in Draft so any issues can be resolved before the summaries become available to us all.
There's not yet been any mention about this on the Blogger in Draft blog, Blogger Buzz or even by the team on Twitter, but since this code is now appearing in new templates I'd guess this will become available in the very near future.
Stay tuned, I'll get more news about this as it happens and will (of course) explain how to use summaries in customized templates too.
This is a feature I'm very excited to know is in progress, so if anyone does have any news to share, please let me know!
I've written about a few different approaches to this, but these methods were never so easy to implement.
Luckily I came across this tutorial from Quite Random which offers the simplest - and most useful - method of displaying post summaries automatically for our Blogger posts, complete with a thumbnail from images used in our posts.
This customization is very easy to implement (there are literally only two steps) with very little editing of the template required. I installed with immediate success on several templates to test it out, and with only a little tweaking on one of my most customized designs.
In short, this is a fabulous implementation of post summaries for Blogger. Be sure to pop over to Quite Random to check out this post and learn how to install this hack for your own Blogger blogs.
However... This is not my only source of good news regarding post summaries for Blogger!
The Blogger team are in the process of implementing this function in Blogger! Or at least, I'm pretty certain they are.
Take a look at this screenshot which was taken from a clean installation of Minima (a default Blogger template) on a new blog (click the image for a larger version):
I can't say for sure when this implementation will become available, though I believe this will first be rolled out into Blogger in Draft so any issues can be resolved before the summaries become available to us all.
There's not yet been any mention about this on the Blogger in Draft blog, Blogger Buzz or even by the team on Twitter, but since this code is now appearing in new templates I'd guess this will become available in the very near future.
Stay tuned, I'll get more news about this as it happens and will (of course) explain how to use summaries in customized templates too.
This is a feature I'm very excited to know is in progress, so if anyone does have any news to share, please let me know!
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