[Scribbles]
Creative Experiments - Shoutpost HelpHTML Boxes and Widgets
2007-01-10
What is a widget?
It is short for window gadget. They can be slide shows, buttons, interactive things, etc. Visit a few blogs and check theirs out. They are copy and paste codes with a link back to the site you got the widget from in some cases making it easy to find the widget source. Some widgets are "remotely hosted" on other sites but viewable on yours. Slide shows are a good example.
On my site here, I have several widgets on the right navigation bar -- a calendar, a site search box (Blogbar), a chat IM box/button (Chatango), the "bliget" box (from Widgetbox - a site where you can collect lots of various widgets), the ZoomCloud (no categories here at ShoutPost) and the Visual DNA box and the little drawn mood face from PunkyMoods. There are many other widgets out there (like at Sniperoo) and they are free. Most have copy and paste codes that you add to your HTML box.
(Remove the stars from the codes I provide, they are used as place holders in the message. Please note that sometimes the end tag which contains a /slash/ disappears from this post.)
Here are some very basic HTML codes to use.
To leave a large separation between codes use paragraph tags before and after the code:
<*p*>Your code goes here.<*/p*> (Remove place holder *stars*.)
If you want things sitting on top of one another, like in the case of blinkies then just use the break code <*br*> after each entry.
If you install a widget and it does not show, it could be that the code given is not supported by the site. I have had this happen a few times.
Default Template HTML box : Go to --> Manage --> Designer
On the default template, what everyone starts with here, there are two HTML boxes toward the bottom of the designer page.
One box will sit under the fixed Blog Roll but above your Archives (fixed also). If you add things in this box, your Archives get pushed down the page.
The other box sits under your Archives.
As your Archives grow per month, your widgets will get pushed down the page.
So decide where you want them to go.
You can also eliminate the Blog Roll by not using it and then have only the two HTML boxes that will go down the page as described below. You would have to code all your links in your HTML box if you eliminate the blog roll.
Not only can you add widgets but also a counter in these boxes as well as custom links or other graphics if you belong to blog directories.
Here are some simple codes to create custom links (remove the stars, stars hold the code in place on the message so it does not disappear!)
<*a href="YOUR URL"*>Name of your URL<*/a*> - this code will take them off your site to the other site.
<*a href="YOUR URL*TARGET=_blank">Name of your URL<*/a*> - this code opens a new window and your site stays underneath the new window.
To add pictures to this space:
<*img src="URL of your image"*> -- to get a picture out of your file here, just go to it, right click --> click on "properties" and then press on your keyboard "CTRL C" to copy the URL and insert into the code.
If the picture is too big, use this code by reducing the current numbers in the Width and Height:
<*img src= "URL of your image" WIDTH= ?? HEIGHT=??*>
Always remember after you change or add codes, to save your page so that they work. It is also a good idea to save the codes to your notepad then in a file incase something happens to your page or you change your template.
Keep in mind that too many widgets may cause your page to download slowly.
Hope this helps someone.
Widgets not to use!
[ Back to top ]
Created with ShoutPost
