welshon blog elements: BLing Out Your Blog

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Friday, May 1, 2009

Adding Music

Friday, 01 May 2009 Contact UsSIStv HomeHomeUsing The ClassroomFAQHow To EnrollTeachersStudentsWelcome!Join The GroupBlogger1. Intro & Set up.2. Templates2a Template Issues3. Blogger: Backgrounds4. Adding the backround5. Making a banner6. Uploading the banner7. Fancy Titles8. The magic buttonNEW: Note From Wilna9. The pixelstick10. Fonts and Colors11. Adding social networks.12. Adding MUSIC.TypepadIntroductionDownloadsSetupDesign TabPhoto AlbumsTypelistsPostingHTMLBannersCustom PreMadeSidebar pt1Sidebar pt2PagesNavigation BarBackgroundsFaviconWordpressDownloadsSetupSettingsHTMLBannersCustom PreMadePostingWordpress: Widgets
Bling Out Your Blog 2.0

with Wilna Furstenberg and Kayla Aimee Terrell

12. Blogger: Music

Today we are learning:

How to add a playlist to our blog.

First create your own playlist with PLAYLIST . Then click get the playlist code.

Select your preferences and click GET CODE.

CHANGE the width and height of your playlist in every spot you can see... I changed mine to WIDTH: 140 and HEIGHT: 250.

Copy the code and paste it into a HTML/javascript widget.

Watch the video:

Adding a playlist from Wilna Furstenberg on Vimeo.

If you have any questions, leave me a comment. Also link me in the comments to your new blingy blog so that I can leave YOU a comment. Again, the only condition for me to help you would be that you watched the video and followed the instructions carefully!

Show us your blog:
Visit Bling Out Your Blog 2.0 Students
Comments (1) 1 Thursday, 30 April 2009 21:07 Carolyn Ward
I already had a playlist, but thanks for pointing out the height and width stuff - I played around in the code and made it fit better and look better.
Reply
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Adding Social Networks

Fonts and Colors

The Pixelstick

A Note with Fixes from Wilna

Sidebar Magic Button

Fancy Titles

Uploading Your Banner

Making a banner in Photoshop

Blogger Backgrounds in Photoshop

Lesson 2 - Templates

[ Close ]You are using Internet Explorer 6. Please upgrade your browser to increase safety and your browsing experience. Choose one of the following links to download a modern browser: Firefox Safari Opera Internet Explorer
Friday, 01 May 2009 Contact UsSIStv HomeHomeUsing The ClassroomFAQHow To EnrollTeachersStudentsWelcome!Join The GroupBlogger1. Intro & Set up.2. Templates2a Template Issues3. Blogger: Backgrounds4. Adding the backround5. Making a banner6. Uploading the banner7. Fancy Titles8. The magic buttonNEW: Note From Wilna9. The pixelstick10. Fonts and Colors11. Adding social networks.12. Adding MUSIC.TypepadIntroductionDownloadsSetupDesign TabPhoto AlbumsTypelistsPostingHTMLBannersCustom PreMadeSidebar pt1Sidebar pt2PagesNavigation BarBackgroundsFaviconWordpressDownloadsSetupSettingsHTMLBannersCustom PreMadePostingWordpress: Widgets
Bling Out Your Blog 2.0

with Wilna Furstenberg and Kayla Aimee Terrell

2. Blogger: Templates
You dont HAVE to use my templates!!! : )

Choosing a template:
For this blogger class, I have custom designed 2 templates:A 2 column and a 3 column template. You can download the html code for them in the next section.

What I mean by custom designed:

* I added the code for the background. Tomorrow I will show how to make your own background in Photoshop. I have a background template that will perfectly fit these 2 custom templates.

* I made the 2 column template a little bigger so that it looks uncluttered.

* The 3 column template is based on my current blog and I am so happy with the sizes and feel of the template.

* Both templates have custom backgrounds already. You can keep it if you want. as I designed every element myself, there is no copyright.

* With blogging being such a HUGE subject, I want to stick with what I know. I can help you upload and customize these 2 options. It narrows the field for me... There's no way I can possibly know everything!

The files: This is a screenshot of how the text file looks like that you will download and install (as I explained in the video and article below)

TWO COLUMNS:
This is the 2 column template. Click here to download the 2 column HTML text file. The best way to download the file is to click the file. It will open a new dialogue box. Click save and select a place where you want to save it. This is a text edit file which open in TextEdit, Notepad or in Word. Remember that tomorrow I will show you how to make your OWN background + there will be various background designs for you to choose from and download. If you want to install the HTML code, follow the instructions carefully...(also in the next section). What's cool about the HTML text file is that I color coded the most important code that you will need to change.

THREE COLUMNS:
This is the 3 column template. You can click and save the html text file. The best way to download the file is to click the file. It will open a new dialogue box. Click save and select a place where you want to save it.. This is a text edit file which open in TextEdit, Notepad or in Word. Remember that tomorrow I will show you how to make your OWN background + there will be various background designs for you to choose from and download. If you want to install the HTML code, follow the instructions carefully...(also in the next section). What's cool about the HTML text file is that I color coded the most important code that you will need to change.

CHANGING your old template to a new one.

THIS article is copied from HERE. It's a brilliant brilliant article on how to change your blog template without loosing any widgets. I made a video that follows the instructions carefully.

Watch this video on how to change your blog template: Below in this post is a WRITTEN How to. I used it exactly.

password: blogger09

Adding a new template from Wilna Furstenberg on Vimeo.

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 (YOU CAN USE YOUR CAMERA TOO) 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 - Make a temporary placeholder for your widgets
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.

Now you’re going to replace that code with the following bit of code: (Look for this line in the article then you dont have to type it out... you can just copy and paste it.)

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:

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

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/ Text Edit, 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:

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 #4 - 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.

A few things to remember when you change your template: (As discussed in the template video)

Take some screenshots of your current blog. That way you can always re-create a look or list you loved.
Download your current template.
DON'T BE AFRAID to change your template.You will NOT loose your blog post content.
With the place holder method you SHOULD NOT loose any widgets... if you do... DON'T WORRY! It's easy to re-create and fun to give your blog a spring clean. I do this at least once a year!
If you want to change your templates today so that we can start blinging them tomorrow, it will be cool. If you have any problems, leave me a comment and I will help you!

The only condition for me to HELP is that you SHOULD HAVE watched ALL the videos and read all the instructions!

Show us your blog:
Visit Bling Out Your Blog 2.0 Students
Edited to add:

IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH UPLOADING THE TEMPLATE... CLICK LESSON 2A: TEMPLATE ISSUES. I EXPLAINED A FEW THINGS THERE THAT WILL HELP YOU A LOT

Template Issues:

[ Close ]You are using Internet Explorer 6. Please upgrade your browser to increase safety and your browsing experience. Choose one of the following links to download a modern browser: Firefox Safari Opera Internet Explorer
Friday, 01 May 2009 Contact UsSIStv HomeHomeUsing The ClassroomFAQHow To EnrollTeachersStudentsWelcome!Join The GroupBlogger1. Intro & Set up.2. Templates2a Template Issues3. Blogger: Backgrounds4. Adding the backround5. Making a banner6. Uploading the banner7. Fancy Titles8. The magic buttonNEW: Note From Wilna9. The pixelstick10. Fonts and Colors11. Adding social networks.12. Adding MUSIC.TypepadIntroductionDownloadsSetupDesign TabPhoto AlbumsTypelistsPostingHTMLBannersCustom PreMadeSidebar pt1Sidebar pt2PagesNavigation BarBackgroundsFaviconWordpressDownloadsSetupSettingsHTMLBannersCustom PreMadePostingWordpress: Widgets
Bling Out Your Blog 2.0

with Wilna Furstenberg and Kayla Aimee Terrell

Template issues.

Template ISSUES!
Hey girls! Thanks for all the comments and questions! A few have been having some template issues and I thought to quickly do a post about it and provide some screen shots to fix it.

But first: some dont's

DO NOT:
DO NOT Use the temporary placeholder for your widgets if you have a new blog or only a few widgets... it's for those people like me with LOTS of baggage!!!!!! It will be just too frustrating for you.
DO NOT Use the temporary placeholder for YOUR PROFILE, ARCHIVE, FOLLOWERS or any other widgets that you can just add again with blogger.

1. After you have placed your widgets in a temporary place, it will look like this on your page elements page. PLEASE NOTE: you can see that there is a PROFILE, ARCHIVE, FOLLOWERS widget in there that should not have been dragged there!

BACK UP THE OLD TEMPLATE.... you can select all the HMTL code and copy and paste it into word,

2. Now go to the HTML code and copy ONLY the code that pertains to the widgets.

3. Open your TEXT file with the new template code and look for this piece of code that's highlighted in the picture above.

4. RIGHT underneath it, paste the widget code you just copied.

5. Click preview template. If you get a error code like this one: where there is more than one widget with the same ID, look for the widget with that ID and just give it another number. For instance in this case there was more than one widget eith the name IMAGE 1. so i looked for image 1 and changed the 1 to a 3. (big arrow)

Click SAVE template. This warning will come up, but click CONFIRM and SAVE.

If you have any issues, please leave me a comment in this lesson. If it worked for you, let me know as well.

Comments (6) 6 Thursday, 30 April 2009 11:23 Caro
Hi Wilna,

the quintessential Baobab tree, in it's two seasons, is PERFECT!!!

I am just waiting for PSE to d-o-w-n-l-o-a-d so I can grow them on my blog. THANKS so much.
Caro
Reply 5 Thursday, 30 April 2009 00:52 jessica lubyk
It is all looking good so far, except that the text size is quite small on my blog and I don't seem able to go in and change it via the settings. P.s I am finding this class really fun.....ty :)

Jessie
Comments (1) 4 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 22:11 Charlene Cundy
My template dosen;t fit on my blog right. I added the code and the right column is better but the trees arent on the page lol!!
Reply 3 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 20:46 Claudia Gibson
Thanks Wilna but I got that figured out. Now I'm working on the next part.
Comments (1) 2 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 15:05 student
i battled with these issues, but by fiddling around, i managed to fix them. fortunately, there is always the backed-up template, so if there is a problem, you can start over.

i found that you have to drag the widgets right to the bottom, to the lowest open space, below the block that says 'add a gadget'. then the lines of code are also at the bottom of the template.

thanks, i had fun learning this!
Comments (1) 1 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 14:51 Claudia Gibson
I'm not sure what I did but my comments are showing up in the first column clear down at the bottom as well as the middle column. I think it is in the html code but I didn't change anything that I know of. My blog is at http://myplayart.blogspot.com/
Comments (1)
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If you want to change the margin of RIGHT sidebar of the 3 column template I gave you to download... insert this code: margin:.25em -10px .5em; Under #rightsidebar-wrapper {
float: right; found under the part:

/* Outer-Wrapper
----------------------------------------------- */

Before you save your blog, click PREVIEW. If you are happy save the template.

Comments (14) 14 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 14:53 Maureen Rogers
Wilna,
I think maybe with my limited computer skills that the two column template would be easier for me. I have looked at the teacher info and couldn't see an email - where could I find it?
Comments (1) 13 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 14:18 Maureen Rogers
I made it further this time, but when I tried to upload the new template I got the error messaage: could not be parsed as it is not well formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: content is not allowed in prolog.
Comments (1) 12 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 13:14 Maureen Rogers
Hi,
I'm having trouble loading the new template. I got as far as as getting the list of widgets into my old template, but when I open your 2 column template to trasfer them, there is no matching line you mentioned at the bottom. Did I do something wrong when I downloaded the template?
Comments (1) 11 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 02:24 Jeanet Kuiper
Hi Wilna,
I have the same problem as Lisa Bakewell,my template cannot be saved;Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog
Comments (1) 10 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 22:18 Donna Nelson
The videos were great..thanks. My blog is very bare in regards to posting. I was able to load the 3 column, move gadgets, etc. I'm just not sure it looks like it is suppose to. The trees look cut off and the graphics (squares) at the top are missing. Does this look right to you? At least I understand what to do....just not sure if something is wrong.

luluandbob.blogspot.com

Again, thanks for the videos.....you are GREAT!

Donna
Comments (1) 9 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:51 Sarah Cochran
I watched the video and did step by step what you did. Except I omitted the saving your widgets stuff because my blog doesn't yet have any widgets. I did end up updating my template to the 3 column one, however there is nothing on either side of the outside columns. Just white space. I read in a column above that these files were made in Elements and they are Photoshop files and wont open in any other program. I don't have Elements and I've already done the free trial and can't do it again. Is this my problem or have I done something else wrong?
Reply 8 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 18:36 student
I can't get the template to download. When I tell it to open with Word it tells me that I have a dialog box open that I need to close, and I don't think I do. It shows me the install list in a small box but I can't get it to download. I don't have photoshop so I won't be able to make my own. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Missy
Comments (1) 7 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 16:12 student
OOps--I posted a comment/question elsewhere...sorry about that.

I have an existing blog but have decided to completely start fro scratch with this class (just seemed like fun...ha, ha). Anyway, I copied your three column template and everything came through ok..however I noticed there is no header in the template. Will we be covering headers later on in the class?

Shona
Comments (1) 6 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 15:53 Lisa Bakewell
Wilna,
I'm getting this error message when trying to upload new template. Just sent you email too! Please help?! thanks

Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.
Comments (1) 5 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 13:43 Shep9
Mine was not so successful. I worked on it for an hour and keep getting this message.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The element type "body" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "".
I tried taking my widgets out all together and no go. HELP! I did it step by step with the video.
Comments (1) 4 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 11:42 Jennifer Bertman
Hooray! Thank you, that worked.

Jenn Bertman
http://writerjenn.blogspot.com
Reply 3 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 11:07 Jennifer Bertman
Hi Wilna,

Thanks for your great instruction. This seemed easy enough to follow, but I've run into a problem. I watched the video and then followed all the steps but after I copy and pasted the code for the 3-column template into my edit html box (after saving my widget info as you outlined in the video), I press "save template" and I get the following response: "We were unable to save your template. More than one widget was found with id: Image1. Widget IDs should be unique."

So I looked through the list of widget code at the end of the new template to see if there were two labeled Image1. There's only one, so then I tried deleting the code for that widget but I got the same "unable to save" response but this time it says there are duplicate widgets labeled BlogArchive1.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong or how to fix this? Thank you in advance for your help.

Jenn Bertman

Lesson 2 - Templates

[ Close ]You are using Internet Explorer 6. Please upgrade your browser to increase safety and your browsing experience. Choose one of the following links to download a modern browser: Firefox Safari Opera Internet Explorer
Friday, 01 May 2009 Contact UsSIStv HomeHomeUsing The ClassroomFAQHow To EnrollTeachersStudentsWelcome!Join The GroupBlogger1. Intro & Set up.2. Templates2a Template Issues3. Blogger: Backgrounds4. Adding the backround5. Making a banner6. Uploading the banner7. Fancy Titles8. The magic buttonNEW: Note From Wilna9. The pixelstick10. Fonts and Colors11. Adding social networks.12. Adding MUSIC.TypepadIntroductionDownloadsSetupDesign TabPhoto AlbumsTypelistsPostingHTMLBannersCustom PreMadeSidebar pt1Sidebar pt2PagesNavigation BarBackgroundsFaviconWordpressDownloadsSetupSettingsHTMLBannersCustom PreMadePostingWordpress: Widgets
Bling Out Your Blog 2.0

with Wilna Furstenberg and Kayla Aimee Terrell

2. Blogger: Templates
You dont HAVE to use my templates!!! : )

Choosing a template:
For this blogger class, I have custom designed 2 templates:A 2 column and a 3 column template. You can download the html code for them in the next section.

What I mean by custom designed:

* I added the code for the background. Tomorrow I will show how to make your own background in Photoshop. I have a background template that will perfectly fit these 2 custom templates.

* I made the 2 column template a little bigger so that it looks uncluttered.

* The 3 column template is based on my current blog and I am so happy with the sizes and feel of the template.

* Both templates have custom backgrounds already. You can keep it if you want. as I designed every element myself, there is no copyright.

* With blogging being such a HUGE subject, I want to stick with what I know. I can help you upload and customize these 2 options. It narrows the field for me... There's no way I can possibly know everything!

The files: This is a screenshot of how the text file looks like that you will download and install (as I explained in the video and article below)

TWO COLUMNS:
This is the 2 column template. Click here to download the 2 column HTML text file. The best way to download the file is to click the file. It will open a new dialogue box. Click save and select a place where you want to save it. This is a text edit file which open in TextEdit, Notepad or in Word. Remember that tomorrow I will show you how to make your OWN background + there will be various background designs for you to choose from and download. If you want to install the HTML code, follow the instructions carefully...(also in the next section). What's cool about the HTML text file is that I color coded the most important code that you will need to change.

THREE COLUMNS:
This is the 3 column template. You can click and save the html text file. The best way to download the file is to click the file. It will open a new dialogue box. Click save and select a place where you want to save it.. This is a text edit file which open in TextEdit, Notepad or in Word. Remember that tomorrow I will show you how to make your OWN background + there will be various background designs for you to choose from and download. If you want to install the HTML code, follow the instructions carefully...(also in the next section). What's cool about the HTML text file is that I color coded the most important code that you will need to change.

CHANGING your old template to a new one.

THIS article is copied from HERE. It's a brilliant brilliant article on how to change your blog template without loosing any widgets. I made a video that follows the instructions carefully.

Watch this video on how to change your blog template: Below in this post is a WRITTEN How to. I used it exactly.

password: blogger09

Adding a new template from Wilna Furstenberg on Vimeo.

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 (YOU CAN USE YOUR CAMERA TOO) 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 - Make a temporary placeholder for your widgets
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.

Now you’re going to replace that code with the following bit of code: (Look for this line in the article then you dont have to type it out... you can just copy and paste it.)

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:

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

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/ Text Edit, 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:

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 #4 - 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.

A few things to remember when you change your template: (As discussed in the template video)

Take some screenshots of your current blog. That way you can always re-create a look or list you loved.
Download your current template.
DON'T BE AFRAID to change your template.You will NOT loose your blog post content.
With the place holder method you SHOULD NOT loose any widgets... if you do... DON'T WORRY! It's easy to re-create and fun to give your blog a spring clean. I do this at least once a year!
If you want to change your templates today so that we can start blinging them tomorrow, it will be cool. If you have any problems, leave me a comment and I will help you!

The only condition for me to HELP is that you SHOULD HAVE watched ALL the videos and read all the instructions!

Show us your blog:
Visit Bling Out Your Blog 2.0 Students
Edited to add:

IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH UPLOADING THE TEMPLATE... CLICK LESSON 2A: TEMPLATE ISSUES. I EXPLAINED A FEW THINGS THERE THAT WILL HELP YOU A LOT

If you want to change the margin of RIGHT sidebar of the 3 column template I gave you to download... insert this code: margin:.25em -10px .5em; Under #rightsidebar-wrapper {
float: right; found under the part:

/* Outer-Wrapper
----------------------------------------------- */

Before you save your blog, click PREVIEW. If you are happy save the template.

Comments (14) 14 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 14:53 Maureen Rogers
Wilna,
I think maybe with my limited computer skills that the two column template would be easier for me. I have looked at the teacher info and couldn't see an email - where could I find it?
Comments (1) 13 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 14:18 Maureen Rogers
I made it further this time, but when I tried to upload the new template I got the error messaage: could not be parsed as it is not well formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: content is not allowed in prolog.
Comments (1) 12 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 13:14 Maureen Rogers
Hi,
I'm having trouble loading the new template. I got as far as as getting the list of widgets into my old template, but when I open your 2 column template to trasfer them, there is no matching line you mentioned at the bottom. Did I do something wrong when I downloaded the template?
Comments (1) 11 Wednesday, 29 April 2009 02:24 Jeanet Kuiper
Hi Wilna,
I have the same problem as Lisa Bakewell,my template cannot be saved;Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog
Comments (1) 10 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 22:18 Donna Nelson
The videos were great..thanks. My blog is very bare in regards to posting. I was able to load the 3 column, move gadgets, etc. I'm just not sure it looks like it is suppose to. The trees look cut off and the graphics (squares) at the top are missing. Does this look right to you? At least I understand what to do....just not sure if something is wrong.

luluandbob.blogspot.com

Again, thanks for the videos.....you are GREAT!

Donna
Comments (1) 9 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:51 Sarah Cochran
I watched the video and did step by step what you did. Except I omitted the saving your widgets stuff because my blog doesn't yet have any widgets. I did end up updating my template to the 3 column one, however there is nothing on either side of the outside columns. Just white space. I read in a column above that these files were made in Elements and they are Photoshop files and wont open in any other program. I don't have Elements and I've already done the free trial and can't do it again. Is this my problem or have I done something else wrong?
Reply 8 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 18:36 student
I can't get the template to download. When I tell it to open with Word it tells me that I have a dialog box open that I need to close, and I don't think I do. It shows me the install list in a small box but I can't get it to download. I don't have photoshop so I won't be able to make my own. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Missy
Comments (1) 7 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 16:12 student
OOps--I posted a comment/question elsewhere...sorry about that.

I have an existing blog but have decided to completely start fro scratch with this class (just seemed like fun...ha, ha). Anyway, I copied your three column template and everything came through ok..however I noticed there is no header in the template. Will we be covering headers later on in the class?

Shona
Comments (1) 6 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 15:53 Lisa Bakewell
Wilna,
I'm getting this error message when trying to upload new template. Just sent you email too! Please help?! thanks

Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.
Comments (1) 5 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 13:43 Shep9
Mine was not so successful. I worked on it for an hour and keep getting this message.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The element type "body" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "".
I tried taking my widgets out all together and no go. HELP! I did it step by step with the video.
Comments (1) 4 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 11:42 Jennifer Bertman
Hooray! Thank you, that worked.

Jenn Bertman
http://writerjenn.blogspot.com
Reply 3 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 11:07 Jennifer Bertman
Hi Wilna,

Thanks for your great instruction. This seemed easy enough to follow, but I've run into a problem. I watched the video and then followed all the steps but after I copy and pasted the code for the 3-column template into my edit html box (after saving my widget info as you outlined in the video), I press "save template" and I get the following response: "We were unable to save your template. More than one widget was found with id: Image1. Widget IDs should be unique."

So I looked through the list of widget code at the end of the new template to see if there were two labeled Image1. There's only one, so then I tried deleting the code for that widget but I got the same "unable to save" response but this time it says there are duplicate widgets labeled BlogArchive1.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong or how to fix this? Thank you in advance for your help.

Jenn Bertman
http://writerjenn.blogspot.com
Comments (1) 2 Tuesday, 28 April 2009 06:20 student
read everything and could actually do it! thx Wilna, GREAT videos and instructions!!!
Reply 1 Monday, 27 April 2009 21:50 C Warnke
Great videos- very easy to follow! Thanks!
Reply
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How to Install a Blogger XML Template

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How to Install a Blogger XML Template
Posted: Saturday, January 5th, 2008 | Author: David

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.

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

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:

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

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:

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.

Ready to super charge your blog? Check out our professional premium blogger templates or make money by joining our blog affiliate program!

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96 Responses to “How to Install a Blogger XML Template”

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Reply Maya on Jan 8, 2008, 5:39 pm
thank you for this article! I was having lots of trouble with my old template and losing all my page elements. Step number 4 was in great detail and allowed me to transfer everything over to this new blogger template! thank you thank you thank you!! maya

Reply jk on Jan 17, 2008, 3:27 am
I tried. But I got this in return.

We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.

Reply David Cowgill on Jan 17, 2008, 11:30 pm
Hi jk-

Did you try using another template as well? How many page elements do you have? Unfortunately the Blogger error messages aren’t very good so it’s tough to isolate the problem. That’s why I recommend trying to at least narrow it down some by trying another template. Then we’ll know if it’s this template specifically or something to do with your widget page elements.

~David

Reply V on Feb 2, 2008, 12:21 am
How do I use xml templates for old blogger? I don’t know if I’m using old blogger, I think I am… because my blogger page looks quite different from the screenshots you have shown… Well I created my blog in 2006, and then later when they asked me to change it to signing in with my google account, that’s all I did.

Yeah, I hope you get what I’m saying.

Reply David Cowgill on Feb 2, 2008, 3:58 am
If you’re using the old blogger templates then this one wouldn’t even work and vis versa. Do you have a link to your blog? I could tell you just by looking I think.

Reply Billy on Feb 3, 2008, 2:25 pm
Hi, David, lovely clear instructions here, but I get the same error message as JK whenever I try to install an XML template.

Reply V on Feb 4, 2008, 6:28 am
David thank you for replying, but I think I’ve figured it out!
And then I followed your instructions and it’s all awesome! Thank you soooo much!!

Reply David Cowgill on Feb 4, 2008, 7:20 am
@ Billy, sometimes you need to give Blogger what I call a “hard reset”. Assuming you don’t mind losing any widgets you may have, try these instructions.

Go to the xml template edit page. At the bottom you’ll see “Revert widget templates to default”. Click that. It basically flushes out all your widgets and resets them to the default ones. Try viewing your blog now.

If that doesn’t work, I usually recommend clicking on “Revert to Classic Template”. Then see if your blog loads. It should work at this point. Now we’ll switch back to the new xml blogger mode so click on “Customize Design” which is in the header area. Select one of the regular xml Blogger templates and give that a whirl.

Let me know if you have any luck!

Reply David Cowgill on Feb 4, 2008, 7:21 am
@ V

You’re welcome! Glad you were able to figure it out. Happy Bloggering!

Reply Billy on Feb 7, 2008, 6:33 pm
Thanks very much, David. I resolved the error (don’t quite know how - I think I’d missed a ‘>’ somewhere along the line when I copied/pasted. I’m getting to grips with new blogger now. After being very stubborn and refusing to switch over, I actually quite like it.

Reply David Cowgill on Feb 7, 2008, 7:41 pm
Glad you like it Billy. The new blogger is much better once you get used to it!

Reply Gerry on Feb 17, 2008, 10:45 pm
Hi,

I run my blog (blogger template minima) on my own server and now I would like to use a 3-column xml-based template. How can I upload a xml-based template without using blogspot?

I tried with copy / pate but it didn’t work.

Kind regards, Gerry

Reply David on Feb 18, 2008, 9:47 pm
@Gerry, it’s not easy to do with the new blogger xml templates. First off, you would have to create an xslt file to process the Blogger xml template. To do this you need to reverse engineer the template tags and have a pretty good understanding of xml and xslt. I wanted to do the same actually so I could create and test Blogger templates locally instead of having to cut/paste/save into Blogger each time I wanted to make an update. I wish Blogger would provide a sample xslt file to use but I don’t think they will.

Reply Bunny on Feb 21, 2008, 5:25 pm
Thanks so much for this! Changing my template was easy-peasy!!!

Reply David on Feb 21, 2008, 6:30 pm
Glad to hear it Bunny! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

Reply Gerry Pacher on Feb 22, 2008, 8:49 am
Hi Bunny, many thanks for your feedback! Well, I think this is a tricky situation. Maybe I should switch towards wordpress. However, many thanks for your explenation which is really helpful.

Take care,

Gerry

Reply KBO on Feb 29, 2008, 11:25 am
Can somebody help me out, it tried everthing step by step and I still lost some widgets, even my profile…& it looks really messed up…can u check it out & plz tell me what to do:S I need this for a college homework and I finally got a template I like. SOS:S

Reply David on Feb 29, 2008, 9:29 pm
Hi KBO, I’d recommend you setup a 2nd blog within your Blogger account for testing. Then if you make mistakes, you can easily revert without losing anything. Did you also back up you existing template before making changes?

Reply KBO on Mar 2, 2008, 9:22 am
David, just wondering, is it possible that if I send you the two templates codes you or someone else that know how to, could fix this for me…Would be a great help, ‘cos i’ve tried several times, and this codes things it’s kinda confusing…so, i’d appreciate that a lot. Thanks for replyin.=)Have a great day!

Reply Vanessa on Mar 4, 2008, 10:48 am
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.

This is what I get everytime I upload the file. Could it be the file I uploaded it into? Where should the file be downloaded in my computer? My computer chooses zipfile automatically and it goes on my desktop or in my documents

The new template upload is nothing but ???????????? etc. What am I doing wrong David. Its a test blog right now so I can be brutal (smile)I never have success with these downloads.

Reply Jessy on Mar 9, 2008, 1:45 pm
Thanks for the easy explanation on how to save widgets when changing the template! I really appreciate it.

Reply kat on Mar 11, 2008, 11:59 pm
dear david,
i tried and i tried, i follow the instructions here but still i can’t use any of your beautiful templates for my blog…
i’m so tired already…

Pls help me…

Reply Empress Nightshade on Mar 12, 2008, 7:33 pm
This tutorial was excellent and although I had to make adjustments, it really helped. Thanks!

Reply Nicky on Mar 15, 2008, 3:00 am
Edit Template:
Edit the contents of your template. Learn more
We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.

I hope u will reply to this plz…help plzzzz…..

Reply Nicky on Mar 15, 2008, 3:02 am
My blog is showing the below error when i tried to upload or copy pasting the code plz i need ur help

Edit Template
Edit the contents of your template. Learn more
We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.

Reply David on Mar 15, 2008, 10:50 am
Nicky, you must not be copying over the template code correctly. The error message is saying you are missing some pieces of the template. Make sure you highlight and copy everything or just load in the template via the Blogger button.

Reply Bola Oluyemi on Mar 17, 2008, 12:53 am
I got this error msg:We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.
which have been previously reported from comments above.But unfortunately, none of the other templates i tried seems to work.Pls help, ilove some of your template, but can’t seem to get any of them to work on my blog.

Reply min on Mar 20, 2008, 8:44 am
I can’t even install the mush blue template which I downloaded from here.
Plz help..It stated like this after I’d followed the instructions.

We were unable to preview your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.

Reply min on Mar 20, 2008, 8:51 am
I manage to install the template but there’s nothing I can see from my blog. It’s only a white plain page with my blog content.What’s going on actually? plz help.thx.

Reply David on Mar 20, 2008, 11:51 pm
min, since you’re using a template from Jackbook.com, I would ask him for support on his site. I’m not familiar with how his code is written so it could be any number of things. If you try installing the mush blue template from our site again, make sure you select all the code when you are copying and pasting. The error message you’re getting is saying you are missing some parts of the code.

Reply evilbit on Mar 21, 2008, 10:29 am
I don’t have the option to upload from a file, just edit html, but when i try to copy/paste the xml into blogger it comes out with crap formatting… any ideas?

Reply celowe on Mar 26, 2008, 10:46 pm
Hi David,
I noticed there have been a few comments with this same error and i’m sorry to post it again but could you help me figure out how to fix it.

We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.

This is the error I get when I try to download a template. I can get one from another website http://cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com/
about 1/5 of the way down it gives instructions and that has worked for me but for some reason I can’t get others. I promise it’s me, I’m not good with the whole computer world stuff.
Thank you!

Reply Ade on Mar 30, 2008, 6:27 pm
Hello David:

I am trying to apply your wonderful template to my blog but am having difficulties. I followed your directions but continue to get the following 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.
bX-btcv0r
Additional information
blogID: 9000989320739549144
host: http://www.blogger.com
uri: /html

This information will help us to track down your specific problem and fix it! We apologize for the inconvenience.

I wonder if I did not save the template in the correct manner????

Any assitance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Reply Ashley on Apr 2, 2008, 12:17 pm
hello, I’m trying to add the code in step 4 to save the widgets but it will not save. When I click save afterwards it just goes back to warning me my widgets are going to be deleted, it doesn’t say “Your changes have been saved: view blog”. any ideas as to what I’m doing wrong? Thank you.

Reply blueash on Apr 14, 2008, 3:43 am
hi!!! i cant download the template. it says in a red color when i paste & save the template:

“Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.”

How will i put the WP Polaroid Blogger Template?

Please response

Thank You

God Bless

Reply David on Apr 14, 2008, 7:50 am
@blueash, make sure you copy and paste all the code. That message means you’re missing part of the code.

Reply Angie Hurst on Apr 15, 2008, 5:06 am
It took a while… but I got it and still have all my MANY widgets!! Thanks!

Reply Ante on Apr 23, 2008, 11:54 am
I’m sorry. I see you have answered this question a thousand times already, but I still don’t understand how I can fix the problem. I also got the error; Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: Content is not allowed in prolog.

And I still don’t understand how to fix it. I would be really glad if you would try to help me. Do I miss something? I use the new Blogger, but I have actually no idea what a XML are at all.

Thanks!

Reply Ante on Apr 23, 2008, 12:08 pm
And also, when I try to add the new template, the whole code looks like squares and Chineese-signs or something.

Reply pinkunoneko on Apr 24, 2008, 6:27 pm
thank you so much….really appreciate ur effort of sharing..changes my template n managed to do it right..with ur easy-to-comprehend instructions..tq tq tq..keep up the good work!!

Reply syazana on Apr 25, 2008, 9:18 pm
omg, THANK YOU!

Reply favago on Jun 19, 2008, 7:34 am
Hi,

how can you upload a template, if there is no upload button there. I go to the edit html page, but I only can edit the html code, so the whole “browse and upload templates” are missing. How is that possible (I’ve got a new blogger account)? If I change the html code to the new one, only some parts of the template get “uploaded”.
I want to host it via webhost, so should I upload it to the ftp directory?

Thanks for the help!

Reply mayjah on Jun 25, 2008, 11:10 pm
To those of you that were having the “Your template could not be parsed” error, make sure you “extract” the zipped file, don’t try to upload the zipped file still zipped. Open the zipped file and you’ll see an option to ‘extract file’ and save the .xml file. Then upload THAT. I finally got that straightened out, phew!

Reply Anna on Jun 30, 2008, 4:18 pm
Hey Guys,
I have had the repeated “Content is not allowed in Prolog” problem. In fact, I had the problem all day today and kept trying to do everything I could in order to fix it. I had been downloading templates from Pyzam.com and I began to assume that all of their templates must have been designed wrong. After a whole lot of messing around it really did make sense that the real problem lay in the widgets.

I don’t even know exactly what I did but I promise that if you keep messing with it you will finally get it.

First of all, to use an XML template, you will need to be using the new blogger format, which you can make sure you have on by going to “Customize Design” and clicking on the upgrade button.

After I did this, I copied the XML of the new template directly into the HTML box. Before I had been getting prolog issues or repeated ID number issues in case I wanted to report the issue to Blogger.

To solve the problem I would try:

1.) Unchecking the “Expand Widget Templates” box.

2.) If this does not work click on “Revert widget templates to default” and then retry with unchecking and checking the “Expand Widget Templates” box.

I can’t guarantee this will work, but what I mainly want to let you guys know is that there is hope for those who are having xml prolog issues. I doubt its as much the templates as it is the settings on the layout. If it doesn’t work just keep messing with it!

Good luck! - Anna

Reply lgodbey on Jul 1, 2008, 6:58 pm
This was the exact tutorial I needed to make the transition to a new template. Thanks so much for posting it!

Reply prabu on Jul 2, 2008, 10:23 am
hi i am getting following error when i try to upload the new XML code to my blog.

“More than one widget was found with id: LinkList1. Widget IDs should be unique.”

help me to solve this….

Reply logzel7ya on Jul 6, 2008, 1:44 pm
when i change my old tamlates only new posts appear on it , but the old posts appear on old tamplate what can i do ????

Reply Elizabeth McCoy on Jul 21, 2008, 7:49 am
WHAT AN AWESOME tutorial!!!! I have a good understanding of computer using but definitely NO progamming knowledge. This was fantastic I was able change my template and not loose my widgets easily and quickly too.

THANKS!!!

Reply Mutant on Jul 22, 2008, 5:13 pm
Mr.David, my blog does not look like the screenshot in step#1.
It look likes this:
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/5668/blogel1.jpg
Can you please help me?

Reply nadiah on Jul 25, 2008, 12:42 pm
hi david, i have the same problem with other bloggers in pasting a new template. i get this message ;

Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.

i tried to paste again and again, as in your reply to other comment up there, saying that may be i missed some part of the script. But, it turn with the same error. please help me, u may reply to my email

Reply sherry on Jul 26, 2008, 11:08 am
hi david..
m trying to apply your lovely template to my blog but m getting this error..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The XML page cannot be displayed
Cannot view XML input using style sheet. Please correct the error and then click the Refresh button, or try again later.

——————————————————————————–

The server did not understand the request, or the request was invalid. Error processing resource ‘http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtm…

Reply Grannos on Jul 30, 2008, 12:12 pm
i have tried 20 templates and non of them works. not even one!!!

i simply dont know what to do with that. i try to preview the template and theis is what i get every single time:

“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.

bX-cxyu7t
Additional information
blogID: 7664819276438294253
host: http://www.blogger.com
uri: /html”

Does anyone have any idea what to do?! i use bolgger and as i said, not even one template works!!!

pleas help!

Reply Grannos on Jul 30, 2008, 1:42 pm
i figured out what thw problem was!

as the default internet browser i used mozilla and that whas th problem. i uploaded several templates with IE and they work.

Reply Erica on Aug 6, 2008, 9:10 pm
Thank you for these instructions! I finally understand this, but I am still having a problem with step 4. After I have added the new code and save the template I do not get the “changes have been saved view blog” it just goes back to the “widgets are about to be deleted” can you help???

Reply suzanne on Sep 3, 2008, 6:16 am
i am trying this template out on a blank blog (didn’t want to mess to much with my existing blog - i have actually deleted almost all widgets on existing blog in preparation of swithing to different template) … anyhow, even though i am trying to upload the polaroid template to essentially a blank, btand new blog - i get that XML error message. hoping you can help me figure out the problem. I like this template as well as the Neo template, but it happens with both of them …

Reply tyo on Sep 9, 2008, 3:26 pm
thanks for the article,….that’s help me as a new blagger,…

Reply Mandii on Sep 12, 2008, 9:24 am
Thank you so much for this! It was very clear and helpful, unlike so many of the “help” articles out there for this sort of thing.

Reply Plaz on Sep 15, 2008, 5:45 am
Ok fellas, Thanks to Grannos.

For those getting Any errors at all, before you do anything, TRY TO USE IE.

Yes, USE IE.

I am getting all kind of errors and stuff using Firefox, but i switch to IE …i got it in 1 go.

Switch to IE !

Reply uday11 on Sep 22, 2008, 1:57 am
thax man, it workedddd…………. yupppppppppppp

Reply Clement on Oct 25, 2008, 9:02 pm
Yo… Grannos and other fellas

I have used IE but still error happened after I click “Confirm and Save”

Any tips and tricks? Few months ago I upload XML with no problems. Please help coz this template awesome and I’m going to use it for Youth Fellowship Blog http://gyspemudasunter.blogspot.com

Reply Hui2 on Nov 19, 2008, 8:34 am
thanks a lot for the great advice!
saved me loads of work!!!!!

Reply Congkak on Dec 2, 2008, 12:04 am
After trying to upload xml templates using both Firefox and IE, I managed to upload using Safari.

Try it.

Reply viznine on Dec 6, 2008, 7:10 am
Thanks dude. Your template so awesome.

Reply Jenny Fletcher on Dec 13, 2008, 9:12 am
I saved my old layout as you suggested but you DON’T say to expand the widgets first.

Now, I got all the way through, and could display with the new template, but there is nothing in any of the widgets although the placeholders are there.

When I reverted to my saved layout, there was just the same problem. Widget placeholders, no widget content. (see the blog now)

It is going to take me hours to put them all back.

Also, when I finished, I had lost the top Blogger control bar, although it shows in the page layout for this blog if I access my dashboard via one of my other blogs like http://angrybutton.blogspot.com.

If you need to expand widgets before saving your original layout, PLEASE amend your install instructions and make this clear, to save other people all this grief.

Reply Navjeet Singh on Jan 1, 2009, 5:12 am
hi, I tried to do it but I received this.

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.

bX-9ls7v4
Additional information
blogID: 6872031759079357530
host: http://www.blogger.com
uri: /html

This information will help us to track down your specific problem and fix it! We apologize for the inconvenience.
Find help

See if anyone else is having the same problem: Search the Blogger Help Group for bX-9ls7v4
If you don’t get any results for that search, you can start a new topic. Please make sure to mention bX-9ls7v4 in your message.

I tried it 5 times but didn’t got succees.

Reply mikecampbell on Jan 3, 2009, 9:12 am
Hello David,
I thought this would help your readers. I was also having problems with this error message. Four hours latter I figured it out.
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again. Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: The document type declaration for root element type “html” must end with ‘>’.

When downloading the template it is saved in a zip folder… you have to unzip (extract the files) the folder and save the file… It will read xml. then you can upload or cut and paste. For some reason you can not even cut and paste from the zip folder eventhough you see the code. You must extract the files first.

Reply Robinseo on Jan 26, 2009, 1:56 pm
Hi David,

When hosting the blogger account on your own hotsing the template doesn’t allow posting.

Do you know why?

Reply Hamzah on Jan 27, 2009, 11:54 pm
Hi all…
It’s nice
what’s all about
I like this one!
@David@ well done.

Reply webgadgetreview on Feb 14, 2009, 5:23 am
Hello

I am trying to upload the problogger template, but I get this error:
We were unable to save your template
Please correct the error below and submit your template again.
The new widget id “Recent-Posts-Widget1″ is invalid for type: Feed

Any ideas?
Thanks

Reply pouisonus on Feb 15, 2009, 10:24 am
I cannot install and save any of your templates for blogger. I keep getting that stupid error. What do you reckon for me???

It is all good work here. Thank you.

my website is htpp://www.memzlearning.com

Reply safizie on Feb 19, 2009, 7:14 am
DEar Sirs,

I’m really in love with this template. BUt am not able to download it. THis error keeps on coming

The new widget id “Header” is invalid for type: HTML

Reply blurry on Feb 20, 2009, 10:32 pm
Yes David, i am having the same error like safizie here :

The new widget id “Header” is invalid for type: HTML

Reply popisdead on Feb 25, 2009, 8:47 am
Hi all, i need help to use the template.
If anybody willing to help me, please add my skype:popisdeadfx

+im willing to pay small fees.

pop

Reply Varun on Feb 26, 2009, 10:48 am
Hello,

I am having a problem while saving the template, it shows an error (Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The content of elements must consist of well-formed character data or markup.). Please help me out of this.

Thanks

Reply brp002 on Feb 28, 2009, 1:50 pm
Hey david is it possible to install this template for a wordpress on my personal website? Really like the theme but its not like all the other websites

Reply David on Mar 1, 2009, 4:00 pm
@brp002, this template only works with Blogger.

Reply Don on Mar 12, 2009, 10:44 am
sir i try to install an profession web template from ourblogtemplates.com,i deleted all the page elements but still receiving an error…what should i do…i really like that template…

Reply Jenny Fletcher on Mar 12, 2009, 12:54 pm
Referring you back to my question about widgets from December 13th that was not answered.

I tried again, expanding widgets first and it still didn’t work.

what could be the problem?

Reply Techkran on Mar 13, 2009, 4:46 am
Wonderful David.How to upload new Blogger Templates

Reply Techkran on Mar 13, 2009, 4:47 am
You can see this simple tutorial alsoTechkran

Reply Tracie on Mar 23, 2009, 4:40 pm
Hi David,

I just bought and downloaded your premium template and love it! However, when I am in the layout/page elements section and I try to edit any of the widgets on the right sidebar column, it opens up the edit dialog box, but they are all blank. How do I fix this? Thanks.

Reply David on Mar 24, 2009, 11:03 pm
@Tracie, are they all blank or just the recent comments and posts widgets? I posted a comment on the lifestyle and church template pages which explain how to fix this.

Tracie on Mar 25, 2009, 10:27 am
Yes, they are all blank. Not just the “recent posts” and “recent comments” section. The video section is blank as well, all the widgets on the right sidebar are blank. Please help.

Reply Tracie on Mar 23, 2009, 6:11 pm
Hi David,

It’s Tracie again. Is there any way to make the entire template smaller like around 760px or 800 pixels wide instead of 960px, so the background shows more and the whole site looks smaller? While i am looking at the template, it just seems so wide. Thanks.

Reply David on Mar 24, 2009, 11:02 pm
@Tracie, you can go into the template code and change the width from 960px to 760px but it will most likely break other components. The template was designed to be this size and it actually looks great on most monitor resolutions. I’m guessing you have a lower monitor res so it’s taking up your whole screen. You should check it out on someone else’s computer and see how it looks there.

Reply Tracie on Mar 25, 2009, 10:23 am
Hi David,

Thanks for the quick reply. My screen resolution is set at 1024 x 768 and it still seems to take up the whole screen, but I will check it from another computer and see.

Also, I understand how to change the 960 to 768 in the code, but wasn’t sure what to set the other components at. Any ideas?

Reply Tracie on Mar 25, 2009, 10:25 am
One last question.

When I try to move the sidebar widgets such as “recent posts”, recent comments to below the “blog post” section - the header or style of the widget disappears and it shows up as just text without the header. What do I need to do to move the widgets to appear exactly as they do, but under the blog posts? Thanks.

Reply Logan on Apr 5, 2009, 11:13 am
David,

On Step #4 where you copy the saved widget code into the new template….. when I go to save it I get the error

Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
More than one widget was found with id: BlogArchive1. Widget IDs should be unique.

I’ve done everything before that correct but I always get this same error.

Reply Michael on Apr 18, 2009, 4:05 am
I’m trying to install the Red Stamp template:

http://www.eblogtemplates.com/red-stamp-blogger/ ,

and I keep getting the following error message:

” The new widget id “Recent-Posts-Widget1″ is invalid for type: Feed “.

Seems many people are getting this same error and responded in that template’s comment field with zero solution. Please help!

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Labels: BLing Out Your Blog

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Friday, May 1, 2009

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The Pixelstick

A Note with Fixes from Wilna

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Uploading Your Banner

Making a banner in Photoshop

Blogger Backgrounds in Photoshop

Lesson 2 - Templates

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How to Install a Blogger XML Template

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