Fading Box With Newer/Older Posts Links and Titles for Blogger

16.41 0
The navigation links are those that appear at the bottom of the page that says "Older Posts", "Newer Posts" and "Home" and help us to move through the blog posts. This tutorial will show you how to change the word "Older Posts" and "Newer Posts" for post titles and make these to appear in a box "fading" when you scroll down the page.
blogger gadgets, navigation for blogger

You can see it in action on this demo blog - when you scroll down, the navigation links will appear showing the post titles for the older/newer entries.

This way to display the navigation links will be seen only in individual entries, while those on the homepage and other parts of the blog will still be displayed as usual.

How to Add Navigation Box with Newer & Older Posts on Blogger

Step 1. From your Blogger Dashboard, go to Template > Edit HTML, click anywhere inside the code area and search - using CTRL + F - for this line:

<b:include name='nextprev'/>

Screenshot:

Step 2. REPLACE the code above with this one:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>
<b:include name='nextprev'/>
</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;item&quot;'>
<div id='blog-pager-box'>
<h4>Other posts published:</h4>
<b:include name='nextprev'/>
</div>
</b:if>

Note: you can change the "Other posts published" title with your own

Step 3. Now add just above </head> the following code:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;item&quot;'>
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script>
// <![CDATA[
$(function() {
$('#blog-pager-box').toggle()
.css({
width: '520px',
height: '150px',
position: 'fixed',
padding: '1em',
bottom: 0,
right: 0,
background: 'url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93GSbikopinvhCLWm_tAxIelUGNtoSZ2sgyMENYvEOxKtisKGO-cPR34dUghu1tSam-rXw0ivveliR_ieUL8HLi5LEAY51XoFxrgXebm1FVo54lqNu_zn2FCjkEjj0S8ST6kNntAfcOS6/s1600/paper.jpg)'
});

$(window).scroll(function() {
if($(this).scrollTop() > 100) {
$('#blog-pager-box').fadeIn();
} else {
$('#blog-pager-box').fadeOut();
}
});
});
$(document).ready(function(){
var newerLink = $("a.blog-pager-newer-link").attr("href");
$("a.blog-pager-newer-link").load(newerLink+" .post-title:first", function() {
var newerLinkTitle = $("a.blog-pager-newer-link:first").text();
$(".blog-pager-newer-link").html("<div>Newer Posts:</div>" + newerLinkTitle);
});
var olderLink = $("a.blog-pager-older-link").attr("href");
$("a.blog-pager-older-link").load(olderLink+" .post-title:first", function() {
var olderLinkTitle = $("a.blog-pager-older-link").text();
$(".blog-pager-older-link").html("<div>Older Posts:</div>" + olderLinkTitle);
});
});
// ]]>
</script>

<style type='text/css'>
<!--
#blog-pager-box {
box-shadow: 0 0 3px #AEAEAE;
z-index:9;
}

#blog-pager-box h4 {
margin:0;
padding:0;
color:#4898B9; /* Widget's title color */
font-size:16px; /* Title font size */
}

#blog-pager-newer-link {float:left;clear:both;line-height:30px;}
#blog-pager-older-link {float:left;clear:both;line-height:30px;}
.home-link {display:none;}
.blog-pager-older-link, .blog-pager-newer-link {
background-color: transparent !important;
background-image: none !important;
border:0 !important;
color: #4B4B4B !important; /* Color of the links */
float: left;
width: 500px;
clear:both;
}

a.blog-pager-older-link:hover, a.blog-pager-newer-link:hover {
text-decoration:none !important;
}
 
a.blog-pager-newer-link:before {
content: url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHlCv1_HNbzkQqT9AKearq-fDzj2-k3Yp6mIKq8rzgcHN-QU8h6Ik1V6Cezz9TCOJb3RssmN46oL5gXtSsoH_g-NM0V1SQIoE85DSn0lG2OFt8dq2H7TtR1rl9SdtTXn64-czDAFRqew/s1600/back.png);
float:left;
}
a.blog-pager-older-link:before {
content: url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2nTTV_x8vOypZShTzFNNWQVPs7eh0a31FoUQmVQ0dYe7grhy7ufGc4YDr5E6efdwiJXTZKu0ZhKQAoThAKXzXdIElOXxGTLX0-1Qy3zZY7JEoqRXEZBuejISEY5HKdd4sVOXX8V6GnI/s1600/forward.png);
float:left;
}
#blog-pager {
width:500px;
background-color: transparent !important;
background-image: none !important;
border:0 !important;
text-align:left;
}
 
#blog-pager div {
color:#0577AB; /* Color for the "Newer Posts" and "Older Posts" text */
font-weight:bold;
margin-bottom: -5px;
}
a#blog-pager div:hover {
text-decoration:none !important;
color:#4898B9; /* Color for the "Newer Posts" and "Older Posts" text */
}
-->
</style>
</b:if>

Note that this gadget uses jQuery, so try to have only one version.


Customization:


- There are three URLs in blue, the first is the paper background image for the box, the other two are the icons that correspond to the arrows. You can replace these with your own.
- In green you can see where to change the text colors.
- The red number is the distance in pixels that activates the gadget, this means that the box will appear when you scroll down the 100px. You can use a higher value if your posts are usually long and therefore the "height" of the scroll is greater.
Step 4. Now, Save the Template and that's it!

You can also change the "Older Posts" and "Newer Posts" links with posts titles or images.

New Blogger Widget: Contact form - Change Style & Install in a Static Page

18.20 0
Just a few days ago, Blogger introduced a new widget. It is about a contact form that you can add to your blog easily. It is very basic, because - at least for now, does not permit incorporating files or send anything other than plain text.

The contact form for Blogger has the following features:
  • Field for the user name
  • Field for email
  • Field for the message (textarea)
  • Submit Button
Screenshot
contact form, blogger gadgets, static page
 The design is simple and the text colors inherit the section where you add it. At the moment, this widget has no configuration options and is not available for dynamic views.

How to Add Contact Form to Blogger

To add it to your blog, just select the Layout tab, then click on Add a gadget in the section you want to show, for example, in the sidebar. Then, select the More gadgets tab and add the Contact Form gadget.


blogger gadgets, blogger widgets, contact form

Styling Contact Form


As the background is transparent, the form will integrate well, aesthetically speaking, but nevertheless it is easy to modify using Style Sheets (CSS) to the appropriate selectors. Here's an example:

/* Contact Form Container */
.contact-form-widget {
width: 500px;
max-width: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 10px;
background: #F8F8F8;
color: #000;
border: 1px solid #C1C1C1;
box-shadow: 0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25);
border-radius: 10px;
}

/* Fields and submit button */
.contact-form-name, .contact-form-email, .contact-form-email-message {
width: 100%;
max-width: 100%;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}

/* Submit button style */
.contact-form-button-submit {
border-color: #C1C1C1;
background: #E3E3E3;
color: #585858;
width: 20%;
max-width: 20%;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}

/* Submit button on mouseover */
.contact-form-button-submit:hover{
background: #4C8EF9;
color: #ffffff;
border: 1px solid #FAFAFA;
}

This is how it will look like after applying the style:
contact form, blogger gadgets, contact form for blogger

To add this style, go to Template > Edit HTML, click on the sideways arrow next to <b:skin>...</b:skin> and paste the code just above ]]></b:skin> (press CTRL + F to find it):


How To Add Contact Form In A Static Page


First step is to add the Contact Form gadget (Layout) and second, to edit the template (Template > Edit HTML) to remove most of the gadget. You have to search for the id "ContactForm", expand the widget by clicking on the black arrow on the left (same with the includable) and then delete the part that I have colored in red (see below):

Part to be removed:

  <b:widget id='ContactForm1' locked='false' title='Contact Form' type='ContactForm'>
    <b:includable id='main'>
  <b:if cond='data:title != &quot;&quot;'>
    <h2 class='title'><data:title/></h2>
  </b:if>
  <div class='contact-form-widget'>
    <div class='form'>
      <form name='contact-form'>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormNameMsg/>
        <br/>
        <input class='contact-form-name' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-name&quot;' name='name' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormEmailMsg/> <span style='font-weight: bolder;'>*</span>
        <br/>
        <input class='contact-form-email' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-email&quot;' name='email' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormMessageMsg/> <span style='font-weight: bolder;'>*</span>
        <br/>
        <textarea class='contact-form-email-message' cols='25' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-email-message&quot;' name='email-message' rows='5'/>
        <p/>
        <input class='contact-form-button contact-form-button-submit' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-submit&quot;' expr:value='data:contactFormSendMsg' type='button'/>
        <p/>
        <div style='text-align: center; max-width: 222px; width: 100%'>
          <p class='contact-form-error-message' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-error-message&quot;'/>
          <p class='contact-form-success-message' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-success-message&quot;'/>
        </div>
      </form>
    </div>
  </div>
  <b:include name='quickedit'/>

</b:includable>
  </b:widget>

After you have saved the template, go to Pages and paste the following code into a new blank page with the title you want:

 <div class='widget ContactForm' id='ContactForm1'>
  <div class='contact-form-widget'>
    <div class='form'>
      <form name='contact-form'>
        <p>Name</p>
        <input class='contact-form-name' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-name' name='name' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p>E-mail *</p>
        <input class='contact-form-email' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-email' name='email' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p>Message *</p>
        <textarea class='contact-form-email-message' cols='25' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-email-message' name='email-message' rows='5'></textarea>
        <input class='contact-form-button contact-form-button-submit' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-submit' type='button' value='Submit'/>
        <p class='contact-form-error-message' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-error-message'></p>
        <p class='contact-form-success-message' id='ContactForm1_contact-form-success-message'></p>
      </form>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Messages will be sent to the same email that you have registered in Blogger.

Here's a demo page where you can test it (it is an account that I don't use, so don't expect reply).
That's it! If you have any questions or comments please post below.

Customize Blogger Contact Form! Part 1

12.06 0

Blogger Contact Forms

So most of you are aware of the recent gadget added to blogger widget directory and that is a small contact form with two input fields for name and Email and a text area for writing the message. We use a complex PHP Form for our contact page but blogger has made it extremely easy for you guys. Ever wondered how to customize this simple form into a professional looking contact form that may give a complete new boost to your overall blog look? Fortunately all MBT readers will be the first to learn this trick today. Plus you will also learn how to add this form anywhere on your blog! I had sometime today so I designed a custom version of this contact form by adding several new CSS3 effects and also added an additional button called "Clear" that will reset and erase the message for your visitors if incase they wish to rewrite a new message. Kindly view the Demo below:

Read more »

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Exams Over! Celebrating Over 58,000 Readers

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What I now believe after reading many success stories is that entrepreneurs are born that way actually, and a good example here is of Pete Cashmore, the mashable-man!

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11 Most Popular Female Bloggers of 2013!

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Popular Female bloggers

Today when the biggest competitor of man out there in industry is woman, even the online earning medium too is equally availed by the powerful ladies who know how to cash their talent. It was once perceived that women lack in technical skills and it was somehow true too when the technical work was all limited to the real world, thanks to the online earning strategies, now the chances to make money online are equally available for both-man and woman.


When it comes to blogging, women are a sound contestant of the race and are generating good revenue with their blogs.


Being a female blogger myself, here are a few inspirational women who are known for their work. All data is latest for 2013 especially.  Have a look!


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10 Underestimated Ways of Making Money Online

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underestimated ways to make moneyMaking money online and earning your livings via your laptop is becoming one of the most popular earning methods. Statistics have shown that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who are cashing their talent by utilizing the online platform, which for sure is a good replacement of any other real world job.





It is interesting to find that when you question people about all the possible online earning strategies available, all you come across is either blogging or freelancing. There are no doubts about the significance of the two; yet, it is to be remembered now that with the spreading awareness among the potential entrepreneurs, the two stated fields are becoming saturated and complicated. If you look forward to build your blog, you need reasons; pretty good to attract your potential readers, as it is, there are more than a billion sites that are running on the same niche as yours. Similarly, now that freelancing is turning into a giant monster, every next person is known as a freelancer which in turn has created a tough competitive freelance market.


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Blogging is more than just about creating an online space for yourself and putting up content there. You have to be the best in order to compete with the best. But even becomes less important when it comes to optimizing your blog for search engines. After all, you want your great content to reach your potential readers, right? Otherwise, what's the point? This is the part where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. In this post, we'll take our beginner readers through the basic SEO process - things they should implement on their own blogs.



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5 most practiced Ways of building Active blog Readership

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So you've taken the first steps into blogging, and have set up a blog (and purchased a hosting or at least a domain hopefully)? Far from the job being done, we are only now getting started. Granted that choosing a blog topic, setting up a blog, buying a custom domain and hosting etc are some of the hardest parts. But that's as far as your decisions go. The next phase is to build upon those decisions. So now that you have started a blog, it is time to start building a readership!



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