Easiest Blogger Hacks: 3-Column Template, Favicon, Label Cloud, and Navigation Bar

I added new photos and updated my recipe for sweet corn tomalitos in case you missed it the first time around.



More importantly, do you like the redesign? I finally, finally found a hack that made it easy for a non-techie like me to figure out.

I've Googled and tried various hacks, only to screw up my format and revert back to the original. The lovely Amy of Nook and Pantry sent me several links that she used in her redesign. I tried multiple times and only succeeded in screwing my format yet again.

I was resigned. I could live with a 2-column format, but what I really wanted was to install a navigation bar below my header. Thanks to Julian of The Beginner's Blogging Guide, I was able to convert my basic Blogger Minima to a 3-column format, install a tabbed navigation bar, and install a favicon.



Seriously, the easiest Blogger hack ever. It's just a matter of cutting and pasting. Julian explained how it works, what section of code to look for, and what code to paste in its place. Once I finished cutting and pasting from his directions, it automatically created the extra column in my Layout's "Page Elements" and I was able to drag sections around. Then, since he explained how the code works, I was able to tweak the sizes of each column. So if you're interested, please check out his Blogger 3-column Minima Layout.

After I did that, I guess it released the "lock" on my "Page Elements." I was able to drag stuff up to the top of the page, below the header and have it centered over the main body and side columns. So it was easy enough to create an HMTL/Javascript and link up my categories, separated by | to create a "tabbed" navigation bar.

For non-techies, this is how I did it. After creating 3 columns per Julian's directions, go into Blogger's Layout "Page Elements." Click "Add a Gadget" and choose HTML/Javascript. Type in what word you'd like for your "tab" such as RECIPES. Then create a link for it like so: RECIPES. Then separate with the heavy colon | and create another "tab": RESTAURANTS. In a row, the categories look like a "tabbed" navigation bar: RECIPES|RESTAURANTS| and so on and so forth.

If you look at the top by the URL, you now see a favicon of the little fish face from my chopsticks holder. Favicons, or favorite icons, help to personalize your blog. It's quick and easy to generate an icon with Favicon.cc, but no other site would explain how I was supposed to upload and store it on the internet. I tried just uploading it to photos but that didn't work. Again, Julian's directions for How to Add Favicon to Your Blogger Blog made it so easy. Just one clarification though. He suggested using Google Page Creator, but it doesn't allow new sign-ups so I was redirected to Google Sites. Create a site, with Google it's all linked up. Upload the favicon you just created. Then click on it to get a URL that ends with .ico. Then go into "Layout" and "Edit HTML" and follow the directions given in "Custom Favicons Disabled in Blogger - A Fix."

And since I'm on this tangent of easy hacks, last fall, tipped off by Oanh of Halfway Between Ca Mau and Sai Gon, I found Phydeaux's hack for Code for New Blogger Tag Cloud/Label Cloud. It's also a matter of cutting and pasting. Easy enough that each time I screwed up my format, I quickly and easily re-installed my label cloud.

So there you go folks. The easiest Blogger hacks I could find online to customize your blog. Hope this is as useful for you as it was for me.

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1 year ago today, Cuban Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken.