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Customizable Related Posts Widget for Blogger

We already posted a few tutorials on how to add related posts widget with thumbnails in Blogger with summaries or only titles, which can be compiled into a single All-In-One Widget with powerful options. This new customizable related posts widget for Blogger integrates all the features we've seen before and more, such as thumbnails (square or round), post dates, excerpts, display only titles / thumbnails.

Now let's see what this related posts blogger widget has to offer.

Adding Customizable Related Posts Widget in Blogger

Log into your Blogger dashboard, go to 'Template' and open template editor by clicking the 'Edit HTML' button below 'Live On Blog' preview.

Next, we're going to use the template search feature, be sure to follow these directions exactly:

1. Place your cursor on the template code.
2. Click once.
3. Press CTRL and F at the same time (PC) or Command and F (Mac).

The search box will open in the upper right corner of the template editor.

Type </head> in the search box, then press ENTER. This will take you to the </head> tag in your template and highlight it in yellow.

Select and copy the entire CSS style below and paste it directly ABOVE the </head> tag:

<style type='text/css'>
.related-posts-container{margin:55px 0px;}.related-posts-container h4{font:20px 'Open Sans', sans-serif;margin-bottom:20px;}.related-posts-container ul,.related-posts-container ul li{list-style: none;margin: 0;padding: 0;}.related-posts-container ul li a{text-transform:capitalize !important;font:bold 13px 'Open Sans', sans-serif;outline: 0;}.related-snippets{margin-top:5px;font:italic 12px 'Open Sans', sans-serif;}.related-posts-1 li{list-style:inside none disc !important;}.related-posts-1 li,.related-posts-2 li{border-top:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.04);padding:0.8em 0 !important;}.related-posts-1 li:first-child,.related-posts-2 li:first-child{border-top:medium none;}li.related-post-item{margin:0 3% 3% 0 !important;width:22.7%;float:left;list-style:none;position:relative;}li.related-post-item:last-child{margin:0 0 2% !important;}.related-thumb-large{width:100%;height:auto;border:none;margin:0px auto 10px;padding:0 !important;}.related-posts-8 li .related-title,.related-posts-9 li .related-title,.related-posts-9 li .related-snippets{padding-left:74px;}.related-posts-8 li:nth-child(even),.related-posts-9 li:nth-child(even){margin:0 0 4% !important;}.related-posts-8 li,.related-posts-9 li{background-color:#ffffff;box-shadow:0 0 4px rgba(180, 180, 180, 0.55);width:42% !important;float:left;margin:0 4% 4% 0 !important;padding:3% !important;}.related-thumb{float:left;height:64px;margin-right:10px;object-fit:cover;width:64px;}.related-posts-6 li,.related-posts-6 a{line-height:0 !important;}.related-posts-6 .related-thumb-large{margin-bottom:0;}.related-posts-7 li.related-post-item{margin:0 !important;width:25% !important;}.related-wrapper{position:absolute;left:0px;right:0;top:0px;bottom:0;margin:0 auto;z-index:4;background:rgba(77,77,77,0.2);}.related-wrapper-inner{position:relative;height:100%;z-index:99;width:100%;display:table;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;-moz-box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-box-sizing:border-box;box-sizing:border-box;}.related-wrapper .related-title{vertical-align:middle;display:table-cell;color:#ffffff;font:bold 16px 'Open Sans', sans-serif;padding:0 20px;}.related-date{margin-top:5px;font:italic 11px 'Open Sans', sans-serif;color:#999999;}
</style>

Next, we need to add the script - search for the following line:

<b:includable id='postQuickEdit' var='post'>

Once you found it, click the small arrow not beside it but with one level above to expand code and scroll down until you see </b:includable> - right below this tag, you should see the line including the "postQuickEdit" id.

See the screenshot for more help:

Just ABOVE the </b:includable> tag, add the following script:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
<div class='related-posts-container' id='related-posts-widget'/>
<div style='clear: both;'/>
<script type='text/javascript'>
var labelArray = [<b:if cond='data:post.labels'><b:loop values='data:post.labels' var='label'>"<data:label.name/>"<b:if cond='data:label.isLast != "true"'>,</b:if></b:loop></b:if>];
var relatedSettings = {
blogURL:"<data:blog.homepageUrl/>",
relatedHeading:"<h4><span>Related Posts</span></h4>",
relatedPosts:4,
relatedStyle:4,
thumbnailSize:"w300-h200-p-nu",
defaultThumb:"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiTFnZTMtj2iwor13WUZxN4j0Qy44_02CtztPDWtO5Vs4K0jGo3QRW6DwXjGoOFlddCt8yxQx2ExTUW0zR2C5YICcKYM-ODP_bXvm78G8irG5nEHz-Tepw0Jz7i-LpojArfS4NZmQJKmL/300-h200-c/no-thumb.png",
roundThumbs:false,
titleLength:"auto",
snippetLength:45,
centerText:false,
openNewTab:false
};</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
var randomRelatedIndex,startRelated;!function(a,b,c){var d={callBack:function(){}};for(var e in relatedSettings)d[e]="undefined"==relatedSettings[e]?d[e]:relatedSettings[e];var f=function(a){var d=b.createElement("script");d.type="text/javascript",d.src=a,c.appendChild(d)},g=function(a,b){return Math.floor(Math.random()*(b-a+1))+a},h=function(a){var c,d,b=a.length;if(0===b)return!1;for(;--b;)c=Math.floor(Math.random()*(b+1)),d=a[b],a[b]=a[c],a[c]=d;return a},i="object"==typeof labelArray&&labelArray.length>0?"/-/"+h(labelArray)[0]:"",j=function(a){var b=a.feed.openSearch$totalResults.$t-d.relatedPosts,c=g(1,b>0?b:1);f(d.blogURL.replace(/\/$/,"")+"/feeds/posts/summary"+i+"?alt=json-in-script&orderby=updated&start-index="+c+"&max-results="+d.relatedPosts+"&callback=startRelated")},k=function(a){var l,m,n,o,p,q,b=document.getElementById("related-posts-widget"),c=h(a.feed.entry),e=d.relatedStyle,f=d.relatedHeading+'<ul class="related-posts-'+e+'">',g=d.openNewTab?' target="_blank"':"",i=d.centerText?"text-align:center;":"",j=d.roundThumbs?"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;":"",k='<span style="display:block;clear:both;"></span>';if(b){for(var r=0;r<d.relatedPosts&&r!=c.length;r++){n=c[r].title.$t,o="auto"!==d.titleLength&&d.titleLength<n.length?n.substring(0,d.titleLength)+"…":n,p="media$thumbnail"in c[r]&&d.thumbnailSize!==!1?c[r].media$thumbnail.url.replace(/\/s[0-9]+(\-c)?/,"/"+d.thumbnailSize):d.defaultThumb,l=h(c[r].published.$t);for(var s=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12],t=["January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],u=l.split("-")[2].substring(0,2),v=l.split("-")[1],w=l.split("-")[0],x=0;x<s.length;x++)if(parseInt(v)==s[x]){v=t[x];break}postdate=v+" "+u+" "+w,q="summary"in c[r]&&d.snippetLength>0?c[r].summary.$t.replace(/<br ?\/?>/g," ").replace(/<.*?>/g,"").replace(/[<>]/g,"").substring(0,d.snippetLength)+"…":"";for(var y=0,z=c[r].link.length;y<z;y++)m="alternate"==c[r].link[y].rel?c[r].link[y].href:"#";1==e?f+='<li><a href="'+m+'" '+g+">"+o+"</a></li>":2==e?f+='<li><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><div class="related-title">'+o+'</div></a><div class="related-snippets">'+q+"</div></li>":3==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item" style="'+i+'"><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb-large" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-title">'+o+'</div></a><div class="related-snippets">'+q+"</div></li>":4==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item" style="'+i+'"><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb-large" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-title">'+o+'</div></a><div class="related-date">'+postdate+"</div></li>":5==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item" style="'+i+'"><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb-large" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-title">'+o+"</div></a></li>":6==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item"><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb-large" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-wrapper" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-wrapper-inner"><div class="related-title">'+o+"</div></div></div></a></li>":7==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item"><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb-large" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"></a></li>':8==e?f+='<li class="related-post-item"><a class="related-post-item-wrapper" href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-title">'+o+'</div></a><div class="related-date">'+postdate+"</div></li>":9==e&&(f+='<li><a href="'+m+'" '+g+'><img alt="" class="related-thumb" src="'+p+'" style="'+j+'"><div class="related-title">'+o+'</div></a><div class="related-snippets">'+q+"</div></li>")}b.innerHTML=f+="</ul>"+k,d.callBack()}};randomRelatedIndex=j,startRelated=k,f(d.blogURL.replace(/\/$/,"")+"/feeds/posts/summary"+i+"?alt=json-in-script&orderby=updated&max-results=0&callback=randomRelatedIndex")}(window,document,document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0]);
//]]>
</script>
</b:if>

How to Customize the Related Posts Widget for Blogger?

To change the 'Related Posts' text that appears above the widget, modify the text in red:

relatedHeading: "<h4><span>Related Posts</span></h4>",

To change the number of posts to display, change the '4' value from this line:

relatedPosts: 4,

Note: you may need to change the percentages in the CSS styles above in order to make posts fit the related container. Just follow the values in red and play with them until you get the best results.

To change the style of the related posts widget, modify the '4' value from:

relatedStyle: 4,

Available Related Posts Styles

simple related posts widget that will show post titles only
display post titles and snippets
display post thumbnails, titles and snippets
display related posts thumbnails, titles and post date (shows by default)
display related posts thumbnails and titles
post titles in front of thumbnails, instead of having them below the thumbnail
display thumbnails only
small thumbnail with titles on the right and date below
small thumbnails with post titles and excerpts on the right

Customizing the Related Post Thumbnail Size & Style

By default, thumbnails are resized and cropped automatically to be 300px wide by 200px tall. If you want to change the width and height of the thumbnails, modify the '300' and '200' values from:

thumbnailSize: "w300-h200-p-nu",
defaultThumb: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiTFnZTMtj2iwor13WUZxN4j0Qy44_02CtztPDWtO5Vs4K0jGo3QRW6DwXjGoOFlddCt8yxQx2ExTUW0zR2C5YICcKYM-ODP_bXvm78G8irG5nEHz-Tepw0Jz7i-LpojArfS4NZmQJKmL/300-h200-c/no-thumb.png",

Note: 'w' comes from width, 'h' comes from height. To make the thumbnails square, change the 'h' (height) value and make it equal with 'w' (width) value. A higher value will result in more high-res images.

If you want thumbnails have rounded corners, change 'false' with 'true':

roundThumbs:false,

Customizing Related Titles & Excerpts

To shorten the post title, change auto with the number of characters to show:

titleLength: "auto",

To reduce or add more characters to the snippets, change the "45" value:

snippetLength: 45,

If you want to center text (title and summary), change 'false' to 'true':

centerText:false,

To open links in a new tab when visitors click on a related post, change "false" to "true":

openNewTab: false

Once you're done with the settings, click the 'Save Template' button and now you can see the related posts widget live on your Blogger blog.

Final words

That's it! With the new customizable Related Posts widget for Blogger you will be able to add unique features to the related content section of your blog. However, all of these styles look and work slightly different, so take your time, and pick your favorite.

Automatic Featured Posts Slider Widget for Blogger

Anyone with a blog wants readers to stay rather than move on to another. It's not being selfish but after someone has read one post, you'd definitely want them to read another, right? After all, isn't it one of the tenets of SEO to make people stay longer on your blog if it has to have a fighting chance at the rankings game?

The question now is: how exactly do you entice them to read a few more of your blog posts?

First off, you don't know exactly what brought a reader to your site. Well, you sort of do, if you have Google Analytics and all that. But that's beside the point. It wouldn't be productive for you to stare at GA the entire day hoping that it will tell you that yes, someone has been perusing your blog.

The point being driven at here is that you have to offer more on your blog. It's not enough that you get traffic from search engines and other sites; you also have to add some extras that will entice visitors to stay longer.

How exactly do you do that?

The Tactics of Persuading Users to Stay

Bloggers have employed a variety of tactics to persuade readers to stay. For one, they load the sidebar with widgets for Popular Posts, for example. Of course, it would be in the interest of your readers to know which other posts on your blog are gaining traction. Maybe those pieces are of interest to them as well. As a result, you've got one surefire way of making readers stay.

Now, what if you want to highlight Featured Posts, for example? Let's say that your blog has been around for a number of years and in that span, it has produced some great content that received quite the number of shares, likes, +1s, comments on so on. Wouldn't that be the kind of post you want featured? Unless your reader was looking for that topic specifically, there's little chance that they might uncover that gem if you don't bring it to their attention.

Thankfully, it's quite possible to add a Featured Posts slider for Blogger. And if you don't know how to make one yourself, this is exactly what this post is for. Here's an awesome Featured Posts slider widget that you can use on your blog.

Demo

How to Add Featured Posts Slider Widget in Blogger

1. Go to 'Layout' > click the 'Add a gadget' link in the sidebar area and select 'HTML/JavaScript' gadget from the pop-up window.

2. Add the code below inside the empty box:

<style type="text/css">
ul.featured-widget-list,ul.featured-widget-list li{margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none;position:relative }ul.featured-widget-list li{display:none}ul.featured-widget-list li:nth-child(1){display:block;line-height:0}ul.featured-widget-list img{border:0;width:100%;height:auto}ul.featured-widget-list .featuredbg{width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;z-index:2;left:0;top:0;opacity:.6;background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZAl7KUgtY-2QVLTTp7aLhfraR_ntvTWWaBWtENj6gfUl8wL5ZnzYdo66JiPMCZtE3laqjOXaXlC0ONMcE357af3xolb7xau0f5tp23JGeeGb1aMEzaF1i4WBMbRqKRBb9NI6Nm8pSFw/s400/overlay-bg.png);background-position:0% 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x}ul.featured-widget-list .featuredbg:hover{opacity:.1}ul.featured-widget-list h5{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;text-align:center;bottom:10px;z-index:2;color:#fff;margin:0;text-transform: capitalize;padding:10px 20px;line-height:1.9em;letter-spacing:0.3px;font: 600 16px 'Abel', sans-serif;overflow:hidden}ul.featured-widget-list li:hover h5{bottom:30px}ul.featured-widget-list .featured-meta{font: 11px 'Abel', sans-serif;letter-spacing:0.3px;position:absolute;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;text-align:center;z-index:2;color:#fff;opacity:0}ul.featured-widget-list h5, ul.featured-widget-list .featured-meta {-webkit-transition: all 0.3s;-moz-transition: all 0.3s;-o-transition: all 0.3s;transition: all 0.3s;}ul.featured-widget-list li:hover .featured-meta{bottom:20px;opacity:1}.feat-buttons{position:absolute;top:50%;left:0;z-index:5;width:100%}
.feat-buttons a{text-indent:-9999px;margin:0 7px;width:15px;height:15px;padding:5px;background:#000;-ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=60)";filter: alpha(opacity=60);-moz-opacity:0.6;-khtml-opacity:0.6;opacity:0.6;position:relative;-webkit-border-radius: 50%;-moz-border-radius: 50%;border-radius: 50%;}.feat-prev{float:left;}.feat-next{float:right;}.feat-buttons a.feat-prev::before, .feat-buttons a.feat-next::before{content:"";width:0;height:0;border-width:6px 7px;border-style:solid;border-color:transparent #fff transparent transparent;position:absolute;top:50%;margin-top:-6px;margin-left:-11px;left:50%}
.feat-buttons a.feat-next::before{border-color:transparent transparent transparent #fff;margin-left:-3px}
</style>
<div id="featuredbwidget"></div>
<link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Abel' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.0/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
featuredbwidget({
listURL:"https://helplogger.blogspot.com/",
featuredNum:9,
listbyLabel:false,
feathumbSize:350,
interval:3000,
autoplay:true,
featuredID:"#featuredbwidget"
});
function featuredbwidget(a){(function(e){var h={listURL:"",featuredNum:3,featuredID:"",feathumbSize:300,interval:5000,autoplay:false,loadingFeatured:"nextfeatured",pBlank:"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpcvqIYFqSTSxN3uKnL1CrAGfh-mugoyYFhAf2pXnGDypJfRS7_eIEz0wZr9Gu7tk9TsmpkAFN5gFCp7quyqetoOkW29sw_EJpfQFkYFLv1tSxq9L8GpCN_kKgnW_D4lIcu7gPcjctyo/s500/no-image.png",byMonth:["Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"],listbyLabel:false};h=e.extend({},h,a);var g=e(h.featuredID);var d=h.featuredNum*200;g.html('<div class="featslider"><ul class="featured-widget-list"></ul><div class="feat-buttons"><a href="#" class="feat-prev">Prev</a><a href="#" class="feat-next">Next</a></div></div>');var f=function(w){var q,k,m,u,x,p,t,v,r,l="",s=w.feed.entry;for(var o=0;o<s.length;o++){for(var n=0;n<s[o].link.length;n++){if(s[o].link[n].rel=="alternate"){q=s[o].link[n].href;break}}if("media$thumbnail" in s[o]){u=s[o].media$thumbnail.url.replace(/\/s[0-9]+\-c/g,"/s"+h.feathumbSize+"-c")}else{u=h.pBlank.replace(/\/s[0-9]+(\-c|\/)/,"/s"+h.feathumbSize+"$1")}k=s[o].title.$t;r=s[o].published.$t.substring(0,10);m=s[o].author[0].name.$t;x=r.substring(0,4);p=r.substring(5,7);t=r.substring(8,10);v=h.byMonth[parseInt(p,10)-1];l+='<li><a href="'+q+'"><div class="featuredbg"></div><img class="featuredthumb" src="'+u+'"/><h5>'+k+'</h5></a><div class="featured-meta"><span class="fdate"><span class="fday">'+t+'</span> <span class="fmonth">'+v+'</span> <span class="fyear">'+x+'</span></span> - <span class="fauthor">'+m+"</span></div></li>"}e("ul",g).append(l).addClass(h.loadingFeatured)};var c=function(){e(h.featuredID+" .feat-next").click()};var b=function(){e.get((h.listURL===""?window.location.protocol+"//"+window.location.host:h.listURL)+"/feeds/posts/summary"+(h.listbyLabel===false?"":"/-/"+h.listbyLabel)+"?max-results="+h.featuredNum+"&orderby=published&alt=json-in-script",f,"jsonp");setTimeout(function(){e(h.featuredID+" .feat-prev").click(function(){e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:first").before(e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:last"));return false});e(h.featuredID+" .feat-next").click(function(){e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:last").after(e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:first"));return false});if(h.autoplay){var i=h.interval;var j=setInterval(c,i);e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:first").before(e(h.featuredID+" .featslider li:last"));e(h.featuredID+" .featslider").hover(function(){clearInterval(j)},function(){j=setInterval(c,i)})}e("ul",g).removeClass(h.loadingFeatured)},d)};e(document).ready(b)})(jQuery)};
//]]>
</script>

Automatic Featured Posts Slider Settings

listURL - replace "https://helplogger.blogspot.com/" with your blog URL
featuredNum - add the number of posts to display in the slider
listbyLabel - if you want to display posts by category / label, such as the tag fashion, it will be written as listbyLabel: "fashion"
feathumbSize - the size or dimension of the image in pixels
interval - time taken to change the slides position in milliseconds
autoplay - replace true with false if you don't want the slides to change automatically.

3. Once you are done with the settings, click the 'Save' button.

Now, this code is for a slider widget which means that instead of just a random list of Featured Posts, you get to display them with images (if they have one) and you can include effects too. You can also control how many slides should be shown because it just wouldn't be prudent to feature your entire oeuvre, right?

Plus, being a slider widget, it adds a nice little visual to your site. And we all know how visuals are important in enticing people to stay, don't we?

Building a List/Grid View Switcher in Blogger with Auto Read More

A list of posts in grid or list view provides a more defined canvas with which a blogger or website owner can use as a guide in creating content. This concept has extended to visitors, where they can have control on whether or not they wish to display posts in list or grid view. While custom modification codes are shared by some blogging sites, others are not. Some that are shared, however, can be complex even to bloggers themselves, such as JQuery.

The good news is there are lightweight codes available, including the Auto Read More in Blogger. Through it, a blogger can add two buttons that will enable visitors to switch between grid view and list view, depending on what they prefer. These buttons, however, are only visible on limited pages - homepage, label page and archive page. Nonetheless, it is better than not having this particular feature at all.

Unlike JQuery, the Auto Read More uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript. To view posts in a list view, two sets of CSS codes are added as one. Another set is added to view posts in grid view. Other combination of codes is used to enable easy switch between views, particularly at a click of a button.

Live Demo

How to Add a List/Grid View Switcher in Blogger

Step 1. Log into your Blogger dashboard and select your blog, then go to "Template" > press the "Edit HTML" button.

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and press the CTRL + F keys to open the search box. Type this tag below inside the box and hit Enter to find it:

</head>

Step 3. Just above the </head> tag, copy and paste the following CSS style and scripts:

Step 4. Next, search for the following line:

<b:section class='main' id='main' name='Main' showaddelement='no'>

...in case you can't find it, search for this one instead:

<b:section class='main' id='main' name='Main' showaddelement='yes'>

Step 5. Just above this line, add the following code:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType!= "item"'>
<div id='list-view-button'><a class='grid-view-button' onclick='grid_view()'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6arnu943M_VcYj0XYb1ShqboJP3gzz0wCQU5qIzwyYclwMpdAaqXrclEHNsst2e2-6KdjOvSC5IpXn5m3j_0RGo5LwhVKf6GGX7NctHJmmjj_zfxbMr-VN-S6gPD6oDgwIxY75pucSe55/s1600/search-grid-icon.png' style='margin: -8px 1px -3px -6px;width: 16px;'/> Grid View</a> <a class='list-view-button' onclick='list_view()'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9rvfVO7tNE0YhOTazQ0AZnKuolhZeucnXZMUH7wdeBB6Dyv5LeZx4dRIm8U4TMRIRbwjFZ0Qr_drfk7C5i5oCIWwywcboI4QzqPCP5hvvS4hv68Jcq2JwlcZDTRkAGNM5VfA8hmgBvZR/s1600/icon-list-view.png' style='margin: -8px 1px -3px -6px;width: 16px;'/> List View</a></div>
</b:if></b:if>

Step 6. Now, search the tag below:

<data:post.body/>

Step 7. You will find 3 occurrences of this code... replace only the second and third one with this one below:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
    <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
        <div expr:id='"summary" + data:post.id'>
            <data:post.body/>
        </div>
        <script type='text/javascript'>createSummaryAndThumb("summary<data:post.id/>","<data:post.url/>");</script>
        <b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
            <a class='comment-bubble' expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'>
                <data:post.numComments/>
            </a>
        </b:if>
    </b:if>
</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
    <data:post.body/>
</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "static_page"'>
    <data:post.body/>
</b:if>

Important: if you already added the auto read more script, remove the previous one in order to make this work.

Step 8. Finally, click "Preview" to see if everything looks good and press the 'Save Template' button to save the changes...

That's it!

Adding a dynamic view switcher on a blog will make viewing content a lot easier for visitors. Whether using a list or grid view, a more compressed list of posts will eliminate the need to click on the next page, which could take time if loading takes a while to complete. For a blog archive, using the Auto Read More codes in Blogger will surely make everyone's viewing experience very convenient.

Considering the ease with which the codes can be customized, building a list/grid view switcher would be completed in no time. A real bonus is that Auto Read More works on all platforms, with cross-browser support as well.

How To Set Custom Redirects in Blogger

Over time, most blogs may go through many changes, like posts being added or deleted. In some occasions, you don't want people to get 404 messages when they navigate to posts or pages that don't exist on your blog and instead, make all requests to a specific link to be redirected to another page. One of the best way to avoid broken links and keep your traffic flowing in the right direction is setting custom redirects via the Blogger Custom Redirects tool.

This tutorial will show you how to set custom redirects for Blogger posts and redirect an old URL to a new URL. But before redirecting any URL, you must know that there are two types of redirects:

A 302 redirect means that the page has moved temporarily. This redirect doesn't pass the URL value to the new location and instead, it will take the visitors to an appropriate location so that you aren't showing them a 404 page not found, or an error page. You can use a 302 redirect for coming soon pages or maintenance pages.
A 301 redirect means that a page has moved permanently to a new location. Use the 301 redirect when you deleted or changed the URL of your post. In most instances, the 301 redirects are always recommended for SEO because they will pass link juice (ranking power) to the redirected page and visitors will also benefit from this. However, 301s aren't suitable when you change your custom-domain, because it only supports redirection within the same blog, not to an external URL.

Now that we've established which is which, let's see how to set custom redirects for Blogger posts.

How to redirect old URL to new URL in Blogger

Step 1. Login to you Blogger account with email and password.

Step 2. Click on your blog > go to Settings \ Search Preferences and click "Edit" next to "Custom Redirects."

search preferences, custom redirects, 301, 302 redirect

Step 3. Enter the old URL in the "From" field, and the new URL in the "To" field including the forward slash "/" (see the screenshot below)

custom redirects, redirect old url to new url

Note: Do not enter the full URL in these fields. Just omit the address of your blog and type only the rest of the link. Again, this works only if you wish to redirect within your blogger blog and not to any external links.

Step 4. Click the "Save" link (1) and the "Save changes" button (2), and you're done!

If you want to redirect more pages, just click the "New redirect" button. Also, you can check out this tutorial to learn how to create a static homepage in Blogger using custom redirects.

Responsive CSS Timeline with 3D Effect for Blogger

Here's another amazing way to display the Blogger posts. By applying the following Responsive CSS Timeline View with 3D Effect on Blogger Posts, we will have a responsive timeline-like structure of our most recent posts with thumbnails, plus some cool CSS effects. When clicking on the associated radio input, the posts snippet/summary will expand by changing their style and size and will rotate in 3D. The main structure of this CSS timeline with 3D effect is an unordered list.

To get an idea of how it looks like, you can visit this demo blog.

responsive CSS timeline, customize blogger posts

How to Add Responsive CSS Timeline View to Blogger Posts

Step 1. Go to Blogger dashboard > "Template" > click on the "Edit HTML" button:

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and press the CTRL + F keys to open the search box:

Step 3. Type or paste the following tag inside the search box and hit Enter to find it:

</head>

Step 4. Just above the </head> tag, copy and paste the following style:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<style type='text/css'>
.post-body img, .post-body .tr-caption-container, .Profile img, .Image img,
.BlogList .item-thumbnail img {padding: 0px; border: 0px;}
.post-footer {display: none;}
.post {margin-bottom: 50px; padding-bottom: 0px; background: none; border: none;}
.jump-link a {display: none;}
h3.post-title a {display: none;}
.date-header {display: none;}
*,
.timeline:after,
.timeline:before {box-sizing: border-box;padding: 0; margin: 0;}
.timeline {position: relative;padding: 30px 0 50px 0;font-family: Arial, sans-serif;}
.timeline:before {content: '';position: absolute;width: 5px;height: 100%;margin:0px;top: 0;left: 200px;background: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAUAAAAFCAYAAACNbyblAAAAJUlEQVQIW2NkQAP/gYARWQwkAOLDBeECjEAAkkEWAKtEFwAJAgAZEBP+oM1IkwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==);}
.event {position: relative;margin-bottom: 80px;padding-right: 40px;}
.thumb {position: absolute; width: 90px; height: 90px;box-shadow:
0 0 0 8px #87939E,
0 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);background-repeat: no-repeat;border-radius: 50%;-webkit-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-moz-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-o-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-ms-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);}
.thumb:before {content: '';background: transparent url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAICAYAAADA+m62AAAAPElEQVQYV2NkQAP/gYARCNDFUQRgirAphitEl0TngxXisg5ZnBGXIpgbYfIYjkb3BNxGbBLYxIgyEaQRAA8KKAWYsZtjAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);position: absolute;height: 8px; z-index: -1; width: 50px;top: 42px; left: 100%;margin-left: 8px;
}
.thumb span {color: #87939E;width: 100%;text-align: center;font-weight: 700;font-size: 15px;text-transform: uppercase;position: absolute;bottom: -30px;}
.event label,.event input[type="radio"] {width: 24px;height: 24px;left: 158px;top: 36px;position: absolute;display: block;}
.event input[type="radio"] {opacity: 0;z-index: 10;cursor: pointer;}
.event label:after{content: "\2713";background: #8995A1;border-radius: 50%;color: #fff;font-size: 20px;height: 100%;width: 100%;font-weight: bold;left: -2px;top: -3px;line-height: 24px;position: absolute;text-align: center;}
.content-perspective { margin-left: 230px;position: relative;perspective: 600px;-webkit-perspective: 600px;-moz-perspective: 600px;-o-perspective: 600px;-ms-perspective: 600px;}
.content-perspective:before { content: ''; width: 34px; left: -44px; top: 48px;position: absolute;height: 1px; z-index: -2;background: #fff;}
.post-content {transform: rotateY(10deg);transform-origin: 0 0;transform-style: preserve-3d;}
.blog-post-body {position: relative;padding: 20px;color: #333; border-left: 5px solid #8995A1;box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);background: #F9F9F9;}
.blog-post-body h3 {border: none;margin: 0px;}
.blog-post-body h3 a{font-size: 21px;padding: 5px 0 5px 0;color: #86919D;margin: 0px;text-decoration: none;border: none;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body h3 a{color: #F26328;}
.blog-post-body p,.thumb span,.event label {-webkit-backface-visibility: hidden;}
.blog-post-body p {font-size: 15px;max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; color: rgba(0,0,0,0);text-align: left;}
.blog-post-body:before {content: '\25c2';font-weight: normal; line-height: 86px; font-size: 86px;position: absolute;color: #8995A1; left: -41px;width: 100%;height: 100%; top: 3px;z-index: -1;}
.thumb,.thumb span,.blog-post-body h3 {transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-webkit-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-moz-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-o-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-ms-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;}
.blog-post-body { transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-webkit-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-moz-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-o-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-ms-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;}
.post-content {transition: transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-webkit-transition: -webkit-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-moz-transition: -moz-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-o-transition: -o-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-ms-transition: -ms-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;}
.blog-post-body p { transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-webkit-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-moz-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-o-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-ms-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked + label:after {content: '\2714';color: #fff;background: #F26328;box-shadow: 0 0 0 5px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective:before {background: #F26328;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body h3 { color: #F26328;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .post-content {transform: rotateY(-5deg);-webkit-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-moz-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-o-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-ms-transform: rotateY(-5deg);}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body {border-color: #F26328;box-shadow: 10px 0px 10px -6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p {max-height: 460px; color: rgba(0,0,0,0.6); transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-webkit-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-moz-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-o-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-ms-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body:before {color: #F26328;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .thumb {transform: scale(1);box-shadow: 0 0 0 8px rgba(242,99,40,1), 0 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.5); -webkit-transform: scale(1);-moz-transform: scale(1);-o-transform: scale(1);-ms-transform: scale(1);}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .thumb span {color: #F26328;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .thumb:before {
background: transparent url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAICAYAAADA+m62AAAAPUlEQVQYV2NkQAOfUjX+882+wYgujiIAU4RNMVwhuiQ6H6wQl3XI4oy4FMHcCJPHcDS6J2A2EqUQpJhohQBbNyaHFmzEqgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==);}
@media screen and (max-width: 850px) {.blog-post-body h3 {font-size: 20px;}
.blog-post-body p { font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; }
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p { max-height: 500px; }}
@media screen and (max-width: 540px) {.timeline:before { left: 50px;}
.event {padding-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 100px; }
.thumb { transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8);-moz-transform: scale(0.8);-o-transform: scale(0.8);-ms-transform: scale(0.8);}
.event input[type="radio"] { width: 100px;height: 100px;left: 0px;top: 0px; }
.thumb:before,.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .thumb:before {background: none;width: 0;}
.event label {display: none;}
.content-perspective {margin-left: 0px;top: 80px;}
.content-perspective:before {height: 0px; }
.post-content { transform: rotateX(-10deg);-webkit-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-moz-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-o-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-ms-transform: rotateX(-10deg);}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .post-content { transform: rotateX(10deg);-webkit-transform: rotateX(10deg);-moz-transform: rotateX(10deg);-o-transform: rotateX(10deg);-ms-transform: rotateX(10deg);}
.blog-post-body {border-left: none;border-top: 5px solid #8995A1;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body {border-color: #F26328;box-shadow: 0 10px 10px -6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);}
.blog-post-body:before {content: '\25b4';left: 33px; top: -32px;}
.event input[type="radio"]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p {max-height:300px; }}
ul.timeline {list-style-type: none;}
</style>
</b:if>
</b:if>

Step 5. Search for the SECOND instance of this code below (hit Enter two times):

<data:post.body/>

Note: depending on the template you are using, you could find more lines like this one above. Thus, if you don't see any changes after saving the template, try to replace the last one, as well.

Also, please note that if you are using the Read more function, you will need to remove it in order to make it work.

Step 6. After you found <data:post.body/>, replace it this HTML code:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<ul class='timeline'><li class='event'><input checked='checked' name='tl-group' type='radio'/><label/>
<b:if cond='data:post.thumbnailUrl'><img class='thumb' expr:alt='data:post.title' expr:src='data:post.thumbnailUrl'/></b:if><div class='thumb'><b:if cond='data:post.dateHeader'><span><data:post.dateHeader/></span></b:if></div>
<div class='content-perspective'><div class='post-content'><div class='blog-post-body'><h3><b:if cond='data:post.link'><a expr:href='data:post.link'><data:post.title/></a><b:else/><b:if cond='data:post.url'><b:if cond='data:blog.url != data:post.url'><a expr:href='data:post.url'><data:post.title/></a><b:else/><data:post.title/></b:if><b:else/><data:post.title/></b:if></b:if></h3><p><b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'><data:post.snippet/></b:if></b:if></p></div></div></div></li></ul></b:if></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><data:post.body/></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "static_page"'><data:post.body/></b:if>

Step 7. Finally, click on the "Save template" button to save the changes.

Now, we will need to make some small adjustments in order to make the posts date appear correctly:
Go to "Layout" and click on the "Edit" link just below the Blog posts area. When the pop-up window appears, check the date option and choose to display the date in the following order (date/month/year):

Note that you can also hide the posts date by unchecking this option.

Finally, click on the "Save" button and that's it! View your blog and enjoy this Responsive Timeline view with 3D Effect on Blogger posts.

Credit: tympanus.net

Advanced Random posts widget for Blogger with image thumbnails and snippets

When your blog has too many posts, visitors don't always have the time or desire to go through all the posts written there in order to make an idea of the blog's content. Thus, a random posts widget that will allow visitors to find content more easily could be really useful. This tutorial will show you how to add a random posts widget to display a list of posts in a random order with thumbnails and excerpts.

Demo

Adding Random Posts with Thumbnails and Posts Summary on Blogger

Step 1. Login to your blogger account, select your blog and go to "Layout".

Step 2. Add new widget by clicking on the "Add a gadget" link and select "Html/JavaScript" from the popup window.

Step 3. After adding the HTML/JavaScript, copy and paste the following script inside the empty Content box.

<style>
#random-posts img {
    border-radius: 10px;
    float: left;
    margin-right: 5px;
    width: 75px;
    height: 75px;
    background-color: #F5F5F5;
    padding: 3px;
    transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;
}

#random-posts img:hover {
    opacity: 0.6;
}

ul#random-posts {
    list-style-type: none;
    padding: 0px;
}

#random-posts a {
    font-size: 12px;
    text-transform: uppercase;
    padding: 0px auto 5px;
}

#random-posts a:hover {
    text-decoration: none;
}

.random-summary {
    font-size: 11px;
    background: none;
    padding: 5px;
    margin-right: 8px;
}

#random-posts li {
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #EEEEEE;
    padding: 4px;
}
</style>
<ul id='random-posts'>
<script type='text/javaScript'>
var randomposts_number = 5;
var randomposts_chars = 110;
var randomposts_details = 'yes';
var randomposts_comments = 'Comments';
var randomposts_commentsd = 'Comments Disabled';
var randomposts_current = [];
var total_randomposts = 0;
var randomposts_current = new Array(randomposts_number);

function randomposts(json) {
    total_randomposts = json.feed.openSearch$totalResults.$t
}
document.write('<script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"/feeds/posts/default?alt=json-in-script&max-results=0&callback=randomposts\"><\/script>');

function getvalue() {
    for (var i = 0; i < randomposts_number; i++) {
        var found = false;
        var rndValue = get_random();
        for (var j = 0; j < randomposts_current.length; j++) {
            if (randomposts_current[j] == rndValue) {
                found = true;
                break
            }
        };
        if (found) {
            i--
        } else {
            randomposts_current[i] = rndValue
        }
    }
};

function get_random() {
    var ranNum = 1 + Math.round(Math.random() * (total_randomposts - 1));
    return ranNum
};
</script>
<script type='text/javaScript'>
function random_posts(json) {
    for (var i = 0; i < randomposts_number; i++) {
        var entry = json.feed.entry[i];
        var randompoststitle = entry.title.$t;
        if ('content' in entry) {
            var randompostsnippet = entry.content.$t
        } else {
            if ('summary' in entry) {
                var randompostsnippet = entry.summary.$t
            } else {
                var randompostsnippet = "";
            }
        };
        randompostsnippet = randompostsnippet.replace(/<[^>]*>/g, "");
        if (randompostsnippet.length < randomposts_chars) {
            var randomposts_snippet = randompostsnippet
        } else {
            randompostsnippet = randompostsnippet.substring(0, randomposts_chars);
            var whitespace = randompostsnippet.lastIndexOf(" ");
            randomposts_snippet = randompostsnippet.substring(0, whitespace) + "";
        };
        for (var j = 0; j < entry.link.length; j++) {
            if ('thr$total' in entry) {
                var randomposts_commentsnum = entry.thr$total.$t + ' ' + randomposts_comments
            } else {
                randomposts_commentsnum = randomposts_commentsd
            }; if (entry.link[j].rel == 'alternate') {
                var randompostsurl = entry.link[j].href;
                var randomposts_date = entry.published.$t;
                if ('media$thumbnail' in entry) {
                    var randompoststhumb = entry.media$thumbnail.url
                } else {
                    randompoststhumb = "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4q-3LrQT23fYaDDMsalXQMSyfEVXz2ecWuyFsamF6PjyhbBHopuELIQLlGbnjdU1LdNFilC1YuNAPyNmJHTHGIaBJaRxJvO85MhdL-BS-1ENNP5o6P3c57cBBJxSjC9NQvopfwWoOqBU/s1600/no_thumb.png"
                }
            }
        };
        document.write('<li>');
        document.write('<a href="' + randompostsurl + '" rel="nofollow"><img alt="' + randompoststitle + '" src="' + randompoststhumb + '"/></a>');
        document.write('<div><a href="' + randompostsurl + '" rel="nofollow">' + randompoststitle + '</a></div>');
        if (randomposts_details == 'yes') {
            document.write('<span><div class="random-info">' + randomposts_date.substring(8, 10) + '.' + randomposts_date.substring(5, 7) + '.' + randomposts_date.substring(0, 4) + ' - ' + randomposts_commentsnum) + '</div></span>'
        };
        document.write('<br/><div class="random-summary">' + randomposts_snippet + '</div><div style="clear:both"></div></li>')
    }
};
getvalue();
for (var i = 0; i < randomposts_number; i++) {
    document.write('<script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"/feeds/posts/default?alt=json-in-script&start-index=' + randomposts_current[i] + '&max-results=1&callback=random_posts\"><\/script>')
};
</script>
</ul>

Random Posts Options

Thumbnail dimensions: to change the size of the thumbnails in pixels, replace the 75px value.
Summary length: you can control the the length of the summary (in characters) by changing the 110 value from var randomposts_chars=110;
Post info: if you want to hide the post date and comment count change 'yes' from var randomposts_details='yes'; to 'no';
Font Size for Posts Titles and Summary: to modify the font size for the post snippet modify the 11px value and for the posts title, the 12px value;

Click on the "Save" button and View your blog. The sidebar will display a random posts widget on each of your blog pages.

How to Create Magazine Style with Post Summaries and Thumbnails on Blogger

The magazine or newspaper style templates are those that display the posts summaries in the homepage by stacking the columns on top of each other. These kinds of templates are very popular nowadays, and whether it is a news or technology blog, everyone needs a fresh magazine style layout for their blogs.

There are several ways to make posts appear this way. An option would be to use the Read more script to display a summary of the posts and add a conditional tag to add a different style on the first post so that it will have a larger width than the older posts. So, this tutorial will show you how to create a magazine style for a Blogger Template. By following this tutorial, you can make your boring and simple Blogger template have an attractive magazine style layout.

blogger tricks, blogger widgets, blogger templates

To see how it looks, please visit this demo blog.

Adding the Magazine/Newspaper style to a Blogger Template

Step 1. Before proceeding further, please make a backup of your current template to make sure that you won't lose anything important - log into your Blogger Dashboard and go to Template, then click on the Backup/Restore button. After you've got a copy of the xml template, click on the Edit HTML button:

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and search by using CTRL + F keys for this line:

<data:post.body/>

Note: You'll find it more than one time, but stop at the second one in order to see the changes.

Step 3. Remove that line and instead of it add this code:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<span class='post-comment-link'><b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'><b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'><a class='comment-link' expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><data:post.numComments/></a></b:if></b:if></span>
<div expr:id='"summary" + data:post.id'><data:post.body/></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>createSummaryAndThumb("summary<data:post.id/>");</script>
<span class='readmorebutton' style='float:right'><a expr:href='data:post.url'>Read More »</a></span></b:if></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><data:post.body/></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "static_page"'><data:post.body/></b:if>

Note: you can replace the Read More text, by changing the code in red.

Step 4. Now find (CTRL + F) this line:

<b:include data='post' name='post'/>

Step 5. Remove this as well and instead of it add this:

<b:if cond='data:post.isFirstPost'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.homepageUrl == data:blog.url'>
<div id='first'>
<b:if cond='data:post.title'>
<h3 class='post-title entry-title'>
<b:if cond='data:post.link'>
<a expr:href='data:post.link'><data:post.title/></a>
<b:else/>
<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='data:post.url'><data:post.title/></a>
<b:else/>
<data:post.title/>
</b:if>
</b:if>
</h3>
</b:if>
<div class='first-body'>

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<div expr:id='"summary1" + data:post.id'><data:post.body/></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>createSummaryAndThumb1("summary1<data:post.id/>");</script>
<span class='post-comment-link'><b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'><b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'><a class='comment-link' expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><data:post.numComments/></a></b:if></b:if></span>
<span class='readmorebutton' style='float:right'><a expr:href='data:post.url'>Read More »</a></span>
</b:if></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><data:post.body/></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "static_page"'><data:post.body/></b:if>

</div>
</div>
<b:else/>
<b:include data='post' name='post'/>
</b:if>
<b:else/>
<b:include data='post' name='post'/>
</b:if>

Note: you can change the Read More text here also, just replace the code in red with the text that you want to show.

Step 6. Find the </head> tag and paste the following script before/above it:

<script type='text/javascript'>
posts_no_thumb_sum = 290;
posts_thumb_sum = 240;
img_thumb_height = 80;
img_thumb_width = 80;
first_no_thumb_sum = 580;
first_thumb_sum = 450;
img_thumb_height1 = 145;
img_thumb_width1 = 165;
</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
function removeHtmlTag(strx,chop){
if(strx.indexOf("<")!=-1)
{
var s = strx.split("<");
for(var i=0;i<s.length;i++){
if(s[i].indexOf(">")!=-1){
s[i] = s[i].substring(s[i].indexOf(">")+1,s[i].length);
}
}
strx = s.join("");
}
chop = (chop < strx.length-1) ? chop : strx.length-2;
while(strx.charAt(chop-1)!=' ' && strx.indexOf(' ',chop)!=-1) chop++;
strx = strx.substring(0,chop-1);
return strx+'...';
}

function createSummaryAndThumb(pID){
var div = document.getElementById(pID);
var imgtag = "";
var img = div.getElementsByTagName("img");
var summ = posts_no_thumb_sum;
if(img.length>=1) {
imgtag = '<span class="posts-thumb" style="float:left;"><img src="'+img[0].src+'" width="'+img_thumb_width+'px" height="'+img_thumb_height+'px"/></span>';
summ = posts_thumb_sum;
}

var summary = imgtag + '<div class="summary">' + removeHtmlTag(div.innerHTML,summ) + '</div>';
div.innerHTML = summary;
}

function createSummaryAndThumb1(pID){
var div = document.getElementById(pID);
var imgtag = "";
var img = div.getElementsByTagName("img");
var summ = first_no_thumb_sum;
if(img.length>=1) {
imgtag = '<span class="first-post-thumb" style="float:left;"><img src="'+img[0].src+'" width="'+img_thumb_width1+'px" height="'+img_thumb_height1+'px"/></span>';
summ = first_thumb_sum;
}

var summary1 = imgtag + '<div class="summary">' + removeHtmlTag(div.innerHTML,summ) + '</div>';
div.innerHTML = summary1;
}

//]]>
</script>

Step 7. And below the script above add the CSS styles:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>
<style type='text/css'>
.first-post-thumb {
    margin-right: 10px;
}

.summary {
    height: 100%;
}

#first { /* Styles for the First Post Container */
    width: auto;
    height: 250px;
    float: left;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    background-color: #F4F4F4; /* background color for the first post */
    border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; /* border for the first post */}

.first-body { /* Style for the First Post summary */
    color: #545454;
    font-size: 13px;
    text-align: justify;
    padding: 5px 10px;
    line-height: 1.5em;
}

#first h3 a, #first h3 a:visited { /* Style for the First Post Title*/
    border-bottom: 2px solid #DFDFDF;
    color: #515151;
    font-size: 20px;
    display: block;
    margin: 10px auto;
    width: 95%;
    font-size: 20px;
    padding: 0px 0px 4px 0px;
    font-weight: bold;
    text-align: left;
    line-height: 1.4em;
    background: none;
}

#first h3 a:hover { /* Color on mouseover for the First Post Title */
    color: #1061A1;
}

.post { /* Styles for the small posts container */
    float: left;
    margin: 0px 6px 2% 5px;
    width: 46%;
    height: 230px;
    padding: 0px 5px 5px 5px;
    background: #FCFCFC; /* background color for the small posts */
    border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; /* border for the small posts */
    overflow: hidden;
}

.posts-thumb { /* Style for the small posts thumbnails */
    margin-right: 10px;
}

.post-body img, .post-body .tr-caption-container, .Profile img, .Image img, .BlogList .item-thumbnail img {
    background: none;
    border: none;
    box-shadow: none;
    padding: 0;
}

h3.post-title a{ /* Style for the small posts titles */
    font-size: 14px;
    color: #747474;
    text-transform: uppercase;
}

h2.date-header { /* Hide the post date */
    display: none;
}

.post-footer {
    display: none;
}

h3.post-title {
    margin: 0px;
}

.readmorebutton {
    margin-top: 5px;
}

.readmorebutton a { /* Styles for the Read More link */
    color: #767676;
    border: 1px solid #E1E1E1;
    background: #EAEAEA; /* Background color for the Read More link */
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 3px 5px;
    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 11px;
    float: right;
    position: relative;
}

.post-comment-link { /* Style for the comment bubble of posts below */
    position: absolute;
    top: -35px;
    right: -10px;
    display: block;
    border: 1px solid #E1E1E1; /* border for the comment bubble */
    background: #EAEAEA; /* background color for the comment bubble */
    font-size: 11px;
    position: absolute;
}

#first .post-comment-link { /* Style for the comment bubble of first post */
    position: absolute;
    top: 10px;
    right: 0px;
}

.post-comment-link a { /* Link color for the comments bubble*/
    padding: 10px;
    color: #6A6A6A;
    text-decoration: none;
    font-weight: bold;
}

#blog-pager {
    clear: both;
}
</style>
</b:if>
</b:if>

Customizing the Magazine Layout

1. At the beginning of the script from step 6, we have this section:

posts_no_thumb_sum = 290;
posts_thumb_sum = 240;
img_thumb_height = 80;
img_thumb_width = 80;
first_no_thumb_sum = 580;
first_thumb_sum = 450;
img_thumb_height1 = 145;
img_thumb_width1 = 165;

the first number is the number of characters for the small posts when there will be no image available
the 2nd number is the number of characters that will show when the small posts will have an image
the 3rd and the 4th line is for the height and width of the small posts thumbnails (images).
the same goes for what is in blue, but this affects only the first post. Since the first post is wider, it may contain a larger number of characters and we'll be able to make the thumbnail size larger.

2. And finally, we have the CSS styles. That last thing we added is a code that determines how the posts are going to look on the homepage - and archive pages as well, except for the first post.

To change the width and height, respectively the size for the first post container, look for these lines:

width: auto;
height: 250px;

Underneath the first post are the values for the other posts, just look for this part:

width: 46%;
height: 230px;

The width will ocuppy 46% of the main column width and height is set to 230px. Here you may need to experiment a bit with the sizes in order to make them appear correctly.

Finally, set the number of posts to show on the homepage, so that there won't be any empty space. Go to Settings > Posts and comments > Show at most and select the number of posts that you want to appear.

How to Create a Sitemap or Table of Contents in Blogger

One of the limitations of a blog is that it doesn't have an index or sitemap of the site to make it easier for readers to find the content that they are searching for. While the blog archive and labels have all the information about the published post, these do not appear on a single page completely, so searching for more posts is not always easy.

Luckily, this gadget will help you to add a table of contents or sitemap on Blogger showing the index of all posts separated by categories that have been published. It will also show the latest posts with a text saying New!

Demo: You can see it in action by clicking here.

How To Add a Sitemap with a List of Posts to Blogger

To implement it on your blog, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Login to your Blogger Dashboard and select your blog

Step 2. Go to "Pages" > click the "New Page" button.

Step 3. Click on the HTML tab and paste the following code inside the empty box:

<style>
p.labels a{color: #242424; text-transform: uppercase;font-size: 15px;}
a.post-titles {color: #0000FF;}
ol li{list-style-type:decimal;line-height:25px;}
</style>
<script>
//<![CDATA[
var postTitle=new Array();var postUrl=new Array();var postPublished=new Array();var postDate=new Array();var postLabels=new Array();var postRecent=new Array();var sortBy="titleasc";var tocLoaded=false;var numChars=250;var postFilter="";var numberfeed=0;function bloggersitemap(a){function b(){if("entry" in a.feed){var d=a.feed.entry.length;numberfeed=d;ii=0;for(var h=0;h<d;h++){var n=a.feed.entry[h];var e=n.title.$t;var m=n.published.$t.substring(0,10);var j;for(var g=0;g<n.link.length;g++){if(n.link[g].rel=="alternate"){j=n.link[g].href;break}}var o="";for(var g=0;g<n.link.length;g++){if(n.link[g].rel=="enclosure"){o=n.link[g].href;break}}var c="";if("category" in n){for(var g=0;g<n.category.length;g++){c=n.category[g].term;var f=c.lastIndexOf(";");if(f!=-1){c=c.substring(0,f)}postLabels[ii]=c;postTitle[ii]=e;postDate[ii]=m;postUrl[ii]=j;postPublished[ii]=o;if(h<10){postRecent[ii]=true}else{postRecent[ii]=false}ii=ii+1}}}}}b();sortBy="titleasc";sortPosts(sortBy);sortlabel();tocLoaded=true;displayToc2();document.write('</br><div class="sitemap-link"><a href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com/2013/12/add-sitemap-table-of-contents-to-blogger.html" style="font-size: 10px; text-decoration:none; color: #5146CD;">Get This Widget</a></div>')}function filterPosts(a){scroll(0,0);postFilter=a;displayToc(postFilter)}function allPosts(){sortlabel();postFilter="";displayToc(postFilter)}function sortPosts(d){function c(e,g){var f=postTitle[e];postTitle[e]=postTitle[g];postTitle[g]=f;var f=postDate[e];postDate[e]=postDate[g];postDate[g]=f;var f=postUrl[e];postUrl[e]=postUrl[g];postUrl[g]=f;var f=postLabels[e];postLabels[e]=postLabels[g];postLabels[g]=f;var f=postPublished[e];postPublished[e]=postPublished[g];postPublished[g]=f;var f=postRecent[e];postRecent[e]=postRecent[g];postRecent[g]=f}for(var b=0;b<postTitle.length-1;b++){for(var a=b+1;a<postTitle.length;a++){if(d=="titleasc"){if(postTitle[b]>postTitle[a]){c(b,a)}}if(d=="titledesc"){if(postTitle[b]<postTitle[a]){c(b,a)}}if(d=="dateoldest"){if(postDate[b]>postDate[a]){c(b,a)}}if(d=="datenewest"){if(postDate[b]<postDate[a]){c(b,a)}}if(d=="orderlabel"){if(postLabels[b]>postLabels[a]){c(b,a)}}}}}function sortlabel(){sortBy="orderlabel";sortPosts(sortBy);var a=0;var b=0;while(b<postTitle.length){temp1=postLabels[b];firsti=a;do{a=a+1}while(postLabels[a]==temp1);b=a;sortPosts2(firsti,a);if(b>postTitle.length){break}}}function sortPosts2(d,c){function e(f,h){var g=postTitle[f];postTitle[f]=postTitle[h];postTitle[h]=g;var g=postDate[f];postDate[f]=postDate[h];postDate[h]=g;var g=postUrl[f];postUrl[f]=postUrl[h];postUrl[h]=g;var g=postLabels[f];postLabels[f]=postLabels[h];postLabels[h]=g;var g=postPublished[f];postPublished[f]=postPublished[h];postPublished[h]=g;var g=postRecent[f];postRecent[f]=postRecent[h];postRecent[h]=g}for(var b=d;b<c-1;b++){for(var a=b+1;a<c;a++){if(postTitle[b]>postTitle[a]){e(b,a)}}}}function displayToc(a){var l=0;var h="";var e="Post Title";var m="Click to sort by title";var d="Date";var k="Click to sort by date";var c="Category";var j="";if(sortBy=="titleasc"){m+=" (descending)";k+=" (newest first)"}if(sortBy=="titledesc"){m+=" (ascending)";k+=" (newest first)"}if(sortBy=="dateoldest"){m+=" (ascending)";k+=" (newest first)"}if(sortBy=="datenewest"){m+=" (ascending)";k+=" (oldest first)"}if(postFilter!=""){j="Click to view all"}h+="<table>";h+="<tr>";h+='<td class="header1">';h+='<a href="javascript:toggleTitleSort();" title="'+m+'">'+e+"</a>";h+="</td>";h+='<td class="header2">';h+='<a href="javascript:toggleDateSort();" title="'+k+'">'+d+"</a>";h+="</td>";h+='<td class="header3">';h+='<a href="javascript:allPosts();" title="'+j+'">'+c+"</a>";h+="</td>";h+='<td class="header4">';h+="Read all";h+="</td>";h+="</tr>";for(var g=0;g<postTitle.length;g++){if(a==""){h+='<tr><td class="entry1"><a href="'+postUrl[g]+'">'+postTitle[g]+'</a></td><td class="entry2">'+postDate[g]+'</td><td class="entry3">'+postLabels[g]+'</td><td class="entry4"><a href="'+postPublished[g]+'">Read</a></td></tr>';l++}else{z=postLabels[g].lastIndexOf(a);if(z!=-1){h+='<tr><td class="entry1"><a href="'+postUrl[g]+'">'+postTitle[g]+'</a></td><td class="entry2">'+postDate[g]+'</td><td class="entry3">'+postLabels[g]+'</td><td class="entry4"><a href="'+postPublished[g]+'">Read</a></td></tr>';l++}}}h+="</table>";if(l==postTitle.length){var f='<span class="toc-note">Show All '+postTitle.length+" Posts<br/></span>"}else{var f='<span class="toc-note">Show '+l+" posts by category '";f+=postFilter+"' the "+postTitle.length+" Total Posts<br/></span>"}var b=document.getElementById("toc");b.innerHTML=f+h}function displayToc2(){var a=0;var b=0;while(b<postTitle.length){temp1=postLabels[b];document.write("<p/>");document.write('<p class="labels"><a href="/search/label/'+temp1+'">'+temp1+"</a></p><ol>");firsti=a;do{document.write("<li>");document.write('<a class="post-titles" href="'+postUrl[a]+'">'+postTitle[a]+"</a>");if(postRecent[a]==true){document.write(' - <strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">New!</span></strong>')}document.write("</li>");a=a+1}while(postLabels[a]==temp1);b=a;document.write("</ol>");sortPosts2(firsti,a);if(b>postTitle.length){break}}}function toggleTitleSort(){if(sortBy=="titleasc"){sortBy="titledesc"}else{sortBy="titleasc"}sortPosts(sortBy);displayToc(postFilter)}function toggleDateSort(){if(sortBy=="datenewest"){sortBy="dateoldest"}else{sortBy="datenewest"}sortPosts(sortBy);displayToc(postFilter)}function showToc(){if(tocLoaded){displayToc(postFilter);var a=document.getElementById("toclink")}else{alert("Just wait... TOC is loading")}}function hideToc(){var a=document.getElementById("toc");a.innerHTML="";var b=document.getElementById("toclink");b.innerHTML='<a href="#" onclick="scroll(0,0); showToc(); Effect.toggle(\'toc-result\',\'blind\');">?? Display Table of Contents</a> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98gHrz5AP4CUdQQp4sSvCsBl3vMAWIPkICMjSep-Lyfe51g1MZ8_3_gwyKlzLCPagj_okeb_ZjKi6rHmrsZsAQKdGgnTdOcmg5oFRRY02955SRhfXsQjUWuFLc0xoVgiGiIptQGzwMTib/s1600/new_icon.gif"/>'}function looptemp2(){for(var a=0;a<numberfeed;a++){document.write("<br>");document.write('Post Link : <a href="'+postUrl[a]+'">'+postTitle[a]+"</a><br>");document.write('Read all : <a href="'+postPublished[a]+'">'+postTitle[a]+"</a><br>");document.write("<br>")}};
//]]>
</script>
<script src="http://helplogger.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?max-results=9999&alt=json-in-script&callback=bloggersitemap"></script>

After adding the above code, replace http://helplogger.blogspot.com with the address of your blog.

How to Customize the Sitemap for Blogger

to change the color and font size of categories title, replace the values in red
to change the color of the links, replace the value in green

Step 4. Click "Options" on the right side of the post editor and select "Don't allow, hide existing" for the Reader comments.

Step 5. Finally, click the "Publish" button and see the page. That's it!

The index of the posts is sorted alphabetically and is updated automatically each time a new post is published.

Mercys Maid

Customizable Related Posts Widget for Blogger

Related Posts Widget Features:

Requirements:

Adding Customizable Related Posts Widget in Blogger

How to Customize the Related Posts Widget for Blogger?

Available Related Posts Styles

Customizing the Related Post Thumbnail Size & Style

Customizing Related Titles & Excerpts

Final words

Automatic Featured Posts Slider Widget for Blogger

The Tactics of Persuading Users to Stay

How to Add Featured Posts Slider Widget in Blogger

Automatic Featured Posts Slider Settings

Building a List/Grid View Switcher in Blogger with Auto Read More

How to Add a List/Grid View Switcher in Blogger

That's it!

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Adding the Magazine/Newspaper style to a Blogger Template

Customizing the Magazine Layout

How to Create a Sitemap or Table of Contents in Blogger

How To Add a Sitemap with a List of Posts to Blogger

How to Customize the Sitemap for Blogger

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