aa: Blog Design

Showing posts with label Blog Design. Show all posts

Friday, 26 June 2015

How Firebug Helps You Design Your Blogger Blog

For most bloggers, the idea of adjusting the coding of their blog to improve the user experience is daunting at best and often quite frightening. HTML5, CSS, and other coding elements are their own virtual language and for the average Blogger user looking to update a personal blog, the automatic settings are about as good as it gets. What if there was a better way to code a blog, whether a beginner or a pro, that could be done within the browser itself?

If you're using Firefox or Chrome, then you should also be using Firebug. It allows you to code your website in real time, so you can maximize the UX of your blog in no time at all.

You No Longer Need To Edit Through Blogger!

If you've ever tried to update a Blogger theme through the editing functions of the website, then you know how difficult it can be. You can preview your designs, but you can't save any changes to officially see what is going to happen with your site until you publish the edits. If you've missed just one line of code or forgotten one small element, you're going to have to go back into the editing matrix, find the error, update it again, and repeat until you have a responsive blog once again.

What Firebug allows you to do is see all of those elements that make up a website in real time. Instead of editing and then publishing, you can edit in real time and see updates happen, all without affecting the user experiences of visitors that are coming to your site while you're editing. You can change the fonts, colors, or virtually anything else within the design of the site quickly and see the results of your work as it happens. Don't like it? Just undo your changes.

It's really that easy.

Using Firebug to Customize CSS in Blogger

This guide will show you how to modify the CSS code of a Blogger template. Usually, the Blogger Template CSS style declarations are editable through the style.css file, found between the <b:skin> and </b:skin> tags.

To download Firebug and get more details regarding its powerful features, visit: Firebug for Firefox, or if you are using Chrome, get the Firebug Lite app. I would recommend to use Firefox, which is more complete and quick, but, nevertheless, both work the same.

Once Firebug is installed, a small bug icon will be available in the upper right of your Web browser's address bar. Clicking it, a horizontally split screen will be shown at the bottom of the browser's window. The page will continue to show in the upper half, while the lower half will show the HTML of the current web page.

To customize any web element from a Blogger template, just click either on the Firebug icon in the toolbar, or the "Inspect Element with Firebug" item in the context menu. Next, click the blue cursor button to Inspect and place the cursor right over the element to customize.

For example, let's say that we want to change the title of the "Blog Archive" gadget. After we clicked the inspect button, mouse over the "Blog Archive" title which will be highlighted as shown in the screenshot below. To change this element, click on it:

Now that we decided which element we want to change, right click on the "Style" panel and select the "Add rule" option:

This will give the class or the id of the highlighted element - in our case, the heading of the Blog Archive (#BlogArchive1 > h2). To edit this rule that we just added, click anywhere near the left curly bracket that will open a text box, so that we can type a new CSS declaration:

And here comes the fun part. Let's say that we want to make the title red. We will type color and hit Enter, then we will type the color value or the red text and hit Enter. We will also set the set the font size to 20px, text alignment to center (text-align: center) and make the text underlined (text-decoration: underline):

The cool thing about Firebug is that when modifying any CSS property, you can see the results directly applied on the page. So, after adding these declarations, we'll see a big red underlined title for our Blog Archive gadget (see in the screenshot above).

To apply this CSS rule on a Blogger template, just select it beginning from the right curly bracket and to the #(id) or .(class) symbol, then right click it and Copy the CSS code.

Before making any change, it's highly recommended to make a backup of your current template. Go to "Template" and click the "Backup/Restore" button on the upper right side. On the same "Template" location, click on the "Customize" button and navigate to "Advanced" > "Add CSS". Paste the CSS rule that you just copied into the CSS box:

Click the "Apply to blog" button on the upper right corner to save the changes and view your blog.

Firebug Also Gives You One Distinct Advantage...

One of the best reasons to install Firebug into Chrome or Firefox is that it allows you to emulate some of your favorite website designs quickly and easily. Instead of hiring a web designer to do the work, which could cost you thousands, you can simply start Firebug and see what the CSS styles are for your favorite site. This allows you to create a similar widget.

From there, all you've got to do is change the coding to make the design elements work under the rules of your own custom.css. This means you can make easy design changes to your Blogger blog without having to go through all of the menus and editing functions so that your template can truly be your own. Do you have some work to do? Sure - but Firebug does all of the primary work for you.

All you've got to do is have a creative mind and a few minutes to make changes to the coding design. Whether you've been coding for years or are just starting your first blog, this is definitely the best way to make sure that your visitors have the best experience possible!

How to Center the Blogger Header Image

The header of a website is what distinguishes your blog; it's your identity or digital fingerprint. Whenever a visitor accesses your blog for the first time, the header is one major aspect that is used to determine who you are and the type of content that they can expect to read. Therefore, it's important to develop a header that is both prominently placed and telling of your brand name.

What would seem to be counterintuitive to that idea is the default Blogger settings for header positioning. Whenever you upload a header to the site, it will automatically be aligned to the left of the page. Some Blogger users may be okay with this setting, especially if they are using a header design that doesn't contain a background. Others may find that their background headers appear cut off, incomplete, or indistinguishable from the rest of their content.

If you find yourself in the second category of users, there is a way to adjust the positioning of your header so that it is displayed as a center Blogger header. By centering your site header, you have greater flexibility over the overall design, and it allows you to really shine light on this content. It's hard to miss a header that is placed smack dab in the middle of the screen on every page that someone navigates to.

Center Header Image with Blogger Template Designer

Making the change is relatively easy. You'll be able to make these adjustments on every page of your Blogger blog without having to change them individually. All you need to do is to modify the CSS of your blog that can be found directly through your Blogger dashboard. Even if you have little to no experience in web design or coding, you can center Blogger header by following these next few steps.

Step 1. Log in your blogger account and select your blog, then go to "Template" and click the "Customize" button on the right side.

Step 2. Navigate to "Advanced" > "Add CSS" tab and paste the code in the empty box:

#header-inner {
background-position: center !important;
width: 100% !important;
text-align: center;
}
#header-inner img {
margin: auto;
}

If you have a small image and you want it to become full width, add this CSS instead:

#header-inner {
background-size: cover;
width: 100% !important;
text-align: center;
}
#header-inner img {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}

Step 3. Hit the ENTER key after you paste the code snippet, then click the "Apply to Blog" button.

Here are some other aligning options for your headers:

Align Blogger Header Banner and Text Side by Side

Image on the right and title on the left

#header-inner {
background-position: right !important;
width: 100% !important;
}
.titlewrapper, .descriptionwrapper {
float: left;
clear: both;
margin-left: 20px;
}

Image on the left and title on the right

#header-inner {
background-position: left !important;
width: 100% !important;
}
.titlewrapper, .descriptionwrapper {
float: right;
clear: both;
margin-right: 20px;
}

Note: for larger images, you may need to resize them in order to make them appear side by side with the text.

That's it!

After making the changes to the CSS and saving your modifications, you may navigate back to your homepage. Refresh the page and you'll notice that the header is now centered, instead of on the left. Click on a few of your page links and make sure that this modification has been made to every page or post on the blog.

If by chance you don't see the changes to the header, go back through the code that you modified and make sure that you have copied and pasted the information into the file exactly as instructed. Even minor modifications in the code, or a missing semicolon may fail to make the changes you are trying to achieve, or come away with different results than what's expected.

The great thing about CSS is that it is your site's central hub for all things design. From the CSS file, you can modify just about any appearance on your site to give the blog a custom look and feel. Once you're comfortable performing minor adjustments to the appearance of your site, you can start to get creative and come up with your very own modifications.

How To Upload and Use Custom Fonts in Blogger

Just about anyone can write and publish his or her own blog. In fact, there are about 152 million blogs out there on the internet. But, if you want your blog to stand out you need to impress visitors with the little things. You need to be able to catch there attention and keep it so that they want to come back.

Complementing your blog post with images, links, and catchy titled is a great way to start and should be something you practice on just about everything you post; however, don't just stop there. If you really want to impress people and draw attention toward your blog, you want to start where the content all begins. You need to make use of custom fonts in Blogger. This guide will help you learn a little bit about font styles and how to upload new fonts onto your Blogger site.

The Different Types of Font

Before you can upload any font files, you need to find the right font and typeface that will fit your style. Typeface is the design and symbols used for the letters; font is the actual characters. Some of the most common typeface terms that you should probably be familiar with before starting are:

Serif - distinguished by small decorative lines that are attached to the end of letter strokes; best used for the paragraph or body content.
Sans-serif - modern looking letter strokes that lack the decorate lines at the end; instead the letter end abruptly.
Script - a handwriting typeface that looks like cursive letters or custom strokes.
Display - typeface that is designed to stand out from the rest of the page; characterized by a broad and unique use of informal letter designs and transparency. Display typeface is best used on titles and headers.

Within each web browser there are also certain types of font files that are used. Most of the browsers, except Internet Explorer and the iOS browser, will use TTF font file. Internet Explorer is the only web browser service that uses EOS files, and Apple has opted for using an SVG for their mobile and tablet based products. Some custom fonts in Blogger have to be in an @Font-Face kit, but this will be discussed later on.

Where to Find Font

You can find custom font all over the internet when you're ready to get started. Some custom fonts in Blogger are free to use and can be downloaded to your computer, others you are considered 'premium' and you have to pay to use them, so please check twice whether they are having Commercial or Personal licenses. Google offers its own font service known as Google Web Fonts which can be a good place to start looking around for custom fonts in Blogger.

Using the Google Web Fonts service, you run a filter to find select fonts based on width, thickness, and slant. Better yet, you can test out how using the custom fonts in Blogger would appear by modifying the size, and viewing it in a small display window. If you like a couple different fonts, you can save them to your collection to come back to later.

Adding a Custom Font to Blogger from Google Web Font

Step 1. To browse the Google Fonts library, access www.google.com/webfonts. There are 650 font families in the collection right now, and they keep adding more, so you may want to sort them.

To organize the fonts by style, you can use the menu on the left side. The top menu lets you to add and preview your own text using the 'Preview Text' field. From the same menu, you can pick the 'Size' and sort the fonts in 'Alphabetical order', by 'Date added', 'Number of styles' and 'Popularity':

Step 2. Once you decided what font you want to use, click on the 'Add to Collection' button and then hit the 'Use' tab. This will take you to the 'Almost done!' page that will give you a link to the style sheet found in the 'Standard' tab (point 3) and the CSS style (point 4).

The link to style sheet would look like this:

<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=FONTNAME' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>

And the CSS style would look like this:

font-family: 'FONTNAME', cursive;

Step 3. Now that you have selected the fonts and have a general understanding of the different types of fonts available, you can head over to your Blogger blog. Open up the Dashboard and make sure that the first thing you do is to create a backup of your template: go to Template and press the "Backup/Restore" button on the upper right side. That way, you can revert the changes back to the original in case something goes wrong.

Step 4. From the same "Template" location, press the "Edit HTML" button:

Step 5. Click anywhere inside the code area and press CTRL + F at the same time (PC) or Command + F (Mac) to open the Blogger' search box and type <b:skin> inside the search box. Press Enter and it will take you to the <b:skin> tag, which will be highlighted in yellow:

Step 6. Directly above the <b:skin> tag, copy & paste the link to the style sheet provided by Google Web Fonts (step 2). To prevent any errors, add a forward slash (/) right before the closing angle bracket (>), like this:

<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=FONTNAME' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' />

Step 7. To apply the font on a specific part of our blog, we'll need to find the CSS selector and add the CSS style (point 4) just AFTER the curly bracket. If you don't know how to find the id/class selector, please read this tutorial: Add CSS rules to Design a Blogger blog using Firebug

For example, if I would want to add the "Rancho" font to the posts and comments titles, I will paste the CSS style like this:

h3.post-title, .comments h4 {
font-family: 'Rancho', cursive;
font-size: 28px;
}

Where "h3.post-title, .comments h4 {" is the class selector for the post and comments titles. Note: to change the size of your font, add the "font-size: 28px;" part as well, and change the "28px" value to make the font bigger/smaller.

You can also add the same CSS to "Template" > press the "Customize" button the right side, navigate to "Advanced" > "Add CSS" tab and paste the CSS code in the empty box.

Step 8. Finally, press the "Save Template" button and you're all set!

Using a Custom Font that isn't on Google Web Fonts

Some of the good places to find free fonts are DaFont, FontSquirrel and UrbanFonts. Click to download the kit (unzip it if necessary), and save the TFF or OFT file on your desktop.

Step 1: Convert the Font File

The font file that you've downloaded is most likely in a TFF or OFT file since this is the most popular type. You need to convert this file into a @Font-Face kit. Many online services can help you do this, but here are two recommended sites:

If you are using the Font Squirrel Webfont Generator: press the "Add Fonts" button, choose the font file that you saved on your desktop and check the "Yes, the fonts I'm uploading are legally eligible for web embedding." checkbox. After the font has been successfully uploaded, click the "Download your kit" button.

This should open the kit containing 4 formats of fonts (inside the fonts folder), a CSS stylesheet & the html file for the demo page. The only files that you need to extract are the ones with the .woff, .tff, .svg, .eot extension and the stylesheet.css file.

Step 2: Upload The Font Files To Blogger

Custom fonts in Blogger have to be uploaded before you can use them. For this, we are going to use Dropbox and upload them to Public folder (upload only the files with the .woff, .tff, .svg and .eot extension).

Once you've uploaded them, copy the Public URL's of all 4 fonts: right click on each file, choose "Copy public link..." and press the "Copy to clipboard" button. Paste each link separately in a Notepad, so that you can link to that location later.

Next, open up the stylesheet.css file that came with the kit and it will show you a similar code:

/* Generated by Font Squirrel (http://www.fontsquirrel.com) on September 2, 2014 */

@font-face {
    font-family: 'fontname';
    src: url('font-name.eot');
    src: url('font-name.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('font-name.woff') format('woff'),
         url('font-name.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('font-name.svg#fontname') format('svg');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
}

Edit the link location to point toward the font file that you just uploaded to the Dropbox Public folder and pay attention to each extension which should correspond with that found in the stylesheet.css file.

For example, if you uploaded the font .tff file with this name:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/62316253/amatic-bold-webfont.ttf

...change the CSS link in blue in this line:

url('font-name.ttf') format('truetype'),

to point to:

url('https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/62316253/amatic-bold-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),

After you've added all the links, copy the stylesheet.css code that you modified to your clipboard.

Step 3: Editing Blogger's CSS

Open up the CSS on your Blogger site. This can be found by navigating to Template > Edit HTML. Next, click inside the code area and press the CTRL + F keys to open the search box, then type the tag below and hit Enter to find it:

]]></b:skin>

Just ABOVE this tag, add the code that you copied in the stylesheet.css file.

Finally, we need to declare the custom font using CSS. For example, if I want to change the font of the post title, I will add the line in red from above, just below the "h3.post-title, .comments h4 {" CSS selector:

h3.post-title, .comments h4 {
font-family: 'fontname';
font-size: 28;
}

Obviously, the fontname will be the actual name of the font. This will make sure that your blog can use the custom fonts in Blogger. After we've made these changes, press the "Save Template" button and exit.

Step 4: Test Out the Site

Navigate back to your sites homepage and you should now see the custom fonts in Blogger that you uploaded during the last few steps. Every time you go to make a new post, the site will now be able to use your font.

In Conclusion:

Website design is an important part to maintain a successful blog. As a blog owner, you are responsible for providing content that isn't just fun to read, but looks good. Modifying the font is just one easy way that you can help your blog stand out without making any major changes to your blog itself.

Do you have any other methods for adding custom fonts? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Add a Pinterest Pin It Mouseover Button on Blogger Images

Images have always played a prominent role in attracting new visitors through search engines like Google and Bing. But when Pinterest decided to enter the social media mix, it upped the ante in a big way.

Pinterest lets blog owners use their service to add a 'pin' to photos or content images on the site. When visitors of that site see a photo they like, they can choose to click on the red Pinterest button for Blogger, and add it to their Pinterest account.

The person who pressed your Pinterest button for Blogger can now see your photo on their dashboard, and share it with friends or followers on the service. They can also come across this photo when users add keywords or category tags to the image. More importantly, that photo links to your site when clicked on and will contain a description title of your blog name or post.

Therefore, adding the Pinterest button for Blogger will help you to benefit from tons of new traffic coming from Pinterest and people who had found your photos and post links using the service. Here are some steps to add your very own Pinterest button.

1. Access your Blogger Template

The first thing to do is to edit the code of your template so that it knows when to display this Pinterest Button for Blogger with the content. You can do this by logging into your Blogger Dashboard and finding your way to "Template" > "Edit HTML".

When the editor opens up, it may look a bit foreign to you if you don't have much experience using HTML. Click anywhere inside the code area and search by pressing the CTRL + F keys for the </body> tag - hit Enter to find it:

</body>

The body tags makes up the general content in your webpage. Think of it like the settings panel of a website. If you were to delete everything in this section your site would turn into a blank white page.

2. Add The Pinterest Pin it Script

Once you found the </body> tag, insert the following script just above it:

<script>
//<![CDATA[
var custom_pinit_button = "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uJeUa0St3OXFs84uOI19EiCtyYqO0gCHmlJArCuYx21mfZvY8ssWM6GKe5A7eY12_ssp9mkoc8XzqmvPda0HgcDUbRQMe55GQW2vC76MVcqUGU_ltHqCecAfcEpZjh1z_t40cpmIsvfe/s1600/pinit-button.png";
var pinit_button_position = "center";
var pinit_button_before = "";
var pinit_button_after = "";
//]]>
</script>
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script id='pinit-img-button' src='http://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/pinterest-button1.js' type='text/javascript'>
// Visit helplogger.blogspot.com for more widgets and tricks.
</script>

3. Changing the Position of the Pin it! button

The cool thing about this code is that you have some freedom over where the Pinterest button for Blogger will go over the image. Take a look at the code that you just copied and pasted into the HTML for the word 'center'.

var pinit_button_position = "center";

To move the pin to a different area of the photo, replace center with one of these texts:

topleft
topright
bottomleft
bottomright

And to change the Pin it! button that appears on mouse over, replace the address in blue from above with your own:

var custom_pinit_button = "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uJeUa0St3OXFs84uOI19EiCtyYqO0gCHmlJArCuYx21mfZvY8ssWM6GKe5A7eY12_ssp9mkoc8XzqmvPda0HgcDUbRQMe55GQW2vC76MVcqUGU_ltHqCecAfcEpZjh1z_t40cpmIsvfe/s1600/pinit-button.png";

4. Save The Template

Make sure that you added everything correctly, then save the template and navigate to a recent post that you made that contain images. Hover your mouse over the image and you should now see a red Pinterest button for Blogger displayed on the image. Test it out and see it how it works.

If you want to hide the pinit button from a specific image, when you create a post, switch to the HTML tab of your post editor and type class="nopin" right before the closing slash and angle bracket of your image element, like this:

The only downside of this button is that it doesn't take the information from your custom image titles. It's automatically set to take the title of the blog post where the image is located. So, you'll need to pay closer attention to the title of the posts so that it fits closely with the images being shown.

Remember that when you have this code activated, you have to label your titles so that they are relevant to the photos you are posting. This might sound obvious, but sometimes you create a post with an image as a joke that won't make sense in the context of viewing it on Pinterest.

If you use Google Analytics, you can start to see traffic flooding into your site from Pinterest. You should also create your own Pinterest account so that you can manage the content and track how it's being shared. That's it. Enjoy and happy blogging!

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

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 view 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' showaddelement='no'>

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

<b:section class='main' id='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/AVvXsEhJPb2w268G0J9qaYdUfurD-dT7n97Zfspr78GcEEEloE5yTRcZeFTF84BwNaViYClV0DY5Q1J6jbP_bGWDD_KQgMA69M3Tb19vgpyLmB6p4kyQfqXiAkCQjH5JA6hiDEDie-2YJcPd0tis/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/AVvXsEgWQIvU18DEHl1etCmwXk88YwNhAieQ26_N4_lC_Fh55DXJ9Vbs5rw_kEZscprW3AE3Iq8z_d_LnTdeddSTy4vpoOlvDggEKhosuOdA2cLeCA5Ou0php2PdAFD0lwxgi5spL0D5F-6XXgjS/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 code 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.

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Add Masonry, Grid Layouts to Blogger Posts with CSS and Javascript

How a website's content is displayed can spell the difference between being popular and obscure. Anything that looks chaotic or hardly readable is never going to be anyone's favorite. This is why content must be displayed in an organized, easy to follow and straightforward manner. Nothing works better than a structured grid, in this case.

Posts listed in grid view provide an excellent viewing experience for both the blogger or website owner and the visitors. This is especially true if the grid comes with images that would play with a person's visual inclination. What is great about grids is the seamless and smooth layout, complemented with a structured yet simple architecture. This makes it easier to navigate through a blog archive or product page. The style also enables a website owner to present posts in a more artistic and informative manner, without delving into the details. Suffice to say that a grid view demands creativity to be effortlessly mixed with functionality.

How views can be switched depends on a number of changes in a blog's codes. Some are fairly easy to implement, while others can be a little complex. Not to worry, as there are guides that will be provided. Grid styles also come in huge varieties, with each one designed to cater to a specific audience. Now, are you ready to go on the grid?

Features

What features can you expect from a grid style post in Blogger?

All the posts will follow the grid style when switching to grid view.
While the codes are being customized, the posts are left untouched. Their length, however, could be changed accordingly.
Auto Read More will be applied on all posts.
Thumbnails are automatically added based on the first picture found in each post.
Code is secure and is used across the board. In fact, 99% of bloggers are using a similar code to enable grid style posts in blogger.

What are the benefits of grid style?

Quick loading time of posts. Since only the snippets are loaded in certain pages, or a thumbnail and a caption, pulling up a blog archive would be quicker. When loading time is decreased, user experience is greatly enhanced.
Professional-looking blog. Without the chaos and concerns on readability, a website can look really clean and professional. Combined with the right colors and images, it can also leave a visual impact.
Improved website ranking. Because visitors have to click in order to view the rest of the post, page views of a site will significantly increase. This makes for a better SEO strategy.

Although changes to the CSS codes have to be made to implement the grid style view and make it compatible with a blog's template, all the work will be worth it once it is up and running.

Important:
Before anything make sure that you backup your Blogger template! If have encounter any problems with your edits, you can revert the template back to its previous condition by restoring it from your backup. For this, go to 'Template' in the left menu > click on the 'Backup/Restore' button in the upper right corner and press the 'Download Full Template' button - choose where you want to save the file on your computer and click the 'Save' button.

Now we can safely proceed with editing our Blogger template. If you run into problems, just revert back to your saved template.

How to Create Masonry, Grid Style Posts in Blogger

Step 1. Log into your Blogger dashboard and click on the blog where you want to apply the grid style.
Step 2. Go to "Template" located on the left side of the screen and press the "Edit HTML" button.
Step 3. Click anywhere inside the code area and press the CTRL+F keys to open the search box, then type the following tag inside the box (hit Enter to find it):

</head>

Step 4. Now copy the script below and paste it just before the </head> tag:

<script type='text/javascript'>
posts_no_thumb_sum = 100;
posts_thumb_sum = 100;
</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, pURL, pTITLE){
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; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="'+ pURL +'"><img src="'+img[0].src+'" /></a></span>';
summ = posts_thumb_sum;
}

else {
imgtag = '<span class="posts-thumb" style="float:left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="'+ pURL +'" title="'+ pTITLE+'"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBxKMyyDCIXmWOXzVhQ7AWYdGVq9PUfPc5b2aKZQCiS2RrpR0hJ0oSn-WrPxx5iG_yN4RffYusIiVD1XJ5D7KPVEeOpC1Lo7JNl7u-VtP6th7gEQYMSqSaJYbUi5vgvkV4fPesgBw8Xbg/s1600/sorry-image-not-available.png" style="margin-top: -30px;" /></a></span>';
summ = posts_thumb_sum;
}

var summary = imgtag + '<a href="'+ pURL +'"><div class="post-summary-text">' + removeHtmlTag(div.innerHTML,summ) + '</div></a>';
div.innerHTML = summary;
}
//]]>
</script>

Step 5. Find the following code snippet using CTRL+F or Command + F:

<data:post.body/>

Step 6. After pressing the "Enter" key on your keyboard, you may find three occurrences of the above code, replace only the second and the third one with this code 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>

Step 7. Now choose one of the styles below, copy the code provided and paste it just above the </head> tag:

Simple Grid Design

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType!= "item"'>
<style>
#blog-pager {
clear:both;
}
.post {
height: auto;
width:30.8%;
overflow: hidden;
display:inline-block;
text-decoration:none;
float:left;
margin:0 1.1% 2%;
padding: 0px !important;
}

h3.post-title a {
font-size:75%;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-transform:uppercase;
padding:0;
color:#444;
}
h3.post-title {
height: 26px;
text-align:center;
width:100%;
margin:0!important;
padding-bottom: 4%;
}
.date-header {
display: none;
}

.post-body a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.posts-thumb {
width:100%!important;
height:190px!important;
overflow:hidden;
clear:both;
}
.post-body img {
display:block;
width:100%!important;
height:auto!important;
max-width:800px!important;
max-height:400px!important;
min-width:190px!important;
min-height:190px!important;
border:none;
outline:none;
position:relative;
margin: 0px;
padding:0;
}
.post-summary-text {
color:#777;
font-size:100%!important;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-align:center;
clear:both;
overflow:hidden;
margin:5px 0 0;
padding:7% 10%;
}
a.comment-bubble {
color:#fff;
text-decoration:none;
font-size:100%;
font-weight: bold;
right:10px;
position:absolute;
top:165px;
text-shadow:1px 2px 1px #333;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
}
a.comment-bubble:before {
content: "Comments: ";
}
.post-header,.post-footer {
display:none;
}
</style></b:if></b:if>

<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans+Condensed:300' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>

Grid Layout with Post Summary and Thumbnail

Demo

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType!= "item"'>
<style>
#blog-pager {
clear:both;
}
.post {
height:auto;
width:31%;
display:inline-block;
text-decoration:none;
float:left;
margin:0 1.1% 2%;
padding:0!important;
}
h3.post-title a {
font-size:75%;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-transform:uppercase;
color:#111;
padding:0;
}
h3.post-title {
text-align:center;
height:22px;
position:absolute;
bottom:23%;
width:100%;
z-index:101;
overflow:hidden;
margin:0!important;
padding:10px 0;
}
.date-header {
visibility:hidden;
height:0!important;
width:0!important;
margin:0!important;
padding:0!important;
}
.posts-thumb {
width:100%!important;
height:190px!important;
overflow:hidden;
clear:both;
border-bottom:3px solid #00C8BD;
border-top:3px solid #558ABB;
}
.posts-thumb:hover {
border-top:3px solid #FF664E;
border-bottom:3px solid #FEBE36;
}
.post-body {
border-radius:2px;
box-shadow:0 0 6px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
position:relative;
height:auto;
}
.post-body a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.post-body img {
display:block;
width:100%!important;
height:auto!important;
max-width:800px!important;
max-height:400px!important;
min-width:190px!important;
min-height:190px!important;
border:none;
outline:none;
position:relative;
margin: 0px;
padding:0;
}
.post-summary-text {
color:#555;
background:#f5f5f5 url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWnjL7lnlrcrED15m3ihr2b5opGBXrJM_epq6_9gdCICvScwLAEJI21kuDU-jK1kqGN0g9orOKYCri44jmqSELWR4QdkZCgJgwETYoRsrQvR4L1YPzUXdE9MtaoFFnuCQ53moBr_qDb_1/s1600/blueprint.png);
font-size:100%!important;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-align:center;
clear:both;
overflow:hidden;
margin:5px 0 0;
padding:17% 10% 6%;
}
a.comment-bubble {
color:#fff;
text-decoration:none;
font-size:110%;
right:10px;
position:absolute;
top:165px;
text-shadow:1px 2px 1px #333;
font-family: 'Pacifico', cursive;
}
a.comment-bubble:before {
content: "Comments: " url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gYNHP9R9TiFd8B62yCD5VZuoPhoYV2P5su4pep_bXFRafS1DTkdNX0Sm0ZEapG7SqanPTlFMM-rhac25mBMiSkdQvU769Ux3yRybYCyTaVp9FFA_pIl3lk7Cp7xzFRLNp9u5fM1iIuFO/s1600/heart-active.png);
}
.post-header,.post-footer {
display:none;
}
</style></b:if></b:if>

<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans+Condensed:300' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Pacifico' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>

Grid Layout with Text Snippet on Hover

Demo

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType!= "item"'>
<style>
#blog-pager {
clear:both;
}
.post {
height:auto;
width:31%;
display:inline-block;
text-decoration:none;
float:left;
margin:0 1.1% 2%;
padding:0!important;
}
h3.post-title a {
font-size:95%;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-transform:uppercase;
color:#fff;
padding:0;
text-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #222;
}
h3.post-title {
height: 22px;
text-align:center;
position:absolute;
top:1%;
width:100%;
z-index:101;
overflow:hidden;
margin:0!important;
padding:10px 0;
}
.date-header {
visibility:hidden;
height:0!important;
width:0!important;
margin:0!important;
padding:0!important;
}
.posts-thumb {
width:100%!important;
height:190px!important;
overflow:hidden;
clear:both;
}
.post-body {
border-radius:2px;
box-shadow:0 5px 4px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
position:relative;
overflow: hidden;
}
.post-body a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.post-body img {
display:block;
width:100%!important;
height:auto!important;
max-width:800px!important;
max-height:400px!important;
min-width:190px!important;
min-height:190px!important;
border:none;
outline:none;
position:relative;
margin: 0px;
padding:0;
}
.post-summary-text {
cursor: pointer;
background-color: rgba(44, 77, 163, 0.8);
color:#fff;
font-size:120%!important;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
clear:both;
overflow:hidden;
padding:25% 10% 0%;
left: 0;
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
vertical-align: bottom;
text-shadow: 1px 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
top: 0;
transform: scale(1);
opacity: 0;
z-index: 10;
height: 100%;
transition: all 300ms ease-out 0s;
}
.post-summary-text:hover {
opacity: 1;
}
a.comment-bubble {
color:#fff;
text-decoration:none;
font-size:100%;
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
position:absolute;
top:165px;
left: 0px;
text-shadow:1px 2px 1px #333;
font-family: 'Pacifico', cursive;
z-index: 122;
}
a.comment-bubble:before {
content: "Comments: ";
}
.post-header,.post-footer {
display:none;
}
</style></b:if></b:if>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans+Condensed:300' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Pacifico' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>

Masonry Layout (Pinterest Like Grid)

DEMO

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "static_page"'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType!= "item"'>
<style>
#blog-pager {
clear: both;
position: absolute;
bottom: 0px;
left: 0px;
}
.blog-feeds {
display: none;
}
.post {
height: auto;
width: 100%;
padding: 0px !important;
margin: 0px 0px 30px;
display: inline-block;
text-decoration: none;
}
h3.post-title a{
font-size: 95%;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
text-transform: uppercase;
padding: 0px;
color: #fff;
text-shadow: 3px 2px 2px #222;
font-weight: bold;
}
h3.post-title, .comments h4 {
margin: 0px !important;
text-align: center;
padding: 10px 0px;
position: absolute;
top: 10px;
width: 100%;
z-index: 200;
}
.post-header {
display: none;
}
.date-header {
visibility: hidden;
height: 0px !important;
width: 0px !important;
padding: 0px !important;
margin: 0px !important;
}
.posts-thumb {
width: 100%;
height: auto;
overflow: hidden;
clear: both;
}
.post-body {
overflow: hidden;
position:relative;
}
.post-body a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.post-body img {
display: block;
width: auto;
height: auto;
max-width: 100%;
max-height: none;
min-width: 100%;
min-height: auto;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0;
border: none;
outline: none;
position: relative;
}
.post-summary-text {
cursor: pointer;
background-color: rgba(44, 77, 163, 0.8);
color:#fff;
font-size:120%!important;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
clear:both;
overflow:hidden;
padding:25% 10% 0%;
left: 0;
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
vertical-align: bottom;
text-shadow: 1px 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
top: 0;
transform: scale(1);
opacity: 0;
z-index: 10;
height: 100%;
transition: all 300ms ease-out 0s;
}
.post-summary-text:hover {
opacity: 1;
}
.post-footer {
display: none;
}
a.comment-bubble {
color: #fff;
text-decoration: none;
font-size: 120%;
right: 5px;
z-index: 222;
position: absolute;
top: 5px;
text-shadow: 1px 2px 1px #333;
font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;
}
a.comment-bubble:before {
content: url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gYNHP9R9TiFd8B62yCD5VZuoPhoYV2P5su4pep_bXFRafS1DTkdNX0Sm0ZEapG7SqanPTlFMM-rhac25mBMiSkdQvU769Ux3yRybYCyTaVp9FFA_pIl3lk7Cp7xzFRLNp9u5fM1iIuFO/s1600/heart-active.png);
}
.main-inner .column-center-inner {
-moz-column-count: 3;
-moz-column-gap: 1px;
-webkit-column-count: 3;
-webkit-column-gap: 1px;
column-count: 3;
column-gap: 1px;
width: 100%;
padding: 0px !important;
}
</style></b:if></b:if>

<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans+Condensed:300' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>

Please note that the masonry layout might not work if you have a customized template, also older posts will appear vertically (from top to bottom) instead of left to right.

Step 8. Click "Preview" and if everything looks fine, press the "Save Template" button.

That's it!

Implementing a grid style view has its pros and cons, but the benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages. The fact that a website will look visually appealing and professional when set in grid style, is already enough to boost its online reputation. An increase in page views is just the beginning. With the right images and content, a blog will also have better SEO. Most importantly, implementing the changes is not as complex as some might think. With a step-by-step guide available, adding a dynamic view switcher would be completed in no time.

Saturday, 15 November 2014

5 Cool Recent Post Widgets for Blogger

For bloggers that pride themselves on always staying up-to-date with new content, a recent post widget for Blogger can be an invaluable tool. A recent post widget for blogger is in many ways similar to a 'breaking news alert' that journalists love to use during their reports, providing the most recent and relevant posts that you have to offer.

Adding a recent post widget for Blogger helps to reduce the dependency on email marketing, because you don't have to send out an email just to let people know you made a new post. Instead, it updates automatically for everyone to see. You can then use this information to design scheduled email newsletters, and take advantage of what's often referred to as the 'Twitter effect' where audiences will regularly check back on your site for the possibility that new posts are available. Without this, you force people to do run their own search for information and content, increasing the likelihood that they'll leave the site and hurt your bounce rate.

Once you've managed to attract visitors to one of your posts using the recent post widget for Blogger, it will continue to act as an accessible secondary resource to navigate around your site. That way, you can avoid having them sifting through old content that might be outdated. If you'd rather show off some of your best posts instead of your most recent posts, you can do that instead, or add that feature to the bar with just a few alterations.

Apart from looking great and taking up minimal space, there are too many benefits for you not to have a recent post widget for Blogger. The best part about these add-ons is that they come in a wide variety of designs that will fit any theme. If you're interested in adding a widget to your site, here are 5 cool recent post widgets that might catch your eye and fit perfectly with your Blogger template:

Style #1

<script style="text/javascript" src="http://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/helplogger/recentpoststhumbs.js"></script>
<script style="text/javascript">
var posts_no = 5;
var showpoststhumbs = true;
var readmorelink = true;
var showcommentslink = false;
var posts_date = true;
var post_summary = true;
var summary_chars = 70;
</script>
<script src="/feeds/posts/default?orderby=published&alt=json-in-script&callback=showlatestpostswiththumbs"></script>
<a style="font-size: 9px; color: #CECECE; float: right; margin: 5px;" href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com/2014/11/5-cool-recent-post-widgets-for-blogger.html" rel="nofollow">Recent Posts Widget</a>
<noscript>Your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Ubuntu+Condensed' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' />
<style type="text/css">
img.recent-post-thumb {width:50px;height:50px;float:right;margin: 5px -5px 0px 0px; border-radius: 100%; padding: 3px;background: #fff}
.recent-posts-container {font-family: 'Ubuntu Condensed', sans-serif; float: left;width: 100%;min-height: 55px;margin: 5px 0px 5px 0px;padding: 0;font-size:12px;}
ul.recent-posts-container {list-style-type: none; background: #fff;padding: 0px; }
ul.recent-posts-container li:nth-child(1n+0) {background: #F49A9A; width: 100%}
ul.recent-posts-container li:nth-child(2n+0) {background: #FCD092; width: 95%}
ul.recent-posts-container li:nth-child(3n+0) {background: #FFF59E; width: 90%;}
ul.recent-posts-container li:nth-child(4n+0) {background: #E1EFA0; width: 85%;}
ul.recent-posts-container li:nth-child(5n+0) {background: #B1DAEF; width: 80%;}
ul.recent-posts-container li {padding:5px 10px;min-height:50px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 5px -5px 5px; color: #777;}
.recent-posts-container a { text-decoration:none; }
.recent-posts-container a:hover { color: #222;}
.post-date {color:#e0c0c6; font-size: 11px; }
.recent-post-title a {font-size: 14px;color: #444; font-weight: bold;}
.recent-post-title {padding: 6px 0px;}
.recent-posts-details a{ color: #222;}
.recent-posts-details {padding: 5px 0px 5px; }
</style>

Style #2

<div class="recentpoststyle">
<script src="http://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/helplogger/recentposts.js"></script>
<script>
var posts_no = 5;var posts_date = true;var post_summary = true;var summary_chars = 80;</script>
<script src="/feeds/posts/default?orderby=published&alt=json-in-script&callback=showlatestposts">
</script><a style="font-size: 9px; color: #CECECE; float: right; margin: 5px;" href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com/2014/11/5-cool-recent-post-widgets-for-blogger.html" rel="nofollow">Recent Posts Widget</a>
<noscript>Your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript>
<style type="text/css">
.recentpoststyle {counter-reset: countposts;list-style-type: none;}
.recentpoststyle a {text-decoration: none; color: #49A8D1;}
.recentpoststyle a:hover {color: #000;}
.recentpoststyle li:before {content: counter(countposts,decimal);counter-increment: countposts;float: left;z-index: 2;position:relative;font-size: 20px;font-weight: bold;color: #fff;background: #69B7E2; margin: 15px 5px 0px -6px; padding: 0px 10px; border-radius: 100%;}
li.recent-post-title { padding: 5px 0px;}
.recent-post-title { font-family: "Avant Garde",Avantgarde,"Century Gothic",CenturyGothic,AppleGothic,sans-serif;}
.recent-post-title a {color: #444;font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; padding: 2px; font-weight: bold;}
.post-date {padding: 5px 2px 5px 30px; font-size: 11px; color: #999; margin-bottom: 5px;}
.recent-post-summ { border-left: 1px solid #69B7E2; color: #777; padding: 0px 5px 0px 20px; margin-left: 11px; font-family: Garamond,Baskerville,"Baskerville Old Face","Hoefler Text","Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 15px;}
</style></div>

Style #3

<script style="text/javascript" src="http://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/helplogger/recentpoststhumbs.js"></script>
<script style="text/javascript">
var posts_no = 5;
var showpoststhumbs = true;
var readmorelink = true;
var showcommentslink = true;
var posts_date = true;
var post_summary = true;
var summary_chars = 70;</script>
<script src="/feeds/posts/default?orderby=published&alt=json-in-script&callback=showlatestpostswiththumbs"></script>
<a style="font-size: 9px; color: #CECECE; float: right; margin: 5px;" href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Recent Posts Widget</a>
<noscript>Your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Oswald' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<style type="text/css">
img.recent-post-thumb {padding:2px;width:65px;height:65px;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #69B7E2;}
.recent-posts-container {font-family: 'Oswald', sans-serif; float: left;width: 100%;min-height: 70px;margin: 5px 0px 5px 0px;padding: 0;font-size:12px;}
ul.recent-posts-container li {padding:5px 0px;min-height:65px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px;}
ul.recent-posts-container {counter-reset: countposts;list-style-type: none;}
ul.recent-posts-container li:before {content: counter(countposts,decimal);counter-increment: countposts;z-index: 2;position:absolute; left: 15px; font-size: 13px;font-weight: bold;color: #fff;background: #69B7E2;padding: 4px 10px; border-radius: 100%;}
.recent-posts-container a { text-decoration:none; }
.recent-post-title a {font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #2aace3;}
.recent-posts-details {margin: 5px 0px 0px 92px; }
.recent-posts-details a{ color: #777;}
</style>

Style #4

<script style="text/javascript" src="http://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/helplogger/recentposts2.js"></script>
<script style="text/javascript">
var posts_no = 5;
var showpoststhumbs = false;
var readmorelink = true;
var showcommentslink = true;
var posts_date = true;
</script>
<script src="/feeds/posts/default?orderby=published&alt=json-in-script&callback=showlatestpostswiththumbs"></script>
<a style="font-size: 9px; color: #CECECE; float: right; margin: 5px;" href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com">Recent Posts Widget</a>
<noscript>Your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Oswald' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<style type="text/css">
img.recent-post-thumb {padding: 2px; width:35px;height:35px;float:right;margin: -14px 0px 0px 5px; border: 1px solid #cea5ac; border-radius: 10%;}
.recent-posts-container {font-family: 'Oswald', sans-serif; float: left;width: 100%;min-height: 70px;margin: 5px 0px 5px 0px;padding: 0;font-size:12px;}
ul.recent-posts-container li {padding:5px 0px;min-height:65px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 10px 5px 35px;}
ul.recent-posts-container {counter-reset: countposts;list-style-type: none;}
ul.recent-posts-container li:before {content: counter(countposts,decimal);counter-increment: countposts;z-index: 2;position:absolute; left: 5px; font-size: 16px;color: #4D4D4D;background: #F7F7F7;padding: 9px 14px; border: 1px solid #efefef;}
.recent-posts-container a { text-decoration:none; }
.recent-posts-container a:hover{color: #4DACE3;}
.post-date {color:#e0c0c6; font-size: 11px; }
.recent-post-title a {font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #5C4D4D;}
.recent-post-title { margin: 5px 0px; }
.recent-posts-details {border-top: 4px solid #AC707A; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 5px;}
.recent-posts-details a{ color: #888;}
a.readmorelink {color: #4DACE3;}
</style>

Style #5

<script style="text/javascript" src="https://helplogger.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/helplogger/recentposts2.js"></script>
<script style="text/javascript">
var posts_no = 5;
var showpoststhumbs = true;
var readmorelink = true;
var showcommentslink = true;
var posts_date = true;
</script>
<script src="/feeds/posts/default?orderby=published&alt=json-in-script&callback=showlatestpostswiththumbs" rel="nofollow"></script>
<a style="font-size: 9px; color: #CECECE; float: right; margin: 5px;" href="http://helplogger.blogspot.com/2014/11/5-cool-recent-post-widgets-for-blogger.html" rel="nofollow">Recent Posts Widget</a>
<noscript>Your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript>
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lobster|Gloria+Hallelujah' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' />
<style type="text/css">
img.recent-post-thumb {width:50px;height:50px;float:right;margin: -4px -35px 0px 0px; border: 4px solid #FCD6CB; border-radius: 100%;}
.recent-posts-container {font-family: 'Gloria Hallelujah', cursive; float: left;width: 100%;min-height: 55px;margin: 5px 0px 5px 0px;padding: 0;font-size:12px;}
ul.recent-posts-container {counter-reset: countposts;list-style-type: none; background: #fff; }
ul.recent-posts-container li:before {content: counter(countposts,decimal);counter-increment: countposts;z-index: 2;position:absolute; left: -20px; font-size: 16px;color: #616662;background: #FCD6CB;padding: 9px 14px; border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 15px;}
ul.recent-posts-container li {padding:5px 0px;min-height:50px; list-style-type: none; margin: -2px 5px 5px 5px; border-top: 2px solid #FCD6CB;}
ul.recent-posts-container {border: 2px solid #FCD6CB; }
.recent-posts-container a { text-decoration:none; }
.recent-posts-container a:hover { color: #222;}
.post-date {color:#e0c0c6; font-size: 11px; }
.recent-post-title a {font-size: 14px;color: #616662;}
.recent-post-title {padding: 6px 0px;}
.recent-posts-details a{ color: #888;}
.recent-posts-details {padding-bottom: 5px;}
a.readmorelink {color: #4DACE3;}
</style>

How to Add Recent Posts Widget on Blogger

Want to add one of the styles above? Just follow the following steps below:

Step 1. Log in to your Blogger dashboard and click on your blog
Step 2. Go to "Layout" and click the "Add a gadget" link on the right side
Step 3. From the pop-up window, scroll down and select the "HTML/JavaScript" gadget:

Step 4. Paste the code of the chosen widget found below it.
Step 5. Hit the "Save" button... and that's it!

Keep Your Blog Updated

Using a recent post widget for Blogger can truly benefit you and improve your skill as a blogger. As you can see, these designs can look great on Blogger sites, but they do act a little bit like a progress report for the author. If you start to fall behind, the dates on your recent post widget will definitely give you away.

Set a schedule and make sure that you are making regular posts on the blog. These posts will be automatically updated on your widget and readers can view this information whenever they want. Add your recent post widget for Blogger on the every page of the blog or in your template so that these posts can encourage others to continue reading, thus increasing the total time spent on your site.