All Template Changes Won't Always Be Visible, When The Blog Is Published

Not all blog owners appreciate the differences between using the various template wizards, and what they will actually see, once the blog is published.

The confusion about the various template wizards, and what is actually seen, expressed in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, is numerous.

Why aren't my changes to the template being saved?

This question is expressed in a number of ways - and has a number of causes.

There are a number of causes of template problems, in general.

• Some problem are caused by Blogger Engineering, as they manage the Blogger application.
• Some problems are caused by the blog owners, as they use (and yes, misuse) the Blogger application.
• Some problems are simply caused by the perception of the blog owners, and will never be resolved, to everybody's expectations.

If you're viewing this blog using a desktop / laptop computer, with a "normal" browser, and you can find the "View Source" control, take a look at the source for this page. Compare what you see there with the display in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard (and allow for some confusion, when using "Edit HTML").

• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Designer" / "Layout" template, you'll see a lot of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Dynamic" template, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog using a redirected "mobile" browser view, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you're using a "mobile" computer, you probably won't even have an option to "View Source".

The bulk of the options in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, in the "Layout" wizard, and in the Template Designer, are intended to change the "Designer" / "Layout" template views. The three wizards have much less effect, against the "Dynamic" / "Mobile" template views.

If you tweak the CSS settings in "Edit HTML" or the Template Designer - or if you change the layout using "Layout" or the Template Designer - you may not see all of the changes reflected in either a Dynamic or Mobile view.

Sometimes, this is because you have already tweaked the template improperly, preventing the wizard from saving your latest changes. Other times, it may be simply because the Dynamic and Mobile templates are not designed to let you tweak the settings in question.

We've also seen vague suggestions that having the mobile template active can cause the Template Designer font and style selections to be non operational. Font settings, made using the Template Designer, won't be saved and won't appear in the blog, when published. Right now, we're unsure whether the Live Preview window updates reliably.

And recently, uncontrolled customisation of the blog accessory complement, and of the dynamic template code, have caused instability in network access, when viewing blogs using dynamic views.

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Blogger And Mobile Computers

Using the term "mobile computer" is an example of the challenges involved, in using this variety of computer.

Even identifying this device, which is present in so many different manifestations, is confusing.

• Mobile Computer.
• Mobile WiFi device.
• Personal Digital Assistant.
• Pocket phone.
• Smart Phone.
• Tablet.

As the use of mobile computers becomes more common, we're seeing more and more problem reports and questions, from people unable to use Blogger.

• Some folks would like to maintain and publish their own blog.
• Others would like to post comments to their friends blogs.
• And still others don't understand why all of the various gadgets on their blog don't work for their friends, who are also using their own mobile computers.

One of the challenges of mobile computers involves the use of smaller displays, and the need to simplify the content displayed. This requires the use of special browsers and templates, which are designed to accommodate the limitations. The need to support additional browsers and templates creates more work for Blogger Engineering, who now has more different products to support.

Also, many mobile computers are designed to work over proprietary networks, provided by various "phone" companies. Blogger has traditionally supported use of alternate services - email, and SMS - for publishing posts to their blogs.

All of these differences create complexity, and additional possibilities for failure. And we see more problem reports, attributed to use of "mobile" computers.

Full function ("desktop" / "laptop") computers have challenges - but they are still easier to use.

We know about the different major browser brands, and the differences created by the use of each browser, on our desktop and laptop computers.

Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari all have their various peculiarities. These differences are multiplied, when considering the issues involved in developing new features - and in keeping up with new browser versions, and continually updating the various Blogger features and wizards, when required.

Besides the various different browsers, we have to consider the different activities involved in using Blogger. Browsing blog posts, browsing comments, publishing comments, maintaining the blog, and publishing posts, are all different activities - and have their own different needs.

The relative lack of limitations in "desktop" / "laptop" computers still makes each different activity simpler for the blog owner or reader. The process of developing and supporting the different Blogger features is easier for Blogger Engineering. These differences are not so transparent, when using a "mobile" computer.

Mobile computers have known limitations.

• Reduced display size.
• Reduced display colour depth.
• Reduced processor speed.
• Lack of various system features and utilities.
• Lack of a physical keyboard.

All of these details require mobile browsers and templates which operate differently, and the various Blogger features and processes must be used differently.

Try performing the various tasks identified above, using your desktop and mobile computer - and observe the differences. You'll quickly realise the differences, when browsing blog posts, browsing comments, publishing comments, publishing posts, and maintaining your own blog.

One of the workarounds, used by Blogger, to deal with the reduced functionality of a mobile browser / computer, is the "mobile" template. The mobile template, which is optional for all modern Blogger blogs, displays only text and pictures - and eliminates the many accessories, gadgets, and shiny formatting which may be seen in any blog with a "normal" template.

The different layouts of the posts and comments, on a mobile template, makes posting comments a different experience - and the lack of the various gadgets will produce different visitor activity.

The differences between the various "desktop" browsers are considerably less noticeable than the differences between some "mobile" browsers and computers. Most desktop computers use 3 different operating systems.

• Apple / Macintosh.
• Linux / Unix.
• Microsoft Windows.

Even with the different operating systems, the realities of marketplace competition creates some interoperability between the different desktop operating systems - and the different browsers are similarly common in design.

The better known mobile computers also have 3 major different operating systems.

• Android.
• Apple/iOS.
• Microsoft Windows.

Not all PDAs and smart phones use the standard 3 operating systems, however - some use proprietary browsers and operating systems, unique to the manufacturers. And the proprietary networks, provided by the different phone companies, further reduce the possibility of interoperability.

Lack of interoperability is going to create differences in how well different applications, such as Blogger, operate on the different mobile computers. These differences will be more significant than the differences created by the various "desktop" browsers, and operating systems - and we'll see more complaints from blog owners who can't use Blogger on their tablet, or whose readers can't post comments, using their smart phones.

Increasingly common use of multimedia content (both music and video) on mobile computers - combined with the lack of consistent support for cookies and scripts (and possibly, filtering of cookies and scripts) - will make availability of content differ, from computer to computer. Another problem here is lack of consistent support for the Adobe Flash product - which makes some YouTube content non playable, on some mobile computers.

Also consider the various security issues which may be different with mobile computers. Both the different security threats, and the different protective features, will make secure use of mobile computers a challenge - particularly when carried in public.

Fortunately, as mobile computers benefit from ongoing technological advances, improved design of mobile computers may make some limitations less significant. Improved displays, operating systems, and additional security devices are all coming.

As people buy and use more mobile computers, the differences between "desktop" and "mobile" computers will narrow. And use of different new desktop and mobile features, like innovative computer desktops, and products like Google Glass, will force desktop, laptop, and mobile computers to converge in functionality.

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Some Blog Owners Reporting The Template Designer Changes Do Not Update On Their Blogs

For several weeks, we're been seeing various reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, mentioning problems with template updates, being made using the Template Designer wizard.

The reports are not so widespread to indicate a complete malfunction - but neither can we dismiss the problem, as being unique to one browser, one template type, or one particular update pattern.

It's likely that we are looking at a number of problems, aggregated and compounded, into one common symptom.

I cannot Save changes in Template Designer.

With a problem report like this, some examining of the details may be appropriate.

The Template Designer wizard, which is a component in the Blogger Dashboard, is a complex and sophisticated collection of menus and utilities, which runs on the blog owners computers.

Like most Blogger code, the Template Designer is subject to the effects of other programs, and various security settings - which may be installed or set on each individual computer, with or without the understanding of the blog owner and / or computer owner. In some cases, the blog owner and computer owner may be different people.

If you are seeing a problem with the Template Designer, when trying to update the layout on your blog, there are several tests which you can make, which may help to isolate the problem.

• Try making the same updates, using another computer.
• Try making the same updates, using another browser on your current computer.
• Try setting up a new blog, with the same template, and make the same updates to the new blog.

If you're able to make one or more of the above alternate updates, that will help to eliminate some, or many, alternate suspects, as the cause of your problem. If other people are reporting this problem, their results from the above tests may or may not correspond with yours - because their base problem may differ from yours.

Right now, we're seeing seven different causes of these problems.

1. Changes made by Blogger Engineering, to support new browser versions and browser updates, and to provide new template features.
2. Changes inherent in new browser versions, made by the browser vendors.
3. Third party browser add-ons, installed by the owners of the various computers.
4. Security settings, inherent in new browser versions and third party add-ons.
5. The cumulative effects of various template tweaks, both made using "Edit HTML" and the Template Designer itself.
6. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against all templates provided by Blogger.
7. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against templates not provided by Blogger.

Of these possible causes, only #1 (and possibly #2 and #6) are the sole responsibility of Blogger Engineering. The blog owners (and computer owners) must assume some partial responsibility for #2 - and sole responsibility for #3, #4, and #5. The blog owner, and the developer of any custom, third party template, must jointly assume responsibility for #7.

Recently, Blogger Support acknowledged the problem, in part.

Some users have reported that the Apply to Blog button in the Template Designer is non-functional for some Dynamic View templates.

We also have a Rollup Discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where individual details are being provided by various blog owners.

Right now, we're starting to suspect that some "problems" are actually caused by the blog owners, who are simply not aware that not all changes made, using the Template Designer (or the Layout or Template "Edit HTML" wizards), are designed to update all templates used in viewing our blogs.

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Template Designer Upgrades Require Supporting Updates To The Individual Blog Templates

This week, we're seeing a small flood of problem reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken about problems with the Template Designer.

Every time I change something, I have to refresh the page in order for it to show up. It won't "Save" when I try to save the layout changes. It just says "Saving..." at the top of the page and fades away, but doesn't actually save any changes.

Many problems involve changes made to the template, using the Designer, which aren't being saved - or are broken when saved. Most of the people reporting these problems have made changes to the template, previously - some are so experienced at making changes, they can't believe that their latest changes could ever have problems.

Interestingly, this history of changes is not a coincidence - and it's likely that some of the changes helps to cause these problems.

Take a look at the template code in your blog, some time. You'll notice a lot of code which doesn't look like CSS, HTML, or XML. Some of it is code which supports the various blog features that are adjusted or configured using the Template Designer.

Many template features involve two sets of code.

1. The Template Designer wizard, part of the Blogger dashboard, is common code used by all blog owners.
2. The blog template, post template, and / or widget template, is part of the individual blogs. Some template code does nothing but support the Template Designer - and let you configure your blog layout,

Every time Blogger Engineering adds or updates template features, they have to make changes to both sets of code.

Blogger Engineering does not edit each individual blog, after they upgrade the Template Designer. They make changes to the master template code - and their changes replicate into the individual blog templates. These changes replicate much more consistently, when the individual templates have not been changed.

The more custom a template is, with changes applied by the blog owner or in a third party template, the less likely it is to properly update, to support each succeeding Template Designer update. Any time Blogger Engineering updates the Template Designer, to add a new feature, or maybe to support a new browser version, their updates may require changes which are not properly applied to all blogs - and the Template Designer stops working, in some blogs.

When the Template Designer stops working, the usual recommendation is to refresh the post or widget template - or maybe to upgrade the blog template - and things start rolling again. And the blog owner goes back to tweaking the template, until something breaks again.

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Dynamic Templates, As Part Of Blogger History

Recently, we've seen people who want to use a dynamic template on their blog - but are unwilling to put up with the limitations.

Why can't Google make its Dynamic View Template easy to customize?

and

Why can't I choose who I want reading my blog, and let my readers use a dynamic view?

and

Why should I publish my blog to a "Dynamic Template" - which appears to be Google speak for "It doesn't work at all."?

Not every Blogger blog owner realises why the dynamic templates work as they do, yet offer as few options.

To understand why dynamic templates work - or don't work - as they do, one should understand the history of Blogger blogs, and use of templates.