The Mysterious Pages Index Gadget

We get occasional reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about a broken Pages gadget.

I created a new page - but when you click on the link, you get bounced back to the Home page!

When you look at the blog with the problem, it's easy enough to verify the report - just look at the URL behind the link, for the most recent page created. Indeed, it points straight to the Home page (base URL for the blog).

When this happens, there is a very simple workaround. Just create another page, identical to the problem entry.

Thinking of the past 4 years since the Static Pages feature was added to Blogger, I am betting that I have seen this report maybe 2 dozen times. That is, just enough to know that this is a problem - but nowhere enough to detect any pattern.

• BlogSpot vs custom domain.
• Template Name.
• Template type ("designer" / "layout" vs "dynamic").
• Position of Pages gadget ("Tabs" vs "Sidebar").
• Geographical location of owner.
• Dynamic vs Static page entry.
• Number of pages.

I have not yet seen any obvious affinity, with this problem - mainly because it's reported too infrequently.

If your blog is affected by this oddity - and you feel like taking the time, I'd like for you to first try resetting the "Pages1" gadget, similar to resetting the Post Template aka "Blog1". If that does not produce an improvement, then try the workaround - add an additional page, identical to the broken one. See if that solves the problem.

If the additional page works better, then you can delete or hide the previously created (broken) page. My apologies to you, if the problem page is the 19th (or possibly the 20th) static page.

If you're here, looking for help with this problem, and it is now 2016 (or later), my congratulations to you for finding your way here.

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Blogger Magic - Managing The Pages In Your Blog

Some blog owners are never quite sure how to manage all characteristics of the Pages, in their blog.

From time to time, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?, we see evidence of the confusion.

How do I hide the Home tab?

or

I can't rename my pages!

Some blog owners may know of one Pages management wizard, but not another. To the untrained, it may all seem like one big magic show.

There are actually 3 wizards, which let us manage the pages.

• The Configure Page List wizard (aka Pages gadget).
• The Layout wizard.
• The Pages wizard.

The Configure Page List wizard is accessed from the Layout wizard, by Editing the Pages gadget - or can be accessed from the blog face, using the QuickEdit icon, if QuickEdit is enabled. It has several functions, in managing pages.

• Change the Title of the Pages gadget, in the Layout wizard display.
• Hide / Show specific pages.
• Reorder specific pages, by dragging and dropping in the Page order wizard.

The Layout wizard is accessed from the dashboard. It has two functions, in managing pages.

• Provide access to the "Configure Page List" wizard, by Editing the Pages gadget.
• Relocate / restructure the pages list, by dragging and dropping the Pages gadget.
  • Drag the Pages gadget to the top of the blog layout, and it morphs into the tabs gadget.
  • Drag the Pages gadget into the sidebar, and it morphs into a linklist.

The Pages wizard is accessed from the dashboard. It has various functions, in managing pages.

• Hide / relocate / restructure the pages list, by changing the "Show pages as" selection.
  • Selected as "Top tabs", it relocates to the top of the blog layout, and morphs to the tabs gadget.
  • Selected as "Side links", it relocates to the top of the sidebar, and morphs into a linklist.
  • Selected as "Don't show", it disappears, and lets you develop your own page list gadget (or not).
• Reorder specific pages, by dragging and dropping in the Pages order wizard.
• Add pages, using the "New page" selection.
  • Selecting "Blank page", you can create a new static page.
  • Selecting "Web address", you can create a new dynamic page.
• Selecting "Edit" or "Delete" for a specific page beneath "Pages", you can
  • Edit the Title of a page.
  • Edit the content of a static page.
  • Edit the URL of a dynamic page.
  • Delete a page.

None of this is magic - though the differing abilities of the several different wizards may bring to mind the different members in a typical MMORPG team.

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The Missing / Invisible Pages Index Gadget

Occasionally, a blog owner wants to add the Pages Index gadget to the blog, but just can't.

I go to add it - and I see "Already Added" - but where is it?

The first thing to check, when this happens, is the "Show pages as" option in the dashboard Pages display. Sometimes, you'll find "Don't show" selected. Other times, you'll find "Top tabs" - but the template may lack the code which houses the "Top tabs" gadget. This will be a problem for older templates, installed before the Pages index gadget was offered - as well as some third party templates.

Try selecting "Side links" (or change from "Side links", to "Top tabs", and back to "Side links") - and see if the gadget shows up, in the sidebar. Each time you change the setting, hit "Save arrangement".

After each change, view the blog, to verify success. Remember to clear cache, and restart the browser, each time you view the blog.

Once you get the gadget to show up in the sidebar - and if it matters - change the option to "Top tabs", and see if it shows up there. If not, you'll have several options.

• If the template came from a third party, change back to a standard Blogger template.
• Upgrade the template, to a newer version.
• Set the Pages Index back to "Side links".
• Reset the widget template.

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