Dynamic Template Instabilities Have Multiple Causes

For some time, we've been seeing reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about blogs using blogs using dynamic views, which display incompletely, and lack specific features.

Various blog owners have developed, and reported, a workaround to the problem, which involves using an unpublicised Blogger setting found in the template HTML code. This workaround sets a loading delay, known as Timeout.

There are several different causes of the dynamic view problem - some varying by the different blogs, others varying by the blog viewers - and some, varying by the Blogger / Google infrastructure. None of the causes will be universal in effect. This will result in varying success, when using a static Timeout setting as a workaround for the problems.

The current workaround for the problem - changing the Timeout setting - will have immediate success with some blog owners, partial or temporary solution with many, and no solution with others.

The inconsistency will come from the various causes of the latency - and from the variety of symptoms being reported. The latency is the cause for development of the Timeout tweak.


There are three details which cause latency, and which result in missing dynamic view content, of varying effect.

• Complexity of blog content - unique to each blog.
• Computer and network issues - unique to each different client computer.
• Server and network issues - unique to the Blogger / Google networks and servers which support dynamic templates.

Complexity of blog content is the only detail which can be consistently resolved, by a change in the Timeout. As any dynamic template blog becomes more complex, increasing Timeout improves the chance that all blog content - including gadgets and template customisations - will be packaged before the blog is viewed. Each blog owner will be responsible for evaluating the need for this workaround, on an ongoing basis - based on current blog complexity.

Computer and network issues causes problems, that may be partially resolved, by the blog owners. Each blog owner can make the Timeout relevant to the known audience. Any blog, with an audience known to have problems, can be tuned by the blog owner, as necessary. Each blog owner will be responsible for evaluating the need for this workaround, on an ongoing basis - based on the needs of the majority of the known blog viewer audience.

Overall load on the Blogger / Google networks and servers causes problems that cannot be consistently resolved, by the blog owners. It's possible that some portion of the latency problem is regional in nature - in that Blogger / Google resources may not be evenly allocated, world wide, to support dynamic template use. Blogger / Google will be responsible for evaluating the need for this solution - based on current complaint level and load on network resources.

Any action taken by Blogger / Google will present a challenge, for several reasons. Note the problems discussed here are unique to dynamic views - because of the unique design of the dynamic templates.

• The Timeout setting will have a global effect, for each blog with a problem - even though the problem may not be global.
• As more blog owners resolve their immediate problems, by increasing the Timeout, this will put more load on Blogger / Google resources.
• As more blog owners report their immediate problems solved, this will encourage still more blog owners to use dynamic templates, and to try increasing the Timeout on their blogs.
• More blogs using dynamic templates will put still more load on Blogger / Google resources - and this will necessitate still more Timeout increases.
• Some blog owners, using computers or Internet service particularly susceptible to causing the symptoms, may try the basic workaround ("500"), which may not produce results - and may falsely conclude that their symptoms are not caused by the problem. A few owners may persistently try "1000", or "2000" or higher - and may eventually observe an improvement - while other owners may not.

The only long term solutions to this problem lies with Blogger / Google. Blogger / Google has two options.

• Halt or restrict customisations of dynamic templates.
• Tune their network resources better, to make latency less of an issue.

The latter option will require supporting action, by blog owners and readers.

• People who view blogs using dynamic templates have to tune their own computers and networks, so they do not contribute to the problem.
• Some blog owners may have to accept reality - that their reader audience simply can't be properly served, given the level of customisation required by their blog design.

The bottom line is that some blogs will never be properly served, if the owners insist on using dynamic templates, and customising uncontrollably. Blogger / Google cannot provide the universal solution.

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Dynamic Template Instabilities Have Multiple Symptoms

Recently, we've been seeing a few reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about blogs using dynamic templates, which display incompletely, and lack specific features.

Various blog owners have developed, and reported, a workaround to the problem, which involves using an unpublicised Blogger setting found in the template HTML code. This workaround sets a loading delay, known as Timeout.

The currently recommended Timeout setting will force a fixed delay on blogs using the workaround, which may not be 100% effective in all cases. The effectiveness may vary, according to the specific problems reported by the various blog owners.

Problems reported by blog owners, which involve dynamic templates, center around several distinct areas.

• Absence of comments, displayed after the posts.
• Absence of multiple gadgets, in the popout sidebar.
• Absence of Pages entries in the display header bar.
• Absence of Posts ("No Posts Found"), with blogs heavy on photos.
• Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Add CSS".
• Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Edit HTML".

Each of these different symptoms will be caused by different needs, in publishing a blog - and the different symptoms will be observed by owners with different technical skill level.

Absence of multiple gadgets, in the popout sidebar is probably common to most blogs, as most blogs have more than one accessory gadget. Blog owners reporting this problem may be of very low technical skill level - and will likely have problems applying the workaround.

This problem may be more common than problem reports would imply - as not everybody with a blog, with this problem, will observe the unusually short accessory tab when the accessory bar is docked.

Absence of comments, displayed after the posts will be observed by blog owners who focus on comments, as part of their networking strategy. This will generally involve the more popular blogs (with lots of comments, making their absence more noticeable). Blog owners reporting this problem may be of low technical skill level - and may have problems applying the workaround.

This problem may be more common than problem reports would imply - as not everybody with a blog, with this problem, will observe the absence of comments, displayed after the posts. Some owners, with blogs which receive less comments than others, may not even care.

Absence of Pages entries in the display header bar will be reported by blog owners who have setup a complex structure of dynamic and static pages, and a Pages index to index the pages. The blog owners reporting this will have medium skill level, with the ability to use the Pages wizard. These owners may not necessarily have the ability - or desire - to use the Template Editor effectively. Some of these owners may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of Posts ("No Posts Found"), with blogs heavy on photos, will be visible in blogs using "Flipcard", "Snapshot", and similar views. Blog owners reporting this problem may be publishing photoblogs. These blog owners will be those who spend a lot of time providing photos - and who may not notice other symptoms, like missing header or sidebar features. These blog owners may be of low technical skill level - and may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Add CSS" will be reported by blog owners who carefully applied appearance and style tweaks, using the Template Designer. The blog owners who apply these tweaks will have medium technical skill level, and the ability to use the "Add CSS" feature in the Template Designer. Some of these owners may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Edit HTML" will be reported by blog owners who customised the blog appearance, using the Template Editor. These blog owners will be of the highest technical skill level. These owners should have no problem applying the workaround.

With the assortment of problems to be fixed by Blogger Engineering, we will likely see each problem worked on, separately. As each problem is solved, we'll likely see new problems become more visible - and existing problems become more urgent, in the eyes of the blog owners.

The number of different possible symptoms, in combination with the number of possible causes of the problems, will create an apparently infinite number of differing complaints - and inconsistent visibility of the problems. Blogger Engineering will be busy, for a while, resolving these problems.

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Dynamic Templates, And Network Problems - #2

We're been getting problem reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from various dissatisfied blog owners, who chose a dynamic template for their blog.

The problems reported involve various symptoms.

• Blogs displayed will lack various gadgets, in the slideout gadget bar.
• Some blogs, when customised, will display using default layout and template settings.
• Some customisations, applied recently, just won't show up.

Various blog owners have discovered a solution, based on code present in newer dynamic templates. This solution has been publicised, in forum discussions - and in various blogs and web sites.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 1000);
</script>

The solution, as proposed, involves a very simple change - but the change won't be immediately, or permanently, 100% effective.

The solution, being publicised by various blog owners and forum helpers, involves a very simple change, using the template editor.

Once you have a secured a back up of your blog template, click on Edit HTML and you will see the html editor come up. Scroll down to the bottom of your template to where you see code that looks like this.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 0);
</script>

Change the 0 to 1000 so it looks like this.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 1000);
</script>

Click on Save Template.

Here, as always, I will strongly recommend that you backup the template, twice - before, and after, you make this template change.

This solution - changing the Timeout setting - will have immediate success with some blog owners, partial or temporary solution with many, and no solution with others.

The number of possible causes of the problems, in combination with the variety of possible symptoms, will create a visibly infinite number of differing complaints - and some complaints will continue, even with the workaround applied. Blogger Engineering will be busy, for a while, resolving these problems.

Once again, I'll suggest that you consider the functional and historical reasons for existence of the dynamic templates. Consider exercising some restraint, when customising your blog. Be part of the solution.

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The LightBox Image Display Option Stopped Working, Recently

Last week, the popular display option, Lightbox, used for showing full size images in Blogger blogs, stopped working.

Anxious blog owners reported that full size images are now being displayed in a normal browser window, with the browser back arrow required to return to the blog display - instead of the elegant black background overlay with the mysterious "X" which closes the overlay. The problem appears to affect all images in the blogs affected.

An immediate sampling of the forum problem reports suggested that it's likely that all Blogger blogs are affected. Since not all blogs may contain enough images, and be owned by people who are attentive enough, we are not seeing massive volumes of problem reports.

We did open a rollup discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where we are gathering a good sample of the blogs involved. To date, no obvious affinity has been discovered, in the over 100 responses posted.

Today, we have a mysterious suggestion, posted in a forum discussion, which may provide a workaround for the problem.

We are advised to add a brief snippet of code to the template.

<script src='http://www.blogger.com/static/v1/jsbin/2321381434-lbx__fr.js' type='text/javascript'/>

The snippet in question is added to the very end of the template, using the "Edit HTML" option, in the dashboard Template wizard, after </body>, and before </html>.

</script>
</body>
<script src='http://www.blogger.com/static/v1/jsbin/2321381434-lbx__fr.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
</html>

I added this snippet of code to the template for this blog. I don't use a lot of images in this blog - but you may examine one previous post, where you will find a picture. If you click on that one picture, you will see the full size image displayed in Lightbox format - which was not the case, earlier today.

The code snippet in question is hosted in "blogger.com", so it should be safe. And, it's not difficult to add - or to remove. That said, I have no idea if it may conflict with other code - so anything is possible. It is marginally more reliable than third party code.

I've done no further testing of this fix, so I'll await your feedback. You may comment here - or in the rollup discussion.

Remove The "Next Blog" Link From The Navbar

Ever since Blogger added the "Next Blog" link to the Blogger Navbar, blog owner and readers alike have periodically asked one question, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?.

How do I remove the "Next Blog" link, from the Navbar?

The "Next Blog" link, long ago added to generate random traffic for new blogs, is occasionally perceived as leading unwary readers to blogs where they should not wish to go. Some "adults" of various intention have asked this question, quite seriously, in fear of their blogs being inadvertently linked to blogs with unsavoury content.

The navbar coded as it is, there is no known ability to customise it, and to remove specific elements such as the "Next Blog" link. Generally, we simply advise people, when they have the need, to remove the Navbar.

Use the Layout wizard, Edit the "Navbar" gadget, and select "Off".

That noted, it is possible to remove the "Next Blog" link (and all buttons and links to its left), with a bit of CSS - for blogs with the owner able and comfortable with using the Template Designer. For a simple way to remove the "Next Blog" link, use the "Add CSS" menu option in the Template Designer, and add one snippet of code.

#navbar-iframe {
margin-left:-510px;
}

When you do this, you will lose 5 other buttons and links.

• The dashboard icon.
• The Blog Search window.
• The "G+ Share" icon.
• The share count display.
• The multi-function share / "Report Abuse" menu.

So hackers / spammers will appreciate the last menu being unavailable, on their blogs.

You may see this tweak demonstrated, in my New Template Laboratory. It's an ugly solution - but for blog owners who truly don't want their blogs linking to "Next Blog", it may be useful.

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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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