Saturday, October 19, 2013

Adding a Meta Description to Blogger

An important part of a good SEO is the implementation of meta tags, which are commonly located in the header of our website, that are being, in the same time, invisible to users visiting the site. Well, to be more succinct, these tags have only one purpose: to include information about the page such as author name, date, key word, description, title, among others.

However, here we will only mention one, which is the meta description in Blogger. This description will appear as a fragment in the search results and as a description when sharing on Google+, Facebook and other social networks. A clear and precise description increases the chances of getting more clicks or visits.
As we will work only on the Blogger platform, here I will leave a little guide to easily add a meta description.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Adding a Youtube Video in the Background of a Blogger blog

Some of you might have wondered how to put a video to play in the blog's background, so that instead of having just a color or an image, to have a video. We can do this thanks to the jQuery plugin Tubular that lets you use a YouTube video as a background of a web page.

Although the result can be very original and attractive, I must say it has three drawbacks: they can not be silenced, if the video has ads, they will also appear, and it can slow the loading time of the blog, so if anyone wants to use it, may consider putting it only on special occasions, or on blogs that load very quickly.
Also it can be done in HTML5, the problem with this method is that you need to load the video in 3 different formats (.mp4, .webm and .ovg) along with a picture for browsers that do not support them, so this YouTube option seems more practical to me, despite the drawbacks.

blogger gadgets, blogger tricks, blogger widgets

You can see it working on this demo blog

Steps 

1. The first step is to just above the </head> tag, this script:
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>

<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
/* jQuery tubular plugin
|* by Sean McCambridge
|* http://www.seanmccambridge.com/tubular
|* Copyright 2012
|* licensed under the MIT License
|* Enjoy.
|*
|* Thanks,
|* Sean */

var videoWidth = 853;
var videoRatio = 16/9;
var defaultDiv = 'wrapper-video';

jQuery.fn.tubular = function(videoId,wrapperId) {
wrapperId = (typeof(wrapperId) == undefined) ? 'wrapper-video' : wrapperId;
t = setTimeout("resizePlayer()",1000);

jQuery('html,body').css('height','100%');
jQuery('body').prepend('<div id="yt-container" style="overflow: hidden; position: fixed; z-index: 1;"><div id="ytapiplayer">You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.</div></div><div id="video-cover" style="position: fixed; width: 100%; height: 100%; z-index: 2;"></div>');
jQuery('#' + wrapperId).css({position: 'relative', 'z-index': 99});

var ytplayer = 0;
var pageWidth = 0;
var pageHeight = 0;
var videoHeight = videoWidth / videoRatio;
var duration;

var iframe = '<iframe id="myytplayer" width="' + videoWidth + '" height="' + videoHeight + '" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/' + videoId + '?autoplay=1&controls=0&modestbranding=1&showinfo=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&version=3&wmode=transparent&loop=1&playlist=' + videoId + '" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';

jQuery('#ytapiplayer').html(iframe);
jQuery(window).resize(function() {
resizePlayer();
});
return this;
}

function onYouTubePlayerReady(playerId) {
ytplayer = document.getElementById("myytplayer");
ytplayer.setPlaybackQuality('medium');
ytplayer.mute();
}

function resizePlayer() {
var newWidth = jQuery(window).width();
var newHeight = jQuery(window).height();
jQuery('#yt-container, #video-cover').width(newWidth).height(newHeight);
if (newHeight > newWidth / videoRatio) {
newWidth = newHeight * videoRatio;
}
jQuery('#myytplayer').width(newWidth).height(newWidth/videoRatio);
}

//]]>
</script>
And this one too:
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
$().ready(function() {
$('body').tubular('61BLn00AN_w','wrapper-video');
});
//]]>
</script>
2. Then locate the <body> tag (CTRL + F)
Or if you are using a template from Template Designer, find this line:
<body expr:class='&quot;loading&quot; + data:blog.mobileClass'>
3. Under either of these two, add this:
<div id='wrapper-video'>
4. Now search for the </body> tag, and before it put this:
</div>
Save the changes and that's it. In red you must put the ID of Youtube video, the ID are the characters that appear at the end of the URL:


Remember: There is no option to mute, so if you don't want to have sound as in the demo blog, you have to choose a video that has no sound. I also recommend using a video in HD in case you don't want any black parts to show around it.

If you are using jQuery, remove other versions that you have to avoid duplication and have problems.

Author | jQuery Tubular

Create a Background Slideshow for Blogger

In the previous post we saw how to make the blog's background fill the screen regardless of the resolution of the monitor. The method that we'll use now with jQuery is a plugin called BackStretch which also has the option of creating a slideshow of pictures as a blog wallpaper without losing the property of adjusting to the width and height of the screen.

slideshow for blogger, blogger widgets

What we will do in this entry is just this, try to make the blog's background to have some images that are changing, all with fade effect between each transition.
You can see an example in this demo blog.

To put this slideshow in the blog's background, just go to Template - Edit HTML and before </head> add the following code:
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script>
//<![CDATA[
/*
* jQuery Backstretch
* Version 1.2.8
* http://srobbin.com/jquery-plugins/jquery-backstretch/
* Add a dynamically-resized background image to the page
* Copyright (c) 2012 Scott Robbin (srobbin.com)
* Licensed under the MIT license
* https://raw.github.com/srobbin/jquery-backstretch/master/LICENSE.txt
*/
;(function(a){a.backstretch=function(p,b,l){function s(){if(p){var b;0==c.length?c=a("<div />").attr("id","backstretch").css({left:0,top:0,position:m?"fixed":"absolute",overflow:"hidden",zIndex:-999999,margin:0,padding:0,height:"100%",width:"100%"}):c.find("img").addClass("deleteable");b=a("<img />").css({position:"absolute",display:"none",margin:0,padding:0,border:"none",zIndex:-999999,maxWidth:"none"}).bind("load",function(d){var b=a(this),e;b.css({width:"auto",height:"auto"});e=this.width||a(d.target).width();d=this.height||a(d.target).height();n=e/d;q();b.fadeIn(g.speed,function(){c.find(".deleteable").remove();"function"==typeof l&&l()})}).appendTo(c);0==a("body #backstretch").length&&(0===a(window).scrollTop()&&window.scrollTo(0,0),a("body").append(c));c.data("settings",g);b.attr("src",p);a(window).unbind("resize.backstretch").bind("resize.backstretch",function(){"onorientationchange"in window&&window.pageYOffset===0&&window.scrollTo(0,1);q()})}}function q(){try{j={left:0,top:0},rootWidth=h=o.width(),rootHeight=r?window.innerHeight:o.height(),f=h/n,f>=rootHeight?(k=(f-rootHeight)/2,g.centeredY&&(j.top="-"+k+"px")):(f=rootHeight,h=f*n,k=(h-rootWidth)/2,g.centeredX&&(j.left="-"+k+"px")),c.css({width:rootWidth,height:rootHeight}).find("img:not(.deleteable)").css({width:h,height:f}).css(j)}catch(a){}}var t={centeredX:!0,centeredY:!0,speed:0},c=a("#backstretch"),g=c.data("settings")||t;c.data("settings");var o,m,r,n,h,f,k,j;b&&"object"==typeof b&&a.extend(g,b);b&&"function"==typeof b&&(l=b);a(document).ready(function(){var b=window,d=navigator.userAgent,c=navigator.platform,e=d.match(/AppleWebKit\/([0-9]+)/),e=!!e&&e[1],f=d.match(/Fennec\/([0-9]+)/),f=!!f&&f[1],g=d.match(/Opera Mobi\/([0-9]+)/),h=!!g&&g[1],i=d.match(/MSIE ([0-9]+)/),i=!!i&&i[1];o=(m=!((-1<c.indexOf("iPhone")||-1<c.indexOf("iPad")||-1<c.indexOf("iPod"))&&e&&534>e||b.operamini&&"[object OperaMini]"==={}.toString.call(b.operamini)||g&&7458>h||-1<d.indexOf("Android")&&e&&533>e||f&&6>f||"palmGetResource"in window&&e&&534>e||-1<d.indexOf("MeeGo")&&-1<d.indexOf("NokiaBrowser/8.5.0")||i&&6>=i))?a(window):a(document);r=m&&window.innerHeight;s()});return this}})(jQuery);
//]]>
</script>
<script>
//<![CDATA[
var images = [
 "Image URL",
 "Image URL",
 "Image URL",
 "Image URL",
 "Image URL",
  ];

  $(images).each(function(){
 $('<img/>')[0].src = this;
  });
  var index = 0;
$.backstretch(images[index], {speed: 1000});
  var slideshow = setInterval(function() {
  index = (index >= images.length - 1) ? 0 : index + 1;
    $.backstretch(images[index]);
  }, 5000);
//]]>
</script>
Here add the URLs of the images that will be the background of your blog.
If you would like to add more pictures, just add after the var images = [ another line like this:
 "Image URL",
The images will be changing in the order you have added them, if you want these to appear in a random order, then change the second part of the code with this:
<script>
//<![CDATA[
var images=new Array();
images[ 1 ]="Image URL";
images[ 2 ]="Image URL";
images[ 3 ]="Image URL";
images[ 4 ]="Image URL";
images[ 5 ]="Image URL";

  Array.prototype.shuffle = function() {
  var len = this.length;
  var i = len;
  while (i--) {
  var p = parseInt(Math.random()*len);
  var t = this[i];
  this[i] = this[p];
  this[p] = t;
  }
};

  images.shuffle();
  $(images).each(function(){
 $('<img/>')[0].src = this;
  });
  var index = 0;
$.backstretch(images[index], {speed: 1000});
  var slideshow = setInterval(function() {
  index = (index >= images.length - 1) ? 0 : index + 1;
    $.backstretch(images[index]);
  }, 5000);
//]]>
</script>
You can also add more pictures by adding a line like this:
images[ 6 ]="Image URL";
But you will see that in this case there are some consecutive numbers in blue, so if you add another such as 6, then the next one should be 7, etc..

In both cases you can change the duration of each image which is in the 5000 value that is at the end of the script.
The advantage of this slideshow in the blog's background is that images are automatically resized to the size of the monitor, so that, no matter of the resolution, it should look good.

It is worth remembering that if you are using Scriptaculous, you have to make some changes, and if you already use jQuery, should leave only one version.

Author page | Backstretch

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Rounded Corners and Shadows for Images using CSS

Here are some unique border styles that you can apply to blogger images by using the border-radius property and defining either all four corners simultaneously or applying the rounded border only to some of them.

One of the advantages of CSS3 is that we can apply rounded borders without complicating things too much and one of the options would be to use these edges or borders to images in the blog posts, to which we can also add some hover effects such as shading and rounded borders accompanied by transitions.

Note: if you need more info about how to add rounded corners on images, follow these links:
- CSS Basics. How to Apply Rounded Corners On Images #1
- CSS Basics. How to Apply Rounded Corners On Images #2
Below are a few examples of these borders and how the images behave when you hover over them.
If you want to use one of these styles, just copy the code below the image, then go to Template, click on the Edit HTML button and paste that code before ]]></b:skin> (CTRL + F to find it)

.post-body img {
border:0;
padding:0;
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
}
.post-body img:hover {
box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #000; /* Shadow */
border-radius: 50%; /* Rounded border */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
cursor:pointer;
}
.post-body img {
background:#FFF; /* background color around the image */
padding:15px; /* space between border and image */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
}
.post-body img:hover {
box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #000; /* Shadow */
border-radius: 0% 50%; /* Rounded border */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
cursor:pointer;
}
.post-body img {
background:#FFF; /* the background color around the image */
padding:15px; /* The Space Between Border and Image */
border-radius: 50% 0; /* Rounded border */
box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #000; /* Shadow */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
}
.post-body img:hover {
border-radius:0; /* This removes the border roundness (value 0) */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
cursor:pointer;
}
.post-body img {
box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #000; /* Shadow */
border-radius: 50%; /* Rounded border */
border:0;
padding:0;
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
}
.post-body img:hover {
box-shadow: 0; /* With this we remove the shadow (value 0) */
border-radius: 0; /* This removes the border roundness (value 0) */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
cursor:pointer;
}
.post-body img {
border-radius: 45% / 20%; /* Rounded border */
box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #000; /* Shadow */
padding:0;
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
}
.post-body img:hover {
border-radius: 0; /* This removes the roundness of border (value 0) */
-moz-transition: all 1s;
-webkit-transition: all 1s;
-o-transition: all 1s;
cursor:pointer;
}
So these effects will apply to all images uploaded to your Blogger posts. But if you want to apply them only on certain pictures then change .post-body img with .rounded  and .post-body img:hover with .rounded:hoverThen add the rounded class selector in the image's code:
<img class="rounded" src="Image URL"/>
These are just some examples, however, you can modify them anytime by adding or deleting more CSS styles, it depends on everybody's tastes or needs. But as you have seen, we can make the images look way more attractive and this has been done only with CSS ;)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

How to make the background image of the blog fill the entire screen

A constant question is how to make the background image of the blog always fill the entire screen regardless of the resolution of the monitor. And that is when we put a background image as measured by our monitor forgetting that there are actually monitors of all resolutions, very small and very large. So if we put an image according to our screen, there will be someone with a bigger monitor that surely will not see the whole picture or it will be repeated, and in this case, using very small monitors, the image will be seen incomplete.

blogger tricks, blogger tutorials, blogger blogspot

Here I will talk about two solutions for this, one is using CSS3, and another is using jQuery. With either of these two, we'll make the background image of the page to fill the entire screen regardless of the resolution of it.

CSS3


The first option is using CSS3, the advantage with this method is that we do not overload the blog with scripts, we use only the background-size property that is responsible for doing what we want.
The disadvantage is that this property is supported only by modern browsers, so in the case of Internet Explorer, it will only be seen for version 9 and above, in other browsers there shouldn't be any problem.
The method is very simple, just go to Template - Edit HTML, locate the background that is within body { and replace it with this:
background: url(Image URL) no-repeat center center fixed;
background-size: cover;
Note: to find the body { tag, click anywhere inside the code area then press the CTRL + F keys and paste it inside the search box. If you can't find it, remove the space between "body" and "{" then search again.

It would look something like this:
body {
background: url(URL of the image) no-repeat center center fixed;
background-size: cover;
margin:0;
}
Just put the URL of the image and that's it.

jQuery


With this method we will use jQuery with BackStretch plugin, the advantage is that it works in all browsers, including IE7 and above. And if you already use jQuery, you don't have to worry about the loading time of your blog, because the plugin is actually small.

To use this method in your blog, go to Template - Edit HTML and before </head> paste this script:
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
/*
* jQuery Backstretch
* Version 1.2.8
* http://srobbin.com/jquery-plugins/jquery-backstretch/
* Add a dynamically-resized background image to the page
* Copyright (c) 2012 Scott Robbin (srobbin.com)
* Licensed under the MIT license
* https://raw.github.com/srobbin/jquery-backstretch/master/LICENSE.txt
*/
;(function(a){a.backstretch=function(p,b,l){function s(){if(p){var b;0==c.length?c=a("<div />").attr("id","backstretch").css({left:0,top:0,position:m?"fixed":"absolute",overflow:"hidden",zIndex:-999999,margin:0,padding:0,height:"100%",width:"100%"}):c.find("img").addClass("deleteable");b=a("<img />").css({position:"absolute",display:"none",margin:0,padding:0,border:"none",zIndex:-999999,maxWidth:"none"}).bind("load",function(d){var b=a(this),e;b.css({width:"auto",height:"auto"});e=this.width||a(d.target).width();d=this.height||a(d.target).height();n=e/d;q();b.fadeIn(g.speed,function(){c.find(".deleteable").remove();"function"==typeof l&&l()})}).appendTo(c);0==a("body #backstretch").length&&(0===a(window).scrollTop()&&window.scrollTo(0,0),a("body").append(c));c.data("settings",g);b.attr("src",p);a(window).unbind("resize.backstretch").bind("resize.backstretch",function(){"onorientationchange"in window&&window.pageYOffset===0&&window.scrollTo(0,1);q()})}}function q(){try{j={left:0,top:0},rootWidth=h=o.width(),rootHeight=r?window.innerHeight:o.height(),f=h/n,f>=rootHeight?(k=(f-rootHeight)/2,g.centeredY&&(j.top="-"+k+"px")):(f=rootHeight,h=f*n,k=(h-rootWidth)/2,g.centeredX&&(j.left="-"+k+"px")),c.css({width:rootWidth,height:rootHeight}).find("img:not(.deleteable)").css({width:h,height:f}).css(j)}catch(a){}}var t={centeredX:!0,centeredY:!0,speed:0},c=a("#backstretch"),g=c.data("settings")||t;c.data("settings");var o,m,r,n,h,f,k,j;b&&"object"==typeof b&&a.extend(g,b);b&&"function"==typeof b&&(l=b);a(document).ready(function(){var b=window,d=navigator.userAgent,c=navigator.platform,e=d.match(/AppleWebKit\/([0-9]+)/),e=!!e&&e[1],f=d.match(/Fennec\/([0-9]+)/),f=!!f&&f[1],g=d.match(/Opera Mobi\/([0-9]+)/),h=!!g&&g[1],i=d.match(/MSIE ([0-9]+)/),i=!!i&&i[1];o=(m=!((-1<c.indexOf("iPhone")||-1<c.indexOf("iPad")||-1<c.indexOf("iPod"))&&e&&534>e||b.operamini&&"[object OperaMini]"==={}.toString.call(b.operamini)||g&&7458>h||-1<d.indexOf("Android")&&e&&533>e||f&&6>f||"palmGetResource"in window&&e&&534>e||-1<d.indexOf("MeeGo")&&-1<d.indexOf("NokiaBrowser/8.5.0")||i&&6>=i))?a(window):a(document);r=m&&window.innerHeight;s()});return this}})(jQuery);
//]]>
</script>
<script>
$.backstretch("URL of the image");
</script>

Put the URL of the image where indicated and ready.

As you can see both options are easy to apply, each with its pros and cons, but the result is the same, stretching the background image to fit the screen of any monitor regardless of the resolution of it.

Remember that in the case of jQuery method, you should verify that you are not using Mootools or Scriptaculous, and if you already have it, you will have to implement some changes in the script to make it compatible. And if you already use jQuery remember having only one version - the last one.

Vertical drop down menu with jQuery

jGlideMenu is a vertical menu that can be dragged and dropped so that the reader can place it anywhere. In addition, he can browse through the tabs in a very peculiar manner that comes with a sliding effect giving a sexy touch.

One of the advantages is that it can store a large number of links and can be removed anytime by clicking the 'Close' button.

Vertical Dropdown Menu for Blogger Demo

To understand this jQuery dropdown menu better and see it in action, please visit the demo blog below. There we can drag the menu, navigate through its tabs or close it.

vertical menu, menu for blogger



How to Add Vertical Drop down Menu with jQuery in Blogger

To add a vertical drop-down menu with jQuery in a Blogger blog, follow these steps:

1. From your Blogger dashboard, go to 'Template' and click the 'Edit HTML' button. Once the template editor opens, click anywhere inside the code area and press the CTRL + F keys to open the search box.

Type </head> inside the search box and just before this tag, add the following scripts:
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.1/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.7.1/jquery-ui.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
jQuery.jGlideMenu={useDropShadow:new Boolean(),useDragDrop:new Boolean(),defaultScrollSpeed:new Number(0),defaultScrollBackSpeed:new Number(0),slideRight:new Boolean(),useSmoothScrolling:new Boolean(),easeFx:new String(''),closeLinkMarkUp:new String(''),menuShowFx:new String(''),menuHideFx:new String(''),tileWidth:new Number(0),tileInset:new Number(0),itemsToDisplay:new Number(8),useTileURL:new Boolean(),tileSource:new String(''),URLParams:new Object(),loadImage:new String(''),loadImageStyle:new Object(),initialTile:new String(''),alertOnError:new Boolean(),captureLinks:new Boolean(),imagePath:new String(),tileCount:new Number(0),animation:new Boolean(),helperImage:new Boolean(),currentElement:new Object(),currentElementID:new String(''),hasDragDropSupport:new Boolean(),hasShadowSupport:new Boolean(),displayToggle:new Boolean(),tileScrollPosition:new Array(),smoothScrollTimer:new Array(),mouseHover:new Boolean(),demoMode:new Boolean(),initialize:function(o)
{return this.each(function(){jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.helperImage=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasDragDropSupport=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasShadowSupport=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount=0;jQuery.jGlideMenu.displayToggle=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.demoMode=false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement=jQuery(this);if(this.id)jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID=this.id;var s={itemsToDisplay:8,tileInset:7,tileWidth:227,useDropShadow:false,slideRight:true,useDragDrop:true,useSmoothScrolling:true,useTileURL:false,defaultScrollSpeed:750,defaultScrollBackSpeed:800,tileSource:'myTiles',URLParams:{},closeLinkMarkUp:'Close',menuShowFx:'fadeIn',menuHideFx:'fadeOut',easeFx:'linear',loadImage:'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q_VouOuZOLh03a2cJFWZ8s1uPkzwUA-EwVRw9Da96t-mEGZhPhW2i634nqDwU6pQHFsL8j-1iXjQnQ5OMxNT3Hz_HBN_kcSrwNExxFSzxDPib-QJ1FdlzG45x6GFenvVADdCqzYSPGM/s1600/ajax.gif',initialTile:'tile_001',alertOnError:false,captureLinks:true,loadImageStyle:{'position':'absolute','bottom':'10px','left':'10px','z-index':'999'},imagePath:'img/',demoMode:false};if(o)jQuery.extend(s,o);jQuery.jGlideMenu.checkFeatures();if(s.closeLinkMarkUp.length<1)s.closeLinkMarkUp='x Close';if(parseInt(s.itemsToDisplay)<1)s.itemsToDisplay=1;if(s.initialTile.length<0)jQuery.jGlideMenu.errorTrap('Invalid Configuration');for(i in s)jQuery.jGlideMenu[i]=s[i];if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.useTileURL==false&&jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileSource.length>0)
{jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileSource).css('display','none');jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).children().not(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileSource).remove();}
else jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).html('');jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).append('<div class="jGM_header"><a href="#">'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.closeLinkMarkUp+'</a></div>').append('<div class="jGM_wrapper" id="jGM_wrapper_'+this.id+'"></div>');var img=document.createElement('img');img.src=jQuery.jGlideMenu.loadImage;img.style.display='none';img.id='jGM_helper'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID;jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).append(img);jQuery('img#'+img.id).css(jQuery.jGlideMenu.loadImageStyle);jQuery.jGlideMenu.helperImage=true;if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasDragDropSupport==true&&jQuery.jGlideMenu.useDragDrop==true)
{if(jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').Draggable))
jQuery(this).Draggable({handle:'.jGM_header'});else
jQuery(this).draggable({handle:'.jGM_header'});}
if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasShadowSupport==true&&jQuery.jGlideMenu.useDropShadow==true)
{if(jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').dropShadow))
jQuery(this).dropShadow();else
jQuery(this).shadow({color:'#cccccc'});}
jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).find('div.jGM_header a').bind('click',function(){if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.displayToggle==true)return false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.toggleDisplay(true);return false;});jQuery(this).hover(function(){jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover=true;},function(){jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover=false;});jQuery(document).keydown(function(e)
{return false;var key=e.charCode?e.charCode:e.keyCode?e.keyCode:0;if(key==32&&jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover==false){jQuery.jGlideMenu.toggleDisplay();return;}
if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover==false)return false;switch(key)
{case 37:break;case 38:break;case 39:break;case 40:break;case 13:break;case 32:jQuery.jGlideMenu.toggleDisplay();return;break;}});jQuery.jGlideMenu.loadTile(jQuery.jGlideMenu.initialTile,jQuery.jGlideMenu.URLParams);});},toggleDisplay:function(r)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.displayToggle=true;jQuery.jGlideMenu.mouseHover==false;if(jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).css('display')=='block')
var toggle_value=0;else
var toggle_value=1;jQuery(jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElement).animate({opacity:toggle_value},'slow',function()
{if(r==true)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollToTile(0,jQuery.jGlideMenu.defaultScrollBackSpeed);jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[0]=0;}
if(toggle_value>0)
jQuery(this).css('display','block');else
jQuery(this).css('display','none');jQuery.jGlideMenu.displayToggle=false;});},checkFeatures:function(){jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasDragDropSupport=jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').Draggable);if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasDragDropSupport==false)
jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasDragDropSupport=jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').draggable);jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasShadowSupport=jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').dropShadow);if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasShadowSupport==false)
jQuery.jGlideMenu.hasShadowSupport=jQuery.isFunction(jQuery('body').shadow);return;},parseURL:function(u){if(!$.browser.msie)
{return u;}
if(u.indexOf('#tile_')<0)
{return u;}
var bits=u.split('#');return'#'+bits[(bits.length-1)];},countTiles:function(){jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount=parseInt(jQuery('div.jGM_tile').size());},loadTile:function(u,p)
{var ptr=document.createElement('div');var ctr=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount+1;ptr.id='jGM_tile_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+'_'+ctr;if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.slideRight==true)
var off=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileWidth*jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount+jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileInset;else
var off=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileWidth*jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount*-1+jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileInset;jQuery('#jGM_wrapper_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID).append(ptr);jQuery('#'+ptr.id).addClass('jGM_tile').css({top:0,left:off+'px',height:'288px',width:'213px',position:'absolute',overflow:'hidden',margin:0,padding:0,border:0,display:'block'});var tmpl='<div style="height:100%;margin:0;border:0;width:100%;padding:0;text-align:center;">'
+'<h3>Missing Tile</h3><p>Unable to locate the requested Tile</p></div>';if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.useTileURL==false)
{if(jQuery('ul#'+u).size()<1)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.errorTrap('Invalid Tile Request');return false;}
var title=jQuery('ul#'+u).attr('title');var desc=jQuery('ul#'+u).attr('alt');var items=jQuery('ul#'+u+' li').size();var links=[];jQuery('ul#'+u+' li').each(function(){if(jQuery('a',this).size()>0)
links[links.length]=[jQuery('a',this).attr('href'),jQuery('a',this).text(),1];else
links[links.length]=[jQuery(this).attr('rel'),jQuery(this).text(),0];});var tmpl=jQuery.jGlideMenu.buildTile(title,desc,links);}
else
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileSource.length<1)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.errorTrap('Invalid AJAX Request');return false;}
var mon='img#jGM_helper'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID;jQuery(mon).ajaxStart(function(){jQuery(this).animate({opacity:'show'},'fast');}).ajaxStop(function(){jQuery(this).animate({opacity:'hide'},'slow');});p.tile=u;jQuery.ajax({type:"POST",url:jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileSource,data:p,async:false,success:function(xhtml){jQuery('body').append('<div id="jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+'" style="display:none;">'+xhtml+'</div>');if(jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+' ul#'+u).size()<1)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.errorTrap('AJAX: Invalid Tile Request');return false;}
var title=jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+' ul#'+u).attr('title');var desc=jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+' ul#'+u).attr('alt');var items=jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+' ul#'+u+' li').size();var links=[];jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile+' ul#'+u+' li').each(function(){if(jQuery('a',this).size()>0)
links[links.length]=[jQuery('a',this).attr('href'),jQuery('a',this).text(),1];else
links[links.length]=[jQuery(this).attr('rel'),jQuery(this).text(),0];});jQuery('#jGM_temp_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+p.tile).remove();tmpl=jQuery.jGlideMenu.buildTile(title,desc,links);jQuery(mon).ajaxStart(function(){}).ajaxStop(function(){});},error:function(rslt){jQuery.jGlideMenu.errorTrap('Invalid AJAX Tile Request');jQuery(mon).ajaxStart(function(){}).ajaxStop(function(){});}});}
jQuery('#'+ptr.id).html(tmpl);jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' div.jGM_content a').bind('click',function(){var target='';target=jQuery.jGlideMenu.parseURL(jQuery(this).attr('href'));if(target.length<1){return false;}
if(target.substr(0,1)=='#')
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation==true)return false;var dest=target.substr(1,target.length-1);jQuery.jGlideMenu.loadTile(dest,jQuery.jGlideMenu.URLParams);return false;}
else
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.demoMode)
{alert('Navigation Requestion: '+target);}
else
{window.location.href=target;}
if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.captureLinks==true)return false;}
return true;});jQuery.jGlideMenu.countTiles();if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount>1)
{jQuery('#'+ptr.id).append('<div class="jGM_back"><a href="#">&laquo; Back</a></div>');jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' div.jGM_back').bind('click',function(){if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation==true)return false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollToTile((ctr-1),jQuery.jGlideMenu.defaultScrollBackSpeed);return false;});if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount>2)
{jQuery('#'+ptr.id).append('<div class="jGM_reset"><a href="#">&laquo; Home</a></div>');jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' div.jGM_reset').bind('click',function(){if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation==true)return false;jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollToTile(1,jQuery.jGlideMenu.defaultScrollBackSpeed);return false;});}}
jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[ctr]=0;jQuery.jGlideMenu.drawPagers(ptr.id,jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' .jGM_content a').size());if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.useSmoothScrolling==false)
{jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' .jGM_pager a').click(function(){var dir=1;if(jQuery(this).attr('rel')=='Up')dir=0;jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollItems(dir);});}
else
{jQuery('#'+ptr.id+' .jGM_pager a').hover(function(){var dir=1;if(jQuery(this).attr('rel')=='Up')
dir=0;jQuery.jGlideMenu.smoothScrollTimer[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]=window.setInterval('jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollItems('+dir+')',250);},function(){window.clearInterval(jQuery.jGlideMenu.smoothScrollTimer[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]);});}
jQuery.jGlideMenu.scrollToTile(ctr,jQuery.jGlideMenu.defaultScrollSpeed);},scrollItems:function(d)
{var x='#jGM_tile_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+'_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount;var s=jQuery(x+' .jGM_content a');var c=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount];if(c<=0&&d==0)return;if(c+jQuery.jGlideMenu.itemsToDisplay>=jQuery(s).size()&&d==1)return;if(d==0)
jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]--;else
jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]++;jQuery(s).show();jQuery(x+' .jGM_content').children('a:lt('+jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]+')').hide();jQuery.jGlideMenu.drawPagers(x.substr(1,x.length),jQuery(s).size());},drawPagers:function(p,c)
{jQuery('#'+p+' .jGM_pager').find('a').each(function(){if(jQuery(this).attr('rel')=='Up')
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]>0)
jQuery(this).css('display','block');else
jQuery(this).css('display','none');}
else
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount]+jQuery.jGlideMenu.itemsToDisplay<jQuery('#'+p+' .jGM_content a').size())
jQuery(this).css('display','block');else
jQuery(this).css('display','none');}});},cleanTiles:function(n)
{var start=n+1;var stop=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount;if(n>=stop)return false;for(var i=start;i<=stop;i++)
{jQuery('#jGM_tile_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID+'_'+i).remove();jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileScrollPosition[i]=0;}
jQuery.jGlideMenu.countTiles();return;},scrollToTile:function(n,s)
{jQuery.jGlideMenu.countTiles();var t=jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileCount;if(n>t)n=t;if(n<1)n=1;if(!s)s=jQuery.jGlideMenu.defaultScrollSpeed;var b=(jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileWidth*n)-jQuery.jGlideMenu.tileWidth;var a=(jQuery.jGlideMenu.slideRight==true)?b*-1:b;jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation=true;jQuery('div#jGM_wrapper_'+jQuery.jGlideMenu.currentElementID).animate({'left':a},s,jQuery.jGlideMenu.easeFx,function(){if(n<t)
jQuery.jGlideMenu.cleanTiles(n);if(a!=0)a+='px';jQuery(this).css({'left':a});jQuery.jGlideMenu.animation=false;});},buildTile:function(t,d,l)
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.imagePath.length>1&&jQuery.jGlideMenu.imagePath.substr(-1,1)!='/')
jQuery.jGlideMenu.imagePath+='/';var template=new String('');template='<div class="jGM_cats"><h4>'+t+'</h4><p class="jGM_desc">'+d+'</p></div>';template+='<div class="jGM_pager"><a href="#" rel="Up" style="display:none"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsjct8X_G8-Hfrhg67xiRJW4UhYuht0C0vKn1gO6eMx2ICnOYTzjpiVb28c56l6lBZKkV9TVXC2HX244osCPATg3hDuzM6xmpvxhmEXg0XPePir5cJTLL5X8uJzsFQfWQJsvLaQi2wdw/s1600/arrow_up.gif" alt="Scroll Up"/></a></div>';template+='<div class="jGM_content">';for(var i=0;i<l.length;i++)
{var hash=(l[i][2]==1)?'':'#';var type=(l[i][2]==1)?'':' class="jGM_more"';template+='<a href="'+hash+l[i][0]+'"'+type+'>'+l[i][1]+'</a>';}
template+='</div>';template+='<div class="jGM_pager"><a href="#" rel="Down"  style="display:none"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBE8jIcvngBacEkuoRNaHFR9EEaf-WKQ8Y6tf134gp7s9mltBsfAXxgmAUU61_HUpWzbHCrtV8srnK5bx16ZxGyOSYA_z9wuz7LfDwWlQOs2QRlTDJA31cbBCrkDRoiufKt7hbcD909s/s1600/arrow_dn.gif" alt="Scroll Up"/></a></div>';return template;},errorTrap:function(m)
{if(jQuery.jGlideMenu.alertOnError==true)
alert(m);return;}}
jQuery.fn.jGlideMenu=jQuery.jGlideMenu.initialize;jQuery.fn.jGlideMenuToggle=jQuery.jGlideMenu.toggleDisplay;jQuery.fn.reverse=function(){return this.pushStack(this.get().reverse(),arguments);};
//]]>
</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
$(document).ready(function(){
$('#jGlide_001').jGlideMenu({
tileSource : '.jGlide_001_tiles' ,
demoMode : false
}).show();

$('#switch').click(function(){$(this).jGlideMenuToggle();});
});
//]]>
</script>
2. Search for the ]]></b:skin> tag and just before it, paste the CSS code:
.jGM_box {
position: absolute; /* Change 'absolute' with fixed if you want it to float */
top: 50px; /* Distance from the top of the window */
right: 760px; /* Distance from right */
width: 227px;
height: 317px;
background: #fff; /* Background color */
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
border: 1px solid #ccc; /* Border color */
overflow: hidden;
}
.jGM_header{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;height:18px;width:227px;background:#d1d1d1;color:#fff;text-align:right;vertical-align:middle;line-height:18px;cursor:move}.jGM_header a{margin-right:12px;text-decoration:none;color:#000 !important;cursor:pointer}.jGM_wrapper{position:absolute;top:19px;left:0;width:2270px;height:288px;margin:0;padding:0;border:0}.jGM_tile{position:absolute;top:0;left:7px;width:213px;height:auto;overflow:hidden;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;display:block}.jGM_cats{width:100%;height:64px;overflow:hidden;vertical-align:middle;text-align:left}.jGM_cats h4{font-family:Verdana,Arial,serif;font-size:1.8em;margin:0;padding:2px 0;line-height:1.8em;color:#414141;font-weight:normal}.jGM_cats p{font-family:Verdana,tahoma,arial;font-size:1em;margin:0;padding:0;line-height:1.2em;color:#858585;font-weight:normal}.jGM_pager{height:18px;width:213px;line-height:18px;margin:0;border:0;padding:0;background:#f6f6f6;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle}.jGM_pager a{text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;display:block}.jGM_pager a:hover{background:#d1d1d1}.jGM_pager img{border:0;margin:6px 0}.jGM_content{width:213px;height:150px;margin:1px 0;padding:0;border:0;overflow:hidden}.jGM_content a{font-family:Tahoma,arial;text-decoration:none;color:#333 !important;height:18px;width:100%;display:block;line-height:18px;padding:0 0 0 10px;background-color:#e6e7e9;margin:1px 0}.jGM_content a:hover{color:#fff !important;background-color:#4D4E67}.jGM_more{background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPV7cjVNOHJyhx7dnjzn3wegMzOByFi8F8Q96OtQbOzX1Ua1bVRQJWKMGsKeOmLQPMDKRXrvGlr2azNAhNUxjwAP7-otprgyK_QPG71gamkMt6IgA80A2tUWB4NbYZLv3WOrPyc7lM5w/s1600/arrow.gif);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:203px 50%}.jGM_back{position:absolute;top:255px;right:0;height:18px;width:52px;background:#d1d1d1;line-height:18px;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;margin:10px 0 0 0;padding:0;border:0;z-index:99}.jGM_back a{height:100%;width:100%;text-decoration:none;color:#000 !important;display:block}.jGM_back a:hover{color:#fff !important;background:#4D4E67}.jGM_reset{position:absolute;top:255px;right:62px;height:18px;width:52px;background:#d1d1d1;line-height:18px;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;margin:10px 0 0 0;padding:0;border:0;z-index:99}.jGM_reset a{height:100%;width:100%;text-decoration:none;color:#000 !important;display:block}.jGM_reset a:hover{color:#fff !important;background:#4D4E67}
Note:

The notes in green show you some parts that can be customized. If you want the menu to be static, let's say that you want to add it in the sidebar, then remove the script in red. Also, you will need to remove the snippet below as well in the CSS code:
position: absolute; /* Change 'absolute' with fixed if you want it to float */
top: 50px; /* Distance from the top of the window */
right: 760px; /* Distance from right */
Finally, click the 'Save Template' button to save the changes.

3. Go to 'Layout', click on 'Add a gadget' link and paste the structure of the menu inside a 'HTML/Javascript' gadget:
<div class="jGM_box" id="jGlide_001">

<!-- First level links -->
<ul id="tile_001" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the first level">
<li rel="tile_002">Link 1</li>
<li rel="tile_003">Link 2</li>
<li rel="tile_004">Link 3</li>
<li rel="tile_006">Link 4</li>
<li rel="tile_007">Link 5</li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 6</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 7</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 8</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 9</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 10</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 11</a></li>
</ul>

<!-- Links for the second level -->
<ul id="tile_002" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li rel="tile_005">Link 1.1</li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.2</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.3</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.4</a></li>
</ul>

<ul id="tile_003" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 2.1</a></li>
<li rel="tile_008">Link 2.2</li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 2.3</a></li>
</ul>

<ul id="tile_004" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 3.1</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 3.2</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 3.3</a></li>
</ul>

<ul id="tile_006" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 4.1</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 4.2</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 4.3</a></li>
</ul>

<ul id="tile_007" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 5.1</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 5.2</a></li>
</ul>

<!-- Links for the third level -->
<ul id="tile_005" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the third level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.1.2</a></li>
</ul>

<ul id="tile_008" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the third level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="URL address">Link 1.2.2</a></li>
</ul>

</div>
Add the URLs of the links and the titles that you want to appear in the menu and Save the changes.

How the Vertical drop down menu works?

If you want to add more links to the first level, then add another line like this:
<li><a href="URL address">Link 12</a></li>
To add one more level to the link, then the line should be like this:
<li rel="tile_0010">Link 5</li>
Then in the area of ​​the second or third level, add it like this:
<ul id="tile_0010" class="jGlide_001_tiles" title="Menu" alt="Description of the second level">
<li><a href="URL address">Link 5.1</a></li>
<li><a href="Url address">Link 5.2</a></li>
</ul>
If you look closely here, the link takes the REL attribute which must be the same as the ID we put on the second level. These IDs should not be repeated and always be unique. It may sound complicated, but once you understand the concept, you'll see that it's actually pretty simple.

When you add enough links, there will be some arrows on the top & bottom of the list which will help you navigate through the rest of the links - either up or down - on mouseover.

Throughout the menu structure, we can change the Menu name and the descriptions, as well.

Final note

As this menu is made with JQuery, please make sure to have only one version of it.

How to embed a youtube playlist on your blogger blog

In this tutorial you will see how to create a YouTube video gallery using jQuery and add the Youtube playlist to your Blogger blog. Inside this gallery/playlist, you can add your favorite youtube videos or any video that you want to share with your visitors. Because of its default dimensions (width of 765px), it is recommended to add it just below the blog header, however, you can edit CSS code to fit anywhere you want to add it.

youtube playlist for blogger

Demo here

To add this video slider/youtube playlist to your blog, please follow these steps below:

Step 1. From your blogger dashboard, go to Template > Edit HTML and click anywhere inside the code area to open the Blogger search box by pressing the CTRL + F keys.


Step 2. Type or paste the </head> tag inside the search box and hit Enter to find it.
Just above this tag, add the following scripts:

<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script>
//<![CDATA[
/*hoverscroll v.0.2.4*/
(function($) {
$.fn.hoverscroll = function(params) {
if (!params) { params = {}; }
params = $.extend({}, $.fn.hoverscroll.params, params);
this.each(function() {
var $this = $(this);
if (params.debug) {$.log('[HoverScroll] Trying to create hoverscroll on element ' + this.tagName + '#' + this.id);}
if (params.fixedArrows) {
$this.wrap('<div class="fixed-listcontainer"></div>')
}
else {
$this.wrap('<div class="listcontainer"></div>');
}

$this.addClass('list');
var listctnr = $this.parent();
listctnr.wrap('<div class="ui-widget-content hoverscroll' +
(params.rtl && !params.vertical ? " rtl" : "") + '"></div>');
//listctnr.wrap('<div class="hoverscroll"></div>');

var ctnr = listctnr.parent();

var leftArrow, rightArrow, topArrow, bottomArrow;
if (params.arrows) {
if (!params.vertical) {
if (params.fixedArrows) {
leftArrow = '<div class="fixed-arrow left"></div>';
rightArrow = '<div class="fixed-arrow right"></div>';

listctnr.before(leftArrow).after(rightArrow);
}
else {
leftArrow = '<div class="arrow left"></div>';
rightArrow = '<div class="arrow right"></div>';

listctnr.append(leftArrow).append(rightArrow);
}
}
else {
if (params.fixedArrows) {
topArrow = '<div class="fixed-arrow top"></div>';
bottomArrow = '<div class="fixed-arrow bottom"></div>';

listctnr.before(topArrow).after(bottomArrow);
}
else {
topArrow = '<div class="arrow top"></div>';
bottomArrow = '<div class="arrow bottom"></div>';

listctnr.append(topArrow).append(bottomArrow);
}
}
}
ctnr.width(params.width).height(params.height);

if (params.arrows && params.fixedArrows) {
if (params.vertical) {
topArrow = listctnr.prev();
bottomArrow = listctnr.next();

listctnr.width(params.width)
.height(params.height - (topArrow.height() + bottomArrow.height()));
}
else {
leftArrow = listctnr.prev();
rightArrow = listctnr.next();

listctnr.height(params.height)
.width(params.width - (leftArrow.width() + rightArrow.width()));
}
}
else {
listctnr.width(params.width).height(params.height);
}

var size = 0;

if (!params.vertical) {
ctnr.addClass('horizontal');
$this.children().each(function() {
$(this).addClass('item');

if ($(this).outerWidth) {
size += $(this).outerWidth(true);
}
else {
size += $(this).width() + parseInt($(this).css('padding-left')) + parseInt($(this).css('padding-right'))
+ parseInt($(this).css('margin-left')) + parseInt($(this).css('margin-right'));
}
});
$this.width(size);

if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Computed content width : ' + size + 'px');
}
if (ctnr.outerWidth) {
size = ctnr.outerWidth();
}
else {
size = ctnr.width() + parseInt(ctnr.css('padding-left')) + parseInt(ctnr.css('padding-right'))
+ parseInt(ctnr.css('margin-left')) + parseInt(ctnr.css('margin-right'));
}

if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Computed container width : ' + size + 'px');
}
}
else {
ctnr.addClass('vertical');
$this.children().each(function() {
$(this).addClass('item')

if ($(this).outerHeight) {
size += $(this).outerHeight(true);
}
else {
size += $(this).height() + parseInt($(this).css('padding-top')) + parseInt($(this).css('padding-bottom'))
+ parseInt($(this).css('margin-bottom')) + parseInt($(this).css('margin-bottom'));
}
});
$this.height(size);

if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Computed content height : ' + size + 'px');
}
if (ctnr.outerHeight) {
size = ctnr.outerHeight();
}
else {
size = ctnr.height() + parseInt(ctnr.css('padding-top')) + parseInt(ctnr.css('padding-bottom'))
+ parseInt(ctnr.css('margin-top')) + parseInt(ctnr.css('margin-bottom'));
}

if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Computed container height : ' + size + 'px');
}
}
var zone = {
1: {action: 'move', from: 0, to: 0.06 * size, direction: -1 , speed: 16},
2: {action: 'move', from: 0.06 * size, to: 0.15 * size, direction: -1 , speed: 8},
3: {action: 'move', from: 0.15 * size, to: 0.25 * size, direction: -1 , speed: 4},
4: {action: 'move', from: 0.25 * size, to: 0.4 * size, direction: -1 , speed: 2},
5: {action: 'stop', from: 0.4 * size, to: 0.6 * size},
6: {action: 'move', from: 0.6 * size, to: 0.75 * size, direction: 1 , speed: 2},
7: {action: 'move', from: 0.75 * size, to: 0.85 * size, direction: 1 , speed: 4},
8: {action: 'move', from: 0.85 * size, to: 0.94 * size, direction: 1 , speed: 8},
9: {action: 'move', from: 0.94 * size, to: size, direction: 1 , speed: 16}
}

ctnr[0].isChanging = false;
ctnr[0].direction = 0;
ctnr[0].speed = 1;
function checkMouse(x, y) {
x = x - ctnr.offset().left;
y = y - ctnr.offset().top;

var pos;
if (!params.vertical) {pos = x;}
else {pos = y;}

for (i in zone) {
if (pos >= zone[i].from && pos < zone[i].to) {
if (zone[i].action == 'move') {startMoving(zone[i].direction, zone[i].speed);}
else {stopMoving();}
}
}
}

function setArrowOpacity() {
if (!params.arrows || params.fixedArrows) {return;}

var maxScroll;
var scroll;

if (!params.vertical) {
maxScroll = listctnr[0].scrollWidth - listctnr.width();
scroll = listctnr[0].scrollLeft;
}
else {
maxScroll = listctnr[0].scrollHeight - listctnr.height();
scroll = listctnr[0].scrollTop;
}
var limit = params.arrowsOpacity;
var opacity = (scroll / maxScroll) * limit;

if (opacity > limit) { opacity = limit; }
if (isNaN(opacity)) { opacity = 0; }

var done = false;
if (opacity <= 0) {
$('div.arrow.left, div.arrow.top', ctnr).hide();
if(maxScroll > 0) {
$('div.arrow.right, div.arrow.bottom', ctnr).show().css('opacity', limit);
}
done = true;
}
if (opacity >= limit || maxScroll <= 0) {
$('div.arrow.right, div.arrow.bottom', ctnr).hide();
done = true;
}

if (!done) {
$('div.arrow.left, div.arrow.top', ctnr).show().css('opacity', opacity);
$('div.arrow.right, div.arrow.bottom', ctnr).show().css('opacity', (limit - opacity));
}
}

function startMoving(direction, speed) {
if (ctnr[0].direction != direction) {
if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Starting to move. direction: ' + direction + ', speed: ' + speed);
}

stopMoving();
ctnr[0].direction = direction;
ctnr[0].isChanging = true;
move();
}
if (ctnr[0].speed != speed) {
if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Changed speed: ' + speed);
}

ctnr[0].speed = speed;
}
}

function stopMoving() {
if (ctnr[0].isChanging) {
if (params.debug) {
$.log('[HoverScroll] Stoped moving');
}

ctnr[0].isChanging = false;
ctnr[0].direction = 0;
ctnr[0].speed = 1;
clearTimeout(ctnr[0].timer);
}
}

function move() {
if (ctnr[0].isChanging == false) {return;}

setArrowOpacity();

var scrollSide;
if (!params.vertical) {scrollSide = 'scrollLeft';}
else {scrollSide = 'scrollTop';}

listctnr[0][scrollSide] += ctnr[0].direction * ctnr[0].speed;
ctnr[0].timer = setTimeout(function() {move();}, 50);
}

if (params.rtl && !params.vertical) {
listctnr[0].scrollLeft = listctnr[0].scrollWidth - listctnr.width();
}

ctnr
.mousemove(function(e) {checkMouse(e.pageX, e.pageY);})
.bind('mouseleave', function() {stopMoving();});

this.startMoving = startMoving;
this.stopMoving = stopMoving;

if (params.arrows && !params.fixedArrows) {
// Initialise arrow opacity
setArrowOpacity();
}
else {
// Hide arrows
$('.arrowleft, .arrowright, .arrowtop, .arrowbottom', ctnr).hide();
}
});

return this;
};

if (!$.fn.offset) {
$.fn.offset = function() {
this.left = this.top = 0;

if (this[0] && this[0].offsetParent) {
var obj = this[0];
do {
this.left += obj.offsetLeft;
this.top += obj.offsetTop;
} while (obj = obj.offsetParent);
}

return this;
}
}

$.fn.hoverscroll.params = {
vertical: false,
width: 400,
height: 50,
arrows: true,
arrowsOpacity: 0.7,
fixedArrows: false,
rtl: false,
debug: false
};
$.log = function() {
try {console.log.apply(console, arguments);}
catch (e) {
try {opera.postError.apply(opera, arguments);}
catch (e) {}
}
};
})(jQuery);

$(function(){
$("#videoslider-tabs a").click(function(){
var container = $("#videoslider-content");
container.html("<img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntVY8l5OmrVQk4ZjnGiz8p78ovR3AjNN3y_JtcvHt52879tpOa6rvH8DCJUgVKf2qs88GRqhyGMCXrQsf1NMVHG5dyFHs6y3hGt6oXjbWpBKvEgWAfX1u5837Ro1joSQJ0_AWBKUI71Ws/s1600/loading.png' class='loading-vid' />");
var id = $(this).attr("href").slice(1);
loadvideo(id);
return false;
});
$("#videoslider-tabs").hoverscroll({vertical:true,width:300,height:330,arrows:false});
$("#videoslider-tabs li").hover(function(){$(this).addClass("hover");},function(){$(this).removeClass("hover");});
loadvideo();
});

function loadvideo (hash){if(hash){hash = hash.slice(3);$("#videoslider-content").html(video[hash]);$("#videoslider-tabs li").removeClass("actVid");$("#videoslider-tabs a[href=#vid"+hash+"]").parent().addClass("actVid");}else{$("#videoslider-content").html(video[1]);$("#videoslider-tabs li").removeClass("actVid");$("#videoslider-tabs a[href=#vid1]").parent().addClass("actVid");}}
//]]>
</script>

Step 3. Now let's add the CSS code. Just above the same </head> tag, add this code:
<style>
#videoslider {
background:#F6F6F6; /* Background color */
clear:both;
margin:0 auto;
padding:5px;
width:735px;
border-radius: 5px;
border: 1px solid #C1C1C1;
-moz-background-clip: padding;
-webkit-background-clip: padding-box;
background-clip: padding-box;
}
#videoslider, #videoslider-content, #videoslider-tabs {
height:340px;
}
#videoslider-content {
color:#fff;
float:left;
text-align:center;
width:430px;
z-index:1;
}
.loading-vid {
display:block;
margin:165px auto 0;
}
#videoslider-tabs {
float:right;
width:240px;
margin:0;
}
#videoslider-tabs li {
background-color:#F6F6F6;
border: 1px solid #C1C1C1;
float:left;
height:60px;
padding:5px;
width:240px;
list-style:none;
overflow: hidden;
}
#videoslider-tabs li a {
padding:0 !important;
border:0 !important;
}
#videoslider-tabs li.hover {
background-color:#EBEBEB;
}
#videoslider-tabs li.actVid {
background:#555;
}
#videoslider-tabs li img.thumb-vid {
background-color:#EEEEEE;
float:left;
height:52px;
margin:0 8px 0 0;
padding:5px;
width:52px;
}
#videoslider-tabs li span.vidTit {
display:block;
color:#128EC9; /* Titles color */
font-size:12px; /* Titles font size */
font-weight:bold;
text-decoration:none;
}
#videoslider-tabs li .vidDesc {
display:block;
color:#222222; /* Color of the description */
font-size:11px; /* Font size of the description */
font-weight:bold;
text-decoration:none;
}
#videoslider-tabs a {
text-decoration:none;
}
#videoslider-tabs li.actVid .vidDesc {
color:#fff;
}
#videoslider-tabs li span.vidTit .actVid {
color:#fff; /* Titles color */
}
.ui-widget-content{
float:right;
overflow-y: scroll;
overflow-x: hidden;
}
.tabs-outer {
background-image: none !important;
}
#videoslider-tabs li a:hover {
background: none !important;
}</style>
Step 4. Click on the Save Template button

To make this youtube playlist work we need to add the HTML structure of it:

Step 5. Go to Layout or Pages or anywhere you want to add it and add the following code inside the HTML area (if you want to add it as a widget, paste the code inside a HTML/Javascript gadget by clicking on Add a gadget link within the Layout/Page Elements section):
<script>
var video = [];
video[1] = '<iframe width="460" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/video_ID_1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';
video[2] = '<iframe width="460" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/video_ID_2" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';
video[3] = '<iframe width="460" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/video_ID_3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';
video[4] = '<iframe width="460" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/video_ID_4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';
video[5] = '<iframe width="460" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/video_ID_5" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>';
</script>
<div id="videoslider">
<div id="videoslider-content"></div>
<ul id="videoslider-tabs">
<li><a href="#vid1"><img src="//i2.ytimg.com/vi/video_ID_1/default.jpg" class="thumb-vid" /><span class="vidTit">Video Name</span><span class="vidDesc">Video Description</span></a></li>

<li><a href="#vid2"><img src="//i2.ytimg.com/vi/video_ID_2/default.jpg" class="thumb-vid" /><span class="vidTit">Video Name</span><span class="vidDesc">Video Description</span></a></li>

<li><a href="#vid3"><img src="//i2.ytimg.com/vi/video_ID_3/default.jpg" class="thumb-vid" /><span class="vidTit">Video Name</span><span class="vidDesc">Video Description</span></a></li>

<li><a href="#vid4"><img src="//i2.ytimg.com/vi/video_ID_4/default.jpg" class="thumb-vid" /><span class="vidTit">Video Name</span><span class="vidDesc">Video Description</span></a></li>

<li><a href="#vid5"><img src="//i2.ytimg.com/vi/video_ID_5/default.jpg" class="thumb-vid" /><span class="vidTit">Video Name</span><span class="vidDesc">Video Description</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>

Add the IDs of your videos to where it says video_ID_..., titles (Video Name) and a brief description (Description). To get the ID of a video, open the video on YouTube and look at the address bar - you need only the last characters after "v="


Note that each video ID should be added two times, the ones in red are for the video and the ones in orange are for the tabs thumbnail.

To add more videos, add two lines like the ones in bold above and then change the video[] and #vid... number. If you decided to add it inside a post or page, please make sure that you don't switch back to the Compose tab and publish your post while you're still on the HTML tab, otherwise the #vid location will be replaced with some other odd Blogger URLs.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Making a gadget visible only to the blog administrator

And the post title says it all. There are gadgets that sometimes we want to be visible only to us and not to our blog readers, perhaps a Survey already ended that we want to keep, a counter, or any gadget that while we customize, we don't want anyone else to see until the final result is ready.
blogger widgets, blogger tutorials
 The procedure is simple, we just have to add two lines to our gadget that we want to hide.

First thing to do is to go to Template > Edit HTML and then search for the gadget's code we want to hide. It will be easier using the CTRL + F keys and locating the name of the gadget/widget.

For example, in a HTML/Javascript gadget, we will see a code like this:
<b:widget id='HTML1' locked='false' title='' type='HTML'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<span class='item-control blog-admin'>
<!-- only display title if it's non-empty -->
<b:if cond='data:title != &quot;&quot;'>
<h2 class='title'><data:title/></h2>
</b:if>
<div class='widget-content'>
<data:content/>
</div>

<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</span>
</b:includable>
</b:widget>
All you have to do is add the parts in red and ready. If you close the session go to your blog you'll not be able to view the gadget that you have hidden, but as soon as you sign in you will see that it is visible to you.
Not all gadgets have the same structure like in my example, but it will be easier to guide you, just place the first code in red just after <b:includable id='main'>

And the second red code just before </b:includable>
Note: to look inside the widget's code, click on the sideways arrow next to the widget's id.

And with that the gadget will be hidden for readers except you.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Upload images and get the URL of the image

As each day there are lots of new users joining the world of blogging, it's good to know about some basic topics that would raise some recurring questions such as how we could get the URL of an image?

There are many both free as well as paid web hosting services on the web where we can host images, but since we use Blogger, there is nothing better than using the same hosting service that Google gives us, which is Picasa.

How to Upload Images in Blogger & Get Image URL

The fastest way to upload an image is through the Blogger post editor: from your Blogger Dashboard, go to your blog and click the New post button. Once the post editor opens, go to the HTML tab and click the image icon.


When the pop-up window appears, click the Choose files button, browse for your image(s), double click or click Open and hit Add selected.

After the image has been uploaded, you will see the HTML code of the image in the post editor as in the screenshot below.


That code contains the URL of your photo. The two URLs (web addresses) that you will see, would look something similar to this:
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSe0DOxzS7dbNccxXQIGfEhYL1ZulQzJni9OBpiggmjZ8QASVrqPtalx9y7KJeKnfTI8Kx-4CN-hIEfghuXjC01HCRPusxLmZtAVzcUrDud_Nm0qc20Z8kBPXOmgcNFigcxkz-rBK2q8Ca/s1600/Bliss-Windows-XP.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSe0DOxzS7dbNccxXQIGfEhYL1ZulQzJni9OBpiggmjZ8QASVrqPtalx9y7KJeKnfTI8Kx-4CN-hIEfghuXjC01HCRPusxLmZtAVzcUrDud_Nm0qc20Z8kBPXOmgcNFigcxkz-rBK2q8Ca/s320/Bliss-Windows-XP.png" /></a>
The first is the URL of the image that you need to copy. It's not required to publish this post where you uploaded the photo; you might as well leave it as Draft or delete it. The image will be saved anyway on PicasaWeb (unless when you removed the draft, you have also selected the option to remove the image).

How to Upload Photos to Picasa and get Image URL

Now that you know how to upload an image through Blogger, you can also upload image directly from Picasa:

Just login to PicasaWeb, select the album where you want to host the image, and click Add photos.


Select the image from a location on your computer and upload it.


After it has been uploaded, click OK. Now you will see the thumbnail, along with other photos if there are more.

To get the URL of the image from Picasa, click the image to open in full size, then right click on the picture and select the following option depending on the browser you are using:

For Google Chrome > select Copy Image URL:


If you are using Mozilla Firefox  > select Copy Image Location:


For Opera > select Copy Image URL:


For Safari > select Copy Image Address:


If you are using Internet Explorer (I hope not) > first select Properties, a window will open and there you will find the Address section from where you can select the URL of the image. Just copy it:


After you have selected any of these options, you'll have the URL of the image copied to the clipboard. It's that easy!

Now that you know how to upload images and get the URL, it's highly recommended to Optimize Images for Better SEO.

Remember that all images you upload on Blogger, are stored in your Picasa account. So, if you find an image previously uploaded on your blog, just go to your Picasa account, select the album containing the name of your blog and find the picture you need. The method to get the URL of the image is the same as explained above.