Techies, help me with blog code (Oy! Such a VANITY!!)

Desperation | 8/13/2005 | Daniel J. Phillips

[BibChr]

This is the vainest vanity I've vanitized.

My blog (http://bibchr.blogspot.com/) just went whack on me, out of nowhere. Look! The right side panel is on the floor!

I did nothing, I changed nothing. I can't figure the code problem. Blogger hasn't answered me, readers have no idea. My guesses haven't worked!

FR has the best assortment of techiegeeks I know -- and I use that as a term of respectful endearment. So I turn to you.

Anyone with a clue? Please, ping your tech FRiends if you haven't one. (A clue, I mean... not a friend.)

[BibChr]

Pinging you technical guys. Anyone has a clue why IE suddenly doesn't "get" my blog, I'd really, really appreciate your suggestions.

If you know another FReeper who might have a clue, please ping him over. Blogger's not answering me yet.

(Not sure why my vanity was tossed in the ghetto when others stay in the general thread, but here we are.)

Thanks!

Dan

[B Knotts]

I'm not seeing that in Konqueror or Firefox. I was, however able to reproduce it on a nearby Windows machine in IE5.

I'm not entirely sure what's causing it, but it seems like something is too wide for IE to deal with, so it just pushes it to the bottom. I'd check the widths of each of the components (e.g., content, main posts, sidebar, etc.), and make sure they're what you are intending.

[DirtyHarryY2K]

Hey Dan, I've hat the same problem at my blog. I Viewed the "source" for your blog page and found some extra "space" in a link code..that's causing the sidebar trouble;;

Open the template and scroll down to the sidebar content and find the section for "previous posts"
then look for this code....
[li>Trinity, Flinity, what's the big? < /isaaf > there's an extra space between the ? and the closing tag < /isaaf> , see it? also theres an extra space in the closing tag between the < and / ;; see it?
fix the code and close that space and that should take care of your problem. let me know.

[BibChr]

Thanks for your time!

It's not a real tag; it was a joke-tag, as I explained in the post. That's why the spaces, so it wouldn't be read as a tag.

But I changed the < to (, and as you'll see, it still displays wacky.

THANKS!! Any other ideas?

/c8

Dan

[DirtyHarryY2K]

Any other ideas?

Yep. The template code wont accept it you'll have to remove it to correct the problem.

Try closing the extra "space", and preview it first. if that fails you'll have to remove it.

[DirtyHarryY2K]

I had the same problem with my blog, happened when adding some links. The sidebar dropped to the bottom just like yours.

I just started the blog.
Check it out..
Harry's Soapbox

[BibChr]

Thanks. Check it out; I believe it's all gone, now -- and no change.

)c8

[BibChr]

You know, the adding links is a good idea -- but you see, since I tried changing templates, it eliminated all my links anyway.

I wish there were a simple way to remove, then replace a post. That might be the best way to test. Not good, but best.

Dan

[DirtyHarryY2K]

I just reviewed the source to your blog again..

In the "previous posts" section of the HTML sidebar content, the link code for (Trinity, Flinity, what's the big?)

There's a space between the ? and the fake closing tag < /isaaf>

Theres also a space between < and / in the "< /isaaf> tag" delete the unnecessary space. then preview the page and see if that doesn't correct the problem. if it does republish the blog and problem solved!

Here's what the link code looks like.. I've changed the < to [ and the > to ] so it will show up here..

[li][a href="http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2005/07/trinity-flinity-whats-big.html"]Trinity, Flinity, what's the big? [ /isaaf ][/a][/li]

[BibChr]

Thanks for your patience and persistence!

Here is what I see in the source now, also changing the < to [:

[li][a href="http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2005/07/trinity-flinity-whats-big.html"]Trinity, Flinity, what's the big?[/a][/li]

No spaces, no fake tag. Maybe do you need to clear your cache and refresh? I took that tag out.

Thanks again!

Dan

[DirtyHarryY2K]

I see the same thing now.

I looked for another code error, my eyes are tired, I don't see anything now.

When did it start? thats where you should look.

My blog did the same thing when I pasted a list of link codes into the sidebar content in the links section. I traced it down and there were spaces that shouldn't have been there, I deleted the spaces and that corrected my problem.

You say changing the template style erases the links in the sidebar? I'll have to remember that! Yikes..

Well, can't keep my eyes open any longer, I'll check back tommorrow. G/nite.

[TAquinas]

"Is everyone else seeing the right pane as dropped to the bottom of the page?"

That's the way my browser sees it - at the bottom right of the page.

[BibChr]

Whew! Yikes! Fixed!

Like so many of the IT fixes I do every day at work, I know HOW I fixed it, but no idea WHY. It was that Edwards post. There was not one thing wrong with it, that I could see -- but it just freaked Blogger. I may repost it in some way... but cautiously!

And then I tried going back to my previous template -- and IT was freaked, would not straighten out. So I'm stuck with a template I don't love... but it's not whacked, so that's A Good Thing.

Thanks so much for your time!

Dan

[js1138]

I didn't see the problem, but wacked web pages are almost always the result of leaving out something in a table. A tr or td tag, or perhaps a closing bracket.

When you cut and paste code it is always easy to highlight something you didn't intend. Editors are very helpful with this by automatically extending the selection area to cover what you "really" meant.

[BibChr]

Thanks; I just fixed it! No idea why, just how.

Dan

[DirtyHarryY2K]

Glad to hear it. Hope you can change your template to something you like.