Lessons learnt from changing my blogger template .. :)

I changed my blogger template and it proved to be an exercise in frustration. I keep coming across these wonderful websites and it tempted me to change mine. :) Plus I went an extra step and thought "Hey ...let me make my own blogger template too !" Talk about delusions of grandeur !! :)

The previous look of my blog and the current look.

I have no idea how folks actually make a blogger template a day - but I went from trying to make a flamboyant vector transparency blog template to customizing a template in which I would settle for getting the search button icon aligned with my textbox !! You would think that this would be a no-brainer ! But no the textbox and search button icon don't align themselves horizontally without some tweaks ! :) Ofcourse I was always slow at front-end coding but .... :)

So here are my lessons ....

1. First if you can get away with not changing your blogger template - do so !!! :) Ha ha ha but yeah this hardly makes sense if you want your blog to look unique
2. Don't start to create a blogger template from scratch - it is easier(???) to customize an existing one. Unless ofcourse you enjoy CSS and those pixel alignments ! :))
3. There are hundreds of readily available navigation codes on the net - can use them. ( I have not used any - have kept it simple )
4. If possible search for a template that you can use without requiring any tweaks other than just adding your widgets
5. The holy grail of blogger template change - backup your existing template !!!
6. Just as an additional step - backup your blog posts too
7. Note any specific HTML scripts that you have put in your blog template that is not part of the widgets
• SEO type meta tags
• Google Analytics code etc
8. Contemplate using a test blog if you want to first check how your website will look before making any permanent changes [Create a test blog]. You can use this test blog to even try out new widgets/script that you plan to add.
9. Can use this link to keep your widgets safe. I found it did the trick
10. Upload the new template
11. Reposition the widgets
12. Add the HTML/javascripts that were not part of the widgets
13. Add any other new widgets / scripts that you want
14. Keep your fingers crossed ..... and check how your blog looks after the changes! :)

Enjoy ! :)