HTML Blogger is an HTML/ Blog editor for those who are just learning to make blog posts or pages. It’s a great front-end/ desktop editor for a simple blog format. Users can download web pages from the Internet and edit them directly from within the program. From there, users can save edited text to the hard drive or to the Internet. Easy commands allow users to insert simple tables, pre-made forms, embedded media, and more. This section of SavySoftware assumes that you’ve successfully installed HTML Blogger into your computer’s "Program Files" directory and are eager to work with the program.

Getting Started

To get started with HTML Blogger, simply load it from your computer’s Start menu. If you haven’t yet set up your blog, HTML Blogger will prompt you to do so right after it’s loaded.

Setting Up Your Blog

HTML Blogger will behave on PHP enabled web servers only. You’ll therefore need your website’s domain name, the username & password that you use to upload web pages to your website, and the name of your website’s home directory (most home directories are named, "/public_html/").

Example:

 

domain name:	mywebsite.com
username:	myusername
password:	***********
home directory:	public_html

After you enter in this information into HTML Blogger’s FTP Settings dialog, you’ll give your blog a name and title from HTML Blogger’s BLOG Settings dialog. Click the OK button and HTML Blogger will upload your blog’s script to your website.

IMPORTANT - HTML Blogger will overwrite an existing blog. If you want to use HTML Blogger, you must first rename your existing blog’s folder or directory to anything but "/blog/". You could rename it to "/blog2/" or "/oldblog/" for example. Only after you’ve renamed an existing blog folder should you use HTML Blogger. If you don’t have a blog directory, you’re in the clear. Go to the next step.

Installing Your Blog

Once HTML Blogger uploads your blog script, it will load the script in your browser with further instructions. Be sure to follow the instructions inside your web browser since they complete the installation process. The blog script (Kure) is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. You may access it outside of HTML Blogger by unzipping the kure-0.4.zip file that accompanied HTML Blogger’s installation file.

Upon successful installation, your web browser will display something that looks a little like this:

If something’s not quite right, delete "settings.ini" from the C:/Program Files/HTML Blogger/ directory and then click "Blog Setup" from the program’s File menu. The re-installation process will start again.

Using HTML Blogger

With a fully installed blog, you can now use HTML Blogger to design and edit your blog posts the same way that you would use any web page editor.

The File Menu

HTML Blogger can open posts saved to your computer’s hard drive, or web pages that are already on the Internet. To open the latter, simply type in its URL when prompted.

You can of course, save your posts to your hard drive, or you can save them to your blog. Saving a post to your blog may take a while depending on the speed of your Internet connection and server.

And you can print your posts as well.

Everything in this menu is pretty standard.

The Insert Table Menu

The registered version of HTML Blogger can insert 4 common, sizeable tables (1×1, 1×2, 2×1, 2×2). Select a format to add a table to your post.

The Insert Form Menu

The registered version of HTML Blogger can insert 3 common forms (feedback, subscribe, or upload) from the "Quick Forms" submenu. Select a format to add a form to your post.

If you want to insert individual form elements (textbox, checkbox, radio button, etc.), select each from the "Form Elements" submenu.

The Insert Media Menu

The registered version of HTML Blogger can insert embedded media into your post as well. Select a format to add a sound file or video to your post. All media must exist on the Internet somewhere before it can be embedded. If necessary, upload the media file prior to inserting it into your post.

The Extra Menu

The registered version of HTML Blogger can also insert iframes, marquees, and comments. Select any one of these to add it to your post. Note that marquees do not move inside HTML Blogger and comments do not show up on your post at all.

The Editor Window

Taking a look at the HTML Blogger editor window, you can see that it’s pretty simple. Use it the same way that you would use a word processor or web editor. If you want to do more, such as add complex tables or blockquotes, you’ll have to do so within your post’s HTML view. Click the "<>" button on the tool bar. This button will switch your post’s WYSIWYG interface to straight HTML. Only advanced users should fool around with strict HTML code since just a tiny mistake could render your post completely blank!!

Like the blog script, the HTML editor portion of the is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. You may access it outside of HTML Blogger by unzipping the wyzz0.62.zip file that accompanied HTML Blogger’s installation file.

Registration

Please register HTML Blogger. Proceeds help fund "Randy’s Reading Program," a complete literacy enhancement project made freely available to disadvantaged school districts. You can learn more about this phenomenal project here.