MovableType Help

Here are some tips for MovableType users.  These are general instructions for bloggers who use a standard MT template.

--> add a banner to your blog
 --> make a sidebar template to apply to all pages
--> more tips coming soon

.
--> here's a GREAT resource on setting up a new blog with MovableType
www.tokyoshoes.com/blogclass

--> here is the link to the MovableType website
http://www.movabletype.com/support/

Add a banner to your blog   .

NOTE: follow these steps if you use a standard MT template.  If you have a custom template, you may have to place your image elsewhere in the template.

1. The first thing you need to do is upload your banner image.  After it has been upload, click the circle "Show me the html" and click "Embedded image".  Copy this text to Notepad or write it down.

2. Click the "Templates" button from the menu.

3. Click the "Main Index" link.  In the white box with scrollbars, scroll down and look for the text:

<body>

<div id="container">

<div id="banner">
<h1><a href="<$MTBlogURL$>" accesskey="1"><$MTBlogName encode_html="1"$></a></h1>
<h2><$MTBlogDescription$></h2>
</div>

4. Replace <$MTBlogName encode_html="1"$> with the html code for the image.
    It will now look like the below example.

<body>

<div id="container">

<div id="banner">
<h1><a href="<$MTBlogURL$>" accesskey="1"><img src="http://www.knitblog.com/banner.jpg"></a></h1>
<h2><$MTBlogDescription$></h2>
</div>

5. Click "Save" and then click "Rebuild this template" to publish the changes.

Voila!  There's a new banner image at the top of your blog!

Make a sidebar template to apply to all pages   .

NOTE: with a standard MovableType installation, you would have to edit 3-5 pages to change or add links in your sidebar.  With these instructions you can create a sidebar template so that you only have to edit one file.

1. Open your Main Index Template

2. Select all your sidebar code and copy it to Notepad.
    your sidebar code should start with
    <div id="right"> (or left) followed by <div class="sidebar">
    and end with two closing div tages:  </div> and </div>

3. Now, in your Templates section, scroll all the way down to "Template Modules"
    -click "create new template module"
    -type "side bar" into the Template Name field
    -leave "Link this template to a file" blank
    -paste the copied sidebar code from your main index template
     into the "Module Body" field   (should look something like below)

<div id="right">
<div class="sidebar">

A WHOLE BUNCH OF LINKS AND STUFF

</div>
</div>

4. go into each template that has your sidebar: like Main Index, Category Archive, Date-Based Archive and the like, replace all the sidebar code with this tag and rebuild your site!

<$MTInclude module="side bar"$>

Yay!  now you only have to edit the sidebar once!

NOTE: be sure to make all image URL's their full path.
So change any images from "img src=images/myphoto.jpg"
to  "img src=http://yoursite.com/images/myphoto.jog"

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we'll review your tip and post it here for all to see.