Public:Blogger template tag reference
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Blogger page design is controlled by a template which is essentially an HTML document with special tags in it representing locations that the Blogger engine will insert content into. Disastisfied with the references I've found, I will be compiling knowledge here.
Overview & Methodology
My research here is part of my project to create a single unifying web design that I can apply across my wiki, my blog, and traditionally built web content pages. Assuming safely that MediaWiki would be the most limiting environment for design, I started by skinning the wiki. Version 1.0 is currently visible there. Next I'm progressing to create a template for a Blogger-powered blog. Previously I only did slight tweaks to an existing template, but now I'm doing a complete rebuild.
The following is a listing of Blogger tags as I encounter them, travelling from top to bottom of the basic template. I'm using an existing template for the basis of my new one, as there are design considerations that may not be immediately evident otherwise. Blogger tags come in two forms: item-level and page-level. You can easily discern between the two because they begin and end with dollar signs.
After several hours of working on this reference, I located this page at Blogger Help, which was useful but limited.
Tags listed as depreciated are my own opinion, informed by my observation of duplication of abilities and quality thereof.
Item-level
Item level tags denote where information will be pulled from the blog database. They appear to always occur as singular tags, and are not accompanied by separate closing tags. Again, item-level tags start and end with dollar signs. Item-level tags appear in the template but not the produced copy of the page.
$BlogArchiveName$
This inserts the name of an archive for the current blog. Blogger archives are normally divided up into monthly intervals. In English, their title format is usually month followed by four-digit year. In a standard template, this appears once, but inside of the BloggerArchives page-level tag, which will be executed once for each archive. Also, this usually appears as a hyperlink to the corresponding $BlogArchiveURL$
$BlogArchiveURL$
This inserts the URL of an archive for the current blog. Blogger archives are normally divided up into monthly intervals. The files are normally formatted as YYYY_MM_01_archive.html As well as I can tell, the day digit in this date will always be '01'. This appears once in the template, but inside of the BloggerArchives page-level tag, which will be executed once for each archive. Also, this usually appears as the target URL for a hyperlink of the corresponding $BlogArchiveName$
$BlogBacklinkAuthor$
Raw text for backlink author
$BlogItemBacklinkCreate$
"Inputs a link to BlogThis!, which readers can use to write their own blog entries linking to your post." [1]
$BlogBacklinkDateTime$
Inputs raw text for time when backlink was created
$BlogBacklinkDeleteIcon$
"Inserts a delete button for each backlink, but only if the person viewing it is an administrator of the blog. No one else is allowed to delete backlinks. The delete button works the same as it does for comments" [2]
$BlogBacklinkSnippet$
Raw text sample from page linking back to this post. Be aware of the potential risks that may come with including someone else's page sight-unseen.
$BlogBacklinkTitle$
Unconfirmed, but apparently includes title of page or blogpost that backlinks to you.
$BlogBacklinkURL$
Raw text of URL for page that backlinks to you. Note that it does not create a link automatically.
$BlogDateHeaderDate$
$BlogDescription$
The blog's description.
$BlogEncoding$
Inputs a Content-Type declaration. Depreciated in templates I've seen in favor of $BlogMetaData$. Controlled on Settings -> Formatting for that particular blog
$BlogCommentAuthor$
$BlogCommentBody$
$BlogCommentDateTime$
$BlogCommentDeleteIcon$
$BlogCommentNumber$
$BlogCommentPermalinkURL$
$BlogItemArchiveFileName$
Apparently a depreciated tag, I haven't found it in use on current Blogger templates. I also have only found reference to it in pages from 2002 and 2003. Don't worry about it.
$BlogItemAuthor$
First and last name of blog post author. Compare with $BlogItemAuthorNickname$
$BlogItemAuthorEmail$
"The email address of the author of a post." [3]
$BlogItemAuthorNickname$
Chosen display name of blog post author. Compare with $BlogItemAuthor$
$BlogItemAuthorURL$
"The homepage URL of the author of a post" [4] (or whatever URL author chooses in settings)
$BlogItemBody$
"The content of a post" [5] 'nuff said!
$BlogItemCommentCount$
$BlogItemCommentCreate$
$BlogItemCommentFormOnclick$
$BlogItemControl$
Creates a link to QuickEdit (the little pencil), which should only be visible to blog editors while they're logged into the system. These can be toggled off in Blogger settings.
$BlogItemCreate$
$BlogItemDateTime$
Date/time of a post. The format corresponds to "Timestamp format" on the formatting page in Settings.
Note that Blogger clocks a post as of when it first appears in the Blogger system, not when it's published. What this means is that one could sign onto Blogger and create a draft post and then post it a year later, but the post will still show the date from when it was begun.
$BlogItemNumber$
The BlogItemNumber is the unique numeric ID for an individual post. According to this out of date reference, it works as the target for $BlogItemPermalinkURL$. Due to it being the anchor for going straight to a particular post, it needs to take place at the top of the post. It's usually an empty anchor tag inserted directly after the BlogDateHeader (not completely empty, it contains a lonely non-breaking space).
$BlogItemPermalinkURL$
This gives the raw text of a URL for linking directly to the $BlogItemNumber$ anchor tag. This does not automatically create a hyperlink.
$BlogItemTitle$
Title of a particular blog entry. Not the title of the entire blog, such as $BlogTitle$ (inline) or $BlogPageTitle$ (title bar). Typically a hyperlink pointed to $BlogItemURL$, with tags arranged as following:<BlogItemURL> <a href="<$BlogItemURL$>"> </BlogItemURL> <$BlogItemTitle$> </a>
$BlogItemURL$
Raw text URL for particular blog entry. Does not automatically create a hyperlink. Is standardly used for URL target of hyperlinked $BlogItemTitle$, with tags arranged as following:<BlogItemURL> <a href="<$BlogItemURL$>"> </BlogItemURL> <$BlogItemTitle$> </a>
$BlogMemberProfile$
$BlogMetaData$
Used in the header of the template page in lieu of any other meta tags. Drops in eight or nine lines of various meta-tags, superceding a few other tags listed below.
The first tag is your standard content type declaration. Depreciates $BlogEncoding$. Controlled on Settings -> Formatting for that particular blog.
Second is MSSmartTagsPreventParsing, explained here. The third tag declares Blogger as the program generating the page. Neither of these are inserted by another tag.
The following four of the tags are for RSS/Atom feeds of your page. The multiple offerings keep itcompatible with multiple standards, unlike $BlogSiteFeedLink$, which this depreciates.
After an arbitrary blank line, the next tag is for Really Simple Discovery (client-side blog editing).
Depending on your Blogger settings, you may or may not see another line following these, which is a ROBOTS control.
Can safely be located before or after CSS, but my general recollection says that good form places it before CSS.
$BlogPageTitle$
Allows dynamic naming of your page based upon main vs archive vs individual post vs etc. Usually used only in title in html header. Don't confuse with $BlogTitle$, which should be used within the body of the page.
$BlogSiteFeedLink$
Apparently inputs a single Atom feed link [6] I haven't run across this in use as it's functionality is depreciated in favor of the more comprehensive offerings of $BlogMetaData$
$BlogTitle$
Drops in the raw text of the blog's name, as set in Blogger's settings. Don't confuse with $BlogPageTitle$, which should be used within the html header for the page's title.
$BlogURL$
This tag simply drops in the URL for the home page of the blog, as set in Blogger's settings. Note that this does not automatically create an hyperlink. It's just the raw text of the url.
Page-level
Page-level tags are used to describe page structure and layout. In other words, these are usually container-type tags and it's inside of their limits that you would utilize most of the other blogger template tags. These tags appear in the template only, and not in the final HTML.
Some of these tags indicate information that only appears in an entry when you're viewing it individually, as opposed to viewing it inline. An index page of a blog (or archive pages) will contain multiple posts, while other pages will only contain a single post. Pages with multiple posts could get cluttered very quickly. This requires flexibility from the Blogger engine for placing things intelligently.
BlogDateHeader
Contains $BlogDateHeaderDate$ and formatting for the date. Usually nothing else included.
Blogger
"the main "container tags" for your blog content; most of the following tags should be inside these to work properly." [7] I don't know the full functionality of these tags, but to clarify, these go around the main content, with the header and sidebar lying outside of these tags.
BloggerArchives
BlogItemBacklinks
"Marks the section of code that cycles through each backlink to print it out" [8]
BlogItemBacklinksEnabled
Toggles whether or not backlinks will be displayed. Enabled under settings for your whole blog but can be superceded by settings on the individual posting. May not appear on templates created before establishment of Backlinks in October 2005.
BlogItemComments
BlogItemCommentsEnabled
BlogItemTitle
Contains title for a particular post. Usually contains BlogItemURL, $BlogItemURL$, and $BlogItemTitle$, but the URL page-level and item-level tags can be dropped if the title doesn't link to the post's page
BlogItemURL
Contains $BlogItemURL$. The standard Blogger usage breaks normal tag nesting, which may confuse your average developer. You'll want to arrange tags as following:<BlogItemURL> <a href="<$BlogItemURL$>"> </BlogItemURL> <$BlogItemTitle$> </a>
BlogSiteFeed
Depreciated. Previously contained $BlogSiteFeedUrl$, which is depreciated in favor of $BlogMetaData$
ItemPage
Compare with MainOrArchivePage. ItemPage is used for extended information elements that would clutter up an aggregate page that would hold multiple posts. ItemPage often blocks off Comments and Backlinks
MainOrArchivePage
Compare with ItemPage
Common areas
Most blogs are divided into a few logical areas, some commonly in the CSS. You aren't beholden to use any of these names, or even the sections described, but it might make your template work more legible to another.
byline
Also known as post-footer. Usually contains 'posted by' information, using such tags as $BlogItemAuthorNickname$, $BlogItemPermalinkUrl$, $BlogItemDateTime$
description
Profile container
Contains $BlogMemberProfile$ Often a sidebar member, but can be found floating opposite, or as part of the top bar.
#sideBar
A collection of common links, usually placed to the right or left. Some or all of the common elements can be found at the top or bottom of the page in some designs. Common elements placed within are: BloggerArchives and its daughters, the Blogger web-button, RSS feed links, favorite links and others. The profile container is often inside of this, but not always.
References
Notes
As this page's content is based in part upon Blogger Help pages, the text of which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License, ergo this derived work is likely to be virally copylefted. As I am not a lawyer, I am not certain of the legal status of this work. I simply request that should you cite this page, please include a link and acknowledgement.
