HTTPS Redirect And Post Editor HTTPS Warnings

Last month, as part of the SSL rollout, Blogger added a page / post / template editor feature - that not everybody understands.

A blog with "HTTPS Redirect" enabled will provide SSL access, for every reader - both those who intentionally use HTTPS, and those who normally use classic "HTTP". Those who normally use "HTTP" will find themselves redirected to "HTTPS" - no choice.

When you use page editor, post editor, or template editor, on a blog which offers "HTTPS" to everybody, you may see an alarming alert.

If you decide to enable "HTTPS Redirect" on your blog, page editor, post editor, and template editor will let you know when you are editing mixed content.

This page contains HTTP resources which may cause mixed content affecting security and user experience if blog is viewed over HTTPS.

When editing pages and posts, on a blog with "HTTPS Redirect" enabled.

Editing your template so it mixes HTTP and HTTPS may affect the security and user experience of your blog when it is viewed over HTTPS. Learn more. Hide warning

And when editing the template, on a blog with "HTTPS Redirect" enabled.



You will have several choices, when encountering the "This page contains HTTP resources ..." / "Editing your template so it mixes HTTP and HTTPS" alert.

• Change all links to "HTTPS:", using "Fix".
• Fix each link selectively, and select "Dismiss".
• Don't change anything, and select "Dismiss".
• Don't enable "HTTPS Redirect".

Change all links to "HTTPS:", using "Fix".

Select "Fix" - and page / post / template editor will automatically change every "http:" reference to "https:".

You will have broken links, which reference services and websites that do not yet support SSL. You will eventually need to find out what services and websites you link and use, that don't provide SSL - and drop them, or encourage them to upgrade.

Fix each link selectively, and select "Dismiss".

You will have broken links, which reference services and websites that do not yet support SSL. The links that you leave as "HTTP:" will still throw "Mixed Content" warnings.

Don't change anything, and select "Dismiss".

Your blog will throw "Mixed Content" warnings.

Don't enable "HTTPS Redirect".

Let your readers decide how to access the blog. The readers who use HTTPS will see "Mixed Content" warnings.

"Mixed Content" warnings will be around, for a while.

Until all blogs, services, and websites provide SSL, every blog and website that links to or uses those blogs, services, and websites is going to throw "Mixed Content" warnings.

The purpose of the warnings is to let the readers of our blogs know of possible risk.

Hey! This blog has content that may not fully support your need for security!!

That's what the warnings are designed to do. Keep our readers informed, so they can protect themselves.

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Not every blog owner knows what to do, when using #Blogger page, post, or template editor, and encountering the Blogger equivalent of a "Mixed Content" alert. Blogs that have the recently added "HTTP Redirect" option enabled will be susceptible to this alert.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/SHhkzy1uh8g

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Atom Vs RSS - Choose One, Using FeedBurner

Occasionally, we see a blog owner in Blogger Help Forum: Learn More About Blogger, asking about newsfeed formats.

Which is better, for my readers - Atom or RSS? How do I choose, what to provide, in my blog?

The competing newsfeed formats - Atom and RSS - have been a part of Internet life, for many years. Both formats have their devotees - and this is why there are two formats.

Both formats have their own advantages - and disadvantages.

You can change the URL of a FeedBurner source feed, to select Atom or RSS feed formats, from your blog.

You can use FeedBurner, or edit the blog template, to select a feed format.

Use the FeedBurner "Edit Feed Details" wizard, if you redirect your blog feed to FeedBurner.

If you don't use FeedBurner, you can edit the blog template, and manually change feed URLs. Note this will involve editing the post template, to change some links in the blog. This is not a recommended solution.

You may choose from 5 blog posts feed URLs, provided by this blog. You can do the same, with your blog.

• Atom (classic): http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/atom.xml
• RSS (classic): http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/rss.xml
• Atom (autodiscovery default, new): http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/feeds/posts/default
• Atom (new): http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/feeds/posts/default?alt=atom
• RSS (new): http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Do you really want to select Atom or RSS this way?

FeedBurner has two services, that let you mix and match Atom vs RSS.

• SmartFeed dynamically serves the right choice - Atom vs RSS.
• Convert Format Burner lets you statically select one format, or another.

Using either service, FeedBurner selects the desired feed format for you - regardless which Original Feed URL you provide, in "Edit Feed Details". Just give FeedBurner the default feed URL for your blog " ... /feeds/posts/default" - and let FeedBurner do the work, depending upon the service that you select.

You activate either service from the FeedBurner dashboard "Optimize" tab. Note that you should choose only one service, for each FeedBurner feed provided.

Important: We recommend not using this service if you use SmartFeed. SmartFeed will override any Convert Format settings in order to make your feed compatible with all feed readers, whether they support Atom, RSS, or both.

"SmartFeed" selects the best format, dynamically.

For the best experience by all readers, SmartFeed will automatically provide the feed format favoured by any feed reader used - as each reader views your feed.

Translates your feed on-the-fly into a format (RSS or Atom) compatible with your visitors' feed reader application.

Enable SmartFeed - and let FeedBurner choose the best format, for each different feed reader being used.



"Convert Format Burner" lets you choose the format - and version.

If the choice of feed format (Atom, RSS) - and even choice of format version (Atom 0.3, Atom 1.0, RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0) - matters to you, you can use Convert Format Burner, and select a specific format and version.

Nine flavors of RSS and now two formats of Atom ... who has time to keep track of it all? FeedBurner does! Let us convert your feed to any of the format choices listed below.

Enable Convert Format Burner - and you choose what feed format and version gets served, to all feed readers.



You can have multiple feeds, and multiple FeedBurner outputs.

If you have conflicting requirements, you can always setup multiple different FeedBurner feeds - and use different feed service options, for different feeds. You can then provide each feed in a consistent display, using the "BrowserFriendly" service.

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If you want to serve the right newsfeed format from a #Blogger blog, you can either tweak the code in the blog template - or you can use a #FeedBurner feed, and activate the "SmartFeed" or "Format Burner" service. Using FeedBurner is a simpler choice, than the template editor.

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Recovering From A Corrupt Template - Persistence

Of the many Blogger Mysteries that confound blog owners and readers, none are more obscure than the many bX codes.

Some problems, reported in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, start so innocently.

As I edited the Template HTML, I saved my changes - and the bX error suddenly appeared.

Each different bX code refers to a different problem, with Blogger in general. Of the bX codes that refer to template corruption, each different bX code may refer to a different template corruption problem.

When a template corruption problem can be reset, the resetting process may involve repeated use of one or more dashboard pages.

Different problems may enable - or prevent - use of a different dashboard page. For problems with multiple causes, you may have to use each different wizard, persistently.

1. The Template Designer page.
2. The Template page.
3. The Template Editor ("Edit HTML") page.
4. If the blog is not operational, you start again.

Unfortunately, some problems may prevent use of all 3 pages. For the problems that permit use of one or more pages, you try each available page, repeatedly, until the blog becomes operational.

To access each page, you may need to bypass the dashboard menu.

The Template Designer page.

The Template Designer is used for one task - "Remove customizations".

The Template Designer.



"Remove customizations" may be the simplest reset that you may try - when possible. Some customizations, when removed, may enable subsequent use of the Template page, or the Template Editor.

The Template page.

The Template main page is used for two tasks.

1. Backup / Restore the existing template.
2. Get a new template.

The Template main page.



Some problems, when reset using the Template main page, may enable subsequent use of the Template Designer, or the Template Editor.

The Template Editor ("Edit HTML") page.

The Template Editor ("Edit HTML") is used for two tasks, as an alternate to the Template main page. Also, it may be used to reset any "rgba" colour combination problems.

1. Backup / Restore the existing template.
2. Get a new template.

For template corruption problems that prevent use of the Template main page, the Template Editor - combined with a second blog, where a clean template is developed and tested - can be used.

The Template Editor (aka "Edit HTML").



Some problems, when reset using the Template Editor, may enable subsequent use of the Template Designer, or the Template main page.

If the blog is not operational, you start again.

If you get a new bX code, you repeat the above sequence. Some problems, with multiple causes, may require repeated retries.

In extreme cases, you may end up creating a new blog at the URL.

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Some #Blogger template problems, which lead to a bX code display, may have multiple causes - and all causes may require solution, to make an affected blog operational. With some causes preventing solution of others, a repetitious use of the various dashboard pages may be required - to solve some template corruption problems.

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Recovering A Broken Template, Using "Edit HTML"

I have, for a long time, recommended regular template backups, for those who like to tweak the template.

Normal backup uses the "Backup" wizard, on the dashboard Template page. When backed up, an XML file, containing the template code, is extracted and saved locally. To restore, the "Restore" wizard is used and a previous Backup XML file selected.

That's how Backup / Restore should work - but it isn't always that easy.

With the current wave of bX codes, being used to diagnose the "Error 500", the Template dashboard page may not be accessible.

This is the case even attempting direct access, using the navbar "Design" link, or a hand generated equivalent.

With some blogs, the Template Editor may be OK - with the Template page broken.

For some blog owners who cannot use the dashboard Template page, the Template Editor aka Template "Edit HTML" may be accessible. This will require using a hand generated URL - since there is no direct link to the Template Editor.

If the Template Editor can be accessed directly, the blog owner may be able to continue.

1. Access the Template Editor for the broken blog, in one browser window.
2. Setup a new blog, using a clean template, in a second browser window.
3. Access the Template Editor for the new blog.
4. Copy the new blog template, to the broken blog.
5. Save the now recovered current blog template.
6. Refresh the post template.
7. Clear cache, cookies, and sessions, restart the browser, and try again.

The blog owner has a possible solution, in this case.



Access the Template Editor for the broken blog, in one browser window.

Use a hand generated URL, to access the Template Editor. If you can do this much, you are well on the way to getting your blog back.

If you truly feel the need, you can backup what's there, before you paste over what you have. Ctrl - A then Ctrl - C to copy - then Ctrl - V, into a new text document - that you can save, at your convenience.

Setup a new blog, using a clean template, in a second browser window.

Blogs are free, so make a new one. Select the "Simple" template, for best results.

Access the Template Editor for the new blog.

For the new blog, you can use the dashboard menu, and Template - "Edit HTML".

Copy the new blog template, to the broken blog.

With the Template Editor window for the new blog, containing a valid template, copy its contents (Ctrl - A then Ctrl - C) - into the Template Editor window for the broken blog (Ctrl - A then Ctrl - V).

Save the now recovered current blog template.

Hit "Save template". And say a brief prayer.

Refresh the post template.

This may not be necessary - but you should consider it. It has saved a few blogs.

Clear cache, cookies, and sessions, restart the browser, and try again.

This is always a good idea, when clearing bX codes.

It's a workaround - not perfect, but it may get the blog going again.

This is not a perfect solution. If you are tired of the bX codes, and if this will get your blog operational, you may find it useful, however. It's also possible that this error is part of a larger problem - and you need a persistent solution.

If you have a template back up, you can apply that after the blog is back in service. And your readers have stopped emailing you with angry complaints. Just use a clean backup.

And test your tweaks, going forward, more carefully.

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Some bX codes, being used to diagnose the "Error 500" condition in #Blogger blogs with broken templates, affect the dashboard Template page. Blogs which have broken Template pages cannot be recovered by getting a new template.

In some cases, with the Template page unusable, it may be possible to directly access the Template Editor - then paste a separately developed clean template into the "Edit HTML" window, and correct the problem.

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Unfold Widgets Selectively, Instead Of All At Once

The new Template HTML Editor has been with us for just under 2 weeks.

Not every blog owner sees the new editor as an improvement. Some folks don't understand how to find the code sections, where they need to apply changes - and would probably be happier if "Expand All Widgets" were an option.

Like the old saying goes, you just cannot please everybody.

Fortunately, with this change, it's not difficult to find the code sections that need changing - you just do a little bit of research, before using "Edit HTML".

With the old editor, finding a section that needed changing could be a bit frustrating - though simple, given enough time.

1. Hit "Expand Widget Templates".
2. Search for a recognisable section of code.
3. Try very carefully, to find the right section of code.
4. Be careful, and don't select the wrong section of code.

With the new editor, you have a bit more work to do - and what you have to do appears to be simply repetitive.

1. Find a folded code section.
2. Unfold the section that's folded.
3. Repeat, until everything is visible.
4. Search for a recognisable section of code.
5. Try very carefully, to find the right section of code.
6. Be careful, and don't select the wrong section of code.

Instead of spending so much time unfolding, searching, and rechecking everything, why not do some research? Figure out what needs changing. Look at the display on the dashboard Layout wizard (previously called "Page Elements"). Identify the widget to be changed, using both the relative position on the page, and the title.

Find the widget id, by looking at the widget to be changed, then at the URL behind the "Edit" link. If you're editing the post template, you'll be looking at "Blog Posts", which has the widgetID of "Blog1". Click here, for instructions on determining the widget id.

Once you have the widgetID, for the specific widget that you need to modify, go to the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, use the "Jump to widget" pull down list, select the widget by widgetID, and there it is. Now, unfold that widget, and do what you have to do.

Isn't that simpler, when you think about it?

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All Template Changes Won't Always Be Visible, When The Blog Is Published

Not all blog owners appreciate the differences between using the various template wizards, and what they will actually see, once the blog is published.

The confusion about the various template wizards, and what is actually seen, expressed in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, is numerous.

Why aren't my changes to the template being saved?

This question is expressed in a number of ways - and has a number of causes.

There are a number of causes of template problems, in general.

• Some problem are caused by Blogger Engineering, as they manage the Blogger application.
• Some problems are caused by the blog owners, as they use (and yes, misuse) the Blogger application.
• Some problems are simply caused by the perception of the blog owners, and will never be resolved, to everybody's expectations.

If you're viewing this blog using a desktop / laptop computer, with a "normal" browser, and you can find the "View Source" control, take a look at the source for this page. Compare what you see there with the display in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard (and allow for some confusion, when using "Edit HTML").

• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Designer" / "Layout" template, you'll see a lot of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Dynamic" template, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog using a redirected "mobile" browser view, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you're using a "mobile" computer, you probably won't even have an option to "View Source".

The bulk of the options in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, in the "Layout" wizard, and in the Template Designer, are intended to change the "Designer" / "Layout" template views. The three wizards have much less effect, against the "Dynamic" / "Mobile" template views.

If you tweak the CSS settings in "Edit HTML" or the Template Designer - or if you change the layout using "Layout" or the Template Designer - you may not see all of the changes reflected in either a Dynamic or Mobile view.

Sometimes, this is because you have already tweaked the template improperly, preventing the wizard from saving your latest changes. Other times, it may be simply because the Dynamic and Mobile templates are not designed to let you tweak the settings in question.

We've also seen vague suggestions that having the mobile template active can cause the Template Designer font and style selections to be non operational. Font settings, made using the Template Designer, won't be saved and won't appear in the blog, when published. Right now, we're unsure whether the Live Preview window updates reliably.

And recently, uncontrolled customisation of the blog accessory complement, and of the dynamic template code, have caused instability in network access, when viewing blogs using dynamic views.

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The Option To "Expand Widget Templates", In The Template "Edit HTML" Wizard, Is No More

One of the more confusing features of the Blogger Template "Edit HTML" wizard, used to be the option to

Expand Widget Templates

With the new "Edit HTML" wizard, that option is not needed. Given the choice to "Expand Widget Templates", the typical blog owner was frequently caught between a rock, and a hard place, when editing gadgets.

• Don't use the option - and the gadget code section, which was to be edited, remained concealed.
• Use the option - and all gadget code sections were expanded, revealing all gadget code.

This frequently left the owner with either no information - or too much information, from which to work. Broken templates, caused by improper template HTML edits, were common.

The new Template "Edit HTML" wizard replaces the single "Expand Widget Templates" option with selective widget expansion. Now referred to as "folded" code, a concealed widget code section is identified by a fold marker ("sideways arrow icon"), next to the line number.

The code inside the widget is folded by default.

Clicking on any fold marker, the concealed gadget code section is revealed. If the now revealed code section itself contains concealed code sections, those sections are displayed as folded, and can then be revealed - if necessary, and only if necessary.

Thus we can eliminate unnecessary depth (internal gadget code sections) and width (additional gadget code sections) from being displayed when we only need to edit a specific gadget, at a given level of complexity. This will make it easier to identify and to edit the necessary lines of code, and to avoid editing lines of code which should not be edited.

If you're looking for a specific section of the template - for instance, the CSS rules - you may find that section folded also. CSS rules, for instance, are at the top of the template.

<b:skin>---</b:skin>

and

<b:template-skin>---</b:template-skin>

On the other hand, if you're looking for the content of an HTML / JavaScript gadget, that's still edited from the specific gadget in the Layout wizard.

<data:content/>

Gadget content is not folded.

Hopefully, we'll soon see less problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about broken templates - though we will probably continue to see confusion, about templates that only appear to be broken.

As always, if you change template code, remember to clear browser cache and restart the browser, before concluding that your changes were not effective.

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Some Blog Owners Reporting The Template Designer Changes Do Not Update On Their Blogs

For several weeks, we're been seeing various reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, mentioning problems with template updates, being made using the Template Designer wizard.

The reports are not so widespread to indicate a complete malfunction - but neither can we dismiss the problem, as being unique to one browser, one template type, or one particular update pattern.

It's likely that we are looking at a number of problems, aggregated and compounded, into one common symptom.

I cannot Save changes in Template Designer.

With a problem report like this, some examining of the details may be appropriate.

The Template Designer wizard, which is a component in the Blogger Dashboard, is a complex and sophisticated collection of menus and utilities, which runs on the blog owners computers.

Like most Blogger code, the Template Designer is subject to the effects of other programs, and various security settings - which may be installed or set on each individual computer, with or without the understanding of the blog owner and / or computer owner. In some cases, the blog owner and computer owner may be different people.

If you are seeing a problem with the Template Designer, when trying to update the layout on your blog, there are several tests which you can make, which may help to isolate the problem.

• Try making the same updates, using another computer.
• Try making the same updates, using another browser on your current computer.
• Try setting up a new blog, with the same template, and make the same updates to the new blog.

If you're able to make one or more of the above alternate updates, that will help to eliminate some, or many, alternate suspects, as the cause of your problem. If other people are reporting this problem, their results from the above tests may or may not correspond with yours - because their base problem may differ from yours.

Right now, we're seeing seven different causes of these problems.

1. Changes made by Blogger Engineering, to support new browser versions and browser updates, and to provide new template features.
2. Changes inherent in new browser versions, made by the browser vendors.
3. Third party browser add-ons, installed by the owners of the various computers.
4. Security settings, inherent in new browser versions and third party add-ons.
5. The cumulative effects of various template tweaks, both made using "Edit HTML" and the Template Designer itself.
6. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against all templates provided by Blogger.
7. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against templates not provided by Blogger.

Of these possible causes, only #1 (and possibly #2 and #6) are the sole responsibility of Blogger Engineering. The blog owners (and computer owners) must assume some partial responsibility for #2 - and sole responsibility for #3, #4, and #5. The blog owner, and the developer of any custom, third party template, must jointly assume responsibility for #7.

Recently, Blogger Support acknowledged the problem, in part.

Some users have reported that the Apply to Blog button in the Template Designer is non-functional for some Dynamic View templates.

We also have a Rollup Discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where individual details are being provided by various blog owners.

Right now, we're starting to suspect that some "problems" are actually caused by the blog owners, who are simply not aware that not all changes made, using the Template Designer (or the Layout or Template "Edit HTML" wizards), are designed to update all templates used in viewing our blogs.

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Blogger Blogs Redirecting To "blogspot - ping . com"

Today, we see the latest in the never ending saga of blog owners, who previously (maybe / maybe not recently) installed some deviously created software - whether intentionally or not - and who now find their readers unable to view their blogs, and themselves even unable to access the template editor to remove the malicious code.

My blogs are redirecting auto to ping . blogspot - ping . com", can anybody tell me how to fix this?

The malicious redirecting appears to be cause by a small snippet of JavaScript code - which has been installed, in most cases, as template HTML. Alternatively, some blog owners have added separate HTML / JavaScript gadgets, to host this code.

It's easy enough to identify - not so easy to remove, as some owners have found. In many cases, we are seeing reports that even when directly accessing the Layout wizard or Template Editor, the malicious code activates, and redirects the blog owner's browser.

Since the redirect is running from a snippet of JavaScript code, blocking the malicious code will prevent the redirection, and allow corrective access to the Layout wizard or Template Editor.

<script src='http : // ping . blogspot - ping . com / ping . js' type='text/javascript'></script>

Whichever GUI wizard you use to remove the code, remember to clear cache and restart the browser after removal and before testing for success.

Since I routinely - and consistently - use Firefox with NoScript to browse, I was able to access one victim blog without the redirection occurring, view the blog source, and extract the above code. If you use NoScript, you (the blog owner) should be likewise able to access your dashboard, and the Template Editor, and remove the bogie.

Please note that the code snippet, excerpted above, has extra spaces inserted into the URLs, to prevent advertising of the actual hijacking domain.

Anybody who knows where this bogie originated, and how it was deviously conned upon the blog owners, can help a lot of people by identifying the origin. Only when this is done, can we try to prevent the problem - rather than advise how to remove the problem.

First, install the popular Mozilla browser, Firefox. Having added Firefox, install the add-on NoScript. NoScript uses a Unix level security policy.

Deny by default, permit by exception.

Keep in mind the different trust levels of Blogger and BlogSpot - with NoScript, you will have to allow Blogger, yet forbid BlogSpot. Code from unknown domains, such as "blogspot - ping . com", will not run on any NoScript protected computer - unless you, intentionally, enable it. Knowing the threat from this bogie, you will hopefully choose to not enable this domain.

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