Continued Inability To Update The Labels Gadget, With A Large Partial List

In February, we observed that various blog owners were reporting problems with updating label and link lists. We setup a problem rollup in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where we observed a small but significant number of reports from unhappy blog owners, unable to update the gadgets on their blogs.

Last month, Blogger Support supposedly resolved the reported problem, and the volume of problem reports dropped significantly. The problem, however, has not been eliminated.

The problem with updating various accessory gadgets, initially reported several months ago, is still present in various Blogger blogs - though significantly reduced - following an improvement last month.

This blog has a total of 626 labels defined, in the various posts. If I want to spare my readers (slightly) from an excessively long list of labels, I can edit the list and selectively display only significant ones. I cannot display all significant ones, unfortunately. I currently have 501 of 626 labels selected for display.

If I edit my label list, in "Select labels to show", I can select any one of the remaining 125 labels. Having hit the tiny "Done" caption at the bottom left of the window, I am left with "Configure Labels". If I hit "Save", the earlier reported problem continues - the yellow "Saving ..." flag pops up, and the gadget hangs while saving.

If I hit Cancel, and edit the list again, I can de select any one label, and save the list, successfully - again with exactly 501 labels selected. Then adding any one label, and attempting to Save once more, the gadget will again hang. The bottom line is that I can selectively display 501 labels - and no more.

I have observed this problem in both Chrome and Firefox (V11 and V12) - and using both the Classic and New GUIs. With up to 501 labels selected, no problem. With any more than 501 labels selected - big problem. During the past month, after I first observed this problem, I added half a dozen new labels, to reach the current total of 626. The problem has limited me to 501 selected labels, consistently, regardless of the total number.

Various reports, in both this blog, and in [Problem Rollup] Updating Label List Gadget Hangs, indicate that other blog owners are still observing this problem. It's becoming increasingly obvious that this problem still exists in

• BlogLists.
• Label Lists.
• LinkLists.

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Blogger Blogs Displaying Mysterious Transparent Boxes, Covering Blog Content

We're seeing a steady flood of problem reports about various Blogger blogs that have developed a mysterious transparent box, covering some portion of the blog surface when displayed. Some blogs display the box for all views, others for main page view only, and still others for specific individual posts. The box may be visible at the top of the page or in the middle - and may scroll with the screen, or may remain fixed relative to the display. In many cases, it blocks important blog content, and / or prevents clicking on crucial links.

Initial observations, during the immediately previous 2 - 3 days. referred to a "FaceBook or similar Social Networking gadget". Digging deeper, and looking closely at reported cases, we can look for the problem itself.

After repeated examination of multiple cases, we're seeing a more specific pattern, in the problem source code. Using a text browser tool, we find the following code (with gratuitous line breaks added for readability), which appears to be the kernel of the problem.

<div id="fb-root"></div><script>
(function(d, s, id) {
  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1";
  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
</script><br />
<div class="fb-like"
data-href="https://www.facebook.com/xxxxxxxxxxx"
data-send="false" data-show-faces="true" 
data-width="450"></div>

(Note that "xxxxxxxxxxx" will be the FaceBook user name, providing the proper addressing to the account where the "Like" transaction is targeted).

The problem appears to involve the FaceBook Like accessory. It's possible that FaceBook Support can provide a better diagnosis - but for right now, I'll simply suggest removal of the above code. In the cases where the code was installed into an empty HTML / JavaScript gadget (and with no other accessories installed there also), I'll advise removal of the gadget containing the code.

If you can identify the problem gadget in your blog, you can edit the gadget, and Remove it.

As an alternate solution, you may add CSS which will hide the boxes. Only time will tell, if this is a better alternative for many blog owners. Using the "Add CSS" wizard in the Template Designer Advanced menu, add the following:

#fb_xdm_frame_http, #fb_xdm_frame_https
{
 display:none !important;
}

Depending upon your level of technical comfort and expertise, you may elect any one of three solutions.

1. Remove the entire HTML gadget.
2. Remove the specific problem code.
3. Add CSS to hide the problem.

It's your blog, and your accessories.

Note that after you add or remove the code in question, and save the changes, you will need to clear browser cache and restart the browser, to accurately test success in resolving the problem.

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Dynamic Templates Becoming More Usable

Possibly encouraged by less than positive reviews, Blogger has recently enhanced their dynamic templates.

Dynamic Views are a set of templates that make it easy and fun to explore a blog. As you might expect, we’ve made the gadgets interactive too. Instead of appearing in a panel that consumes valuable real estate on your blog, gadgets now appear in a dock that slides in and out as you move your cursor over them.

Now, at least some of the gadgets in the sidebar will be visible to your readers, when they visit your blog, as viewed using a dynamic view.

The shiny new dynamic views are now more usable for us - with our readers able to see some of the sidebar gadgets which we may accessorise our blogs.

You may now read this blog, using a dynamic view.

If you're in non dynamic view, look above. See the link in the linkbar, "DYNAMIC"? Click on that, and you'll see the "home" page post, for this blog - today, you'll see this post. If you're already in dynamic view, you'll be here.

Click on the picture, to see more detail. See the vertical bar, in the right margin, just left of the scroll tab?

Don't bother clicking more than once, though.



As you view a blog dynamically, you'll see the "docked sidebar" artifact, the vertical bar, there in the right margin of the display. Hover the mouse right over the vertical bar, and see what pops out at you.

Watch the CPU and memory displays on your computer, too. This shiny new feature is not for marginally overloaded computers - but for those who can use it, the dynamic views just became shinier.

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Blog Owners Reporting Inability To Update Various Template Gadgets

For several weeks, we've been seeing a light but steady stream of reports from blog owners unable to update various template gadgets, on their blogs. This blog, personally, has the full page Topics Index, which needs to be updated with half a dozen newly created labels.

In some cases, the "Save" button may appear inactive or dim; in other cases, the owner will see the "Saving..." status endlessly displayed, while the wizard appears to "hang".

We have a problem rollup in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where we are collecting details from the blog owners reporting.

1. What is the URL of the blog? If published to a non BlogSpot URL, both the BlogSpot and domain URLs may be relevant.
2. Is this a team administered blog, or are you the sole administrator / owner?
3. What is your Blogger / Google ProfileID?
4. Does the blog use a dynamic template, or a non dynamic template?
5. Do you use a Classic Blogger GUI, or a New (2011) Blogger GUI?
6. What is the Title of the Gadget that you are Saving, unsuccessfully (please copy the title, accurately, from the popup window, before hitting Cancel)?
7. What browser (name, and version, please) are you using?

If you are observing this problem, with your blog, providing as many details as possible may help Blogger Support focus on your problem, by identifying a pattern.

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(Update 2012/04/27): Following an update last month, the problem was significantly reduced - though not eliminated.

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