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December 23, 2004
So where was I?
This will be my first post at the new site, and I'd forgotten how much hassle Movable Type has made it for non-technical types like myself, in just configuring a simple style sheet, or in working with the main index.
I started out trying to emulate the template I'd been working with, including background colors, dates and entry titles colors, etc., and after about three or four hours at that, I was ready to stick knives in someone. It appears at this time that the MT 3.1 style sheet is completely different in naming the various components, so I can't easily shift the sidebar to the left (or get the text to completely look the same for my Links section).
But at least I'm away from BlogHosts. The scar tissue from that one will probably take quite a while to heal -- if ever -- and I'm still not sure if I'll get back my original domain name. Just about the only thing that's the same (for now) is the banner image. Maybe at this stage it's the anchor for what will be a long transition period.
I've seen various people say that there will be problems for others who did link to specific posts in my old archives. Something about entry number mismatches. Chances are, those won't get sorted out until much later, after I'm more familiar with a few other things here.
For those of you who did have my old email address, you can consider that one dead. Delete the phrase NOSPAM from the following, and also convert the -at- to the conventional symbol....
wtNOSPAM-at-weaselteeth.mu.nu
And if any MT geeks see this, please tell me what I did wrong to get mixed fonts and sizes in my links.
Now to see how bad this thing looks on the final page.
ADDED:
Every bit of work I did was zeroed out and was returned to its original condition. Movable Type remains as badly designed and difficult to operate as always.
Posted by Weaselteeth at December 23, 2004 05:52 AM
Comments
Alas. :(
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 05:26 AM
I know that I've heartily cursed CSS whenever I've tried to redo the layout of my blog, but the templates themselves generally haven't been to much of a pain.
I'll help in any way I can.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 05:27 AM
Welcome and Yay! ("Yay!" being the traditional Munuvian greeting)
Posted by: Ted at December 23, 2004 06:33 AM
Ted, thanks for the welcome. You've got a nicely-designed site. Any thoughts on how I can reduce the size (and standardize the font of) the type in my links section?
Andrew: clearly, some days are better than others.
Posted by: WT at December 23, 2004 07:19 AM
Let me take a look. I had some trouble with that myself when I moved to MT3.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 07:35 AM
One easy thing to do would be to make them a list, which would make them the same font and size as your archives, recent entries and so on.
Or you could try specifying the font in the #right section - not sure that will work, but try
font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: x-small;
font-weight: normal;
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 07:42 AM
Good Morning and Good Luck WT.
Posted by: Walks at December 23, 2004 10:36 AM
Hiya, Walks, and thanks for the best wishes. I kept telling myself I wasn't gonna get sucked back into Movable Type again (no, never never!!!) -- and like that great line from The Godfather, they dragged me back in.
Andrew: thanks for that tip. It does seem to work. Now: how do I decrease the line-leading within that same links section, and where do I go to change the fonts for the text in the main section, the dates, and the entry titles?
Posted by: WT at December 23, 2004 01:08 PM
I found a really good explanation of MT's CSS sections somewhere when I was setting up my blog. Let me find it again and I'll forward it to you.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 04:57 PM
Aha!
http://www.elise.com/mt/archives/000872font_sizes.php
A very useful site.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 07:44 PM
Also this:
http://www.elise.com/mt/archives/000478simple_changes_to_the_default_mt3_styles.php
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 23, 2004 07:52 PM
Thanks, Andrew.
I'd forgotten how truly good Elise's site was for helping me wade through some of the problems with MT 2.661. She's a very clear writer, far better than the syncopated simians who churned out the MT (*cough, choke*) "manual," which proved incomprehensible.
Posted by: WT at December 23, 2004 08:54 PM
Let me begin with my obligatory MuNu Greeting: Yay!
If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I'm not the best versed in HTML but I manage to figure things out.
Oh, btw, I liked the way you enhanced the co-linkers in your blogroll. Nice idea.
Posted by: Mamamontezz at December 23, 2004 09:44 PM
Lila, I wouldn't even have found this place without you (or the encouragement to pick myself up after the BlogHosts debacle). I may be surly in some things, but not in this one. Many, many thanks.
Posted by: WT at December 23, 2004 10:45 PM
Yay!!
You'll find that Munuvians are the nicest bunch of cocoanuts you'll ever meet. Help is but a post away.
I'm so glad things have worked out for you.
Happiest of holidays to you and yours,
With love,
Margi
(Once a Munuvian, always a Munuvian.)
Posted by: Margi at December 24, 2004 02:49 AM
...And the other instigator in my migration now checks in! Yay, indeed -- and more heartfelt thanks to helping me make this choice.
Posted by: WT at December 24, 2004 11:03 AM