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Before you begin!
Be sure to make a complete backup of your existing blog template, just in case you
make a mistake or would prefer to revert back to this at a later time.
To do this, go to Template>Edit HTML and click on the "Download Full Template" link near
the top of the page:
In the pop-up screen, choose to save the XML file (your template) to your computer:
Choose the folder you wish to save this template in, and rename as necessary so you can
easily access this later.
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If ever you need to revert back to this working template, you can do so by going to
Template>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Simply browse for your saved template,
and click the “upload” button. This will revert your template back to its previously saved
state.
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Chapter 1: Customizing Fixed Width Templates
Fixed width templates are those which remain the same width, no matter which
browser you view them with!
Such templates are slightly easier to customize than fluid templates (which don’t feature
definite proportions), as you can ensure your images, backgrounds and text will always
appear in the same proportions.
In this chapter, I’ll explain three easy techniques to customize your fixed width template
so that it barely resembles the original design:
• A custom header
• A patterned background
• Highlighting the main content
To demonstrate these techniques, I will be using the default Minima template. However,
all of these techniques will be applicable to any fixed width template, even those which
are not supplied by Blogger1!
Making a new header for your blog
In my opinion, one of the simplest and best customizations you could make for
your blog is to customize your header. In this chapter, I will offer you a quick and
easy way to make your own clickable header image for your fixed width template.
Finding the width of the header
Before creating a header image, we need to know the width of the header section in the
existing Blogger template. This prevents the header image from bein