Blogger template language specifications

Question

Is there somewhere google published the official blogger template language specifications? I read this question and it provided a lot of useful information, but it didn't provide me with help on a particular tag I'm looking for (the variable tag).

Answer 1

While I haven't been able to find an official language specification, I have found a blog called bloggeD written by Bhavya Jain. Starting here:

http://thoughtsomething.blogspot.com/2009/01/understanding-blogger-template-1.html

Jain covers

• Sections, widgets, includables, includes. b: namespace
• Data access. data: namespace elements
• How to use expr: namespace - customize links

These blog entries complement the blogger documentation -- Blogger › Help articles › Customize Your Blog › Layouts › Advanced Use, where the most relevant sections contain "Tags" in the title -- with more information (how "expr" works for examples) and more code samples.

The variable tag that you're referring to doesn't appear to be a tag as such. It's a string that you put within the CSS comment (inside your b:skin tag) so that you only have to define colors (and such) once:

<b:skin>
  <style type='text/css'>
  /*
   * Variable definitions:
   *  <Variable name='bgcolor' description='Page Background Color' 
       type='color' default='#fff'/>
   */
  body {
    background: $bgcolor;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 40px 20px;
  }
  </style>
</b:skin>

This sample is copied and pasted from Fonts and Colors Tags for Layouts. You can find it on the blogger help page I linked to above. I'd link to it again, but alas I am not cool enough.

Answer 2

I am a regular blogger and even i was wondering what kind of Language they are using and how the whole thing works?

I googled a lot to make changes in my Blogs and to understand how it works. I finally found this answer on Google's site only .. at http://code.google.com/apis/blogger/

The Blogger Data API allows client applications to view and update Blogger content in the form of Google Data API feeds. Your client application can use the Data API to create new blog posts, edit or delete existing posts, and query for posts that match particular criteria.

You can check Googles official Examples at

http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/docs/2.0/basics.html

I did not get variable thing you have asked.