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July 3, 2002

Welcome to the new blog

Well, not so much new as upgraded.

I converted the whole thing from Grey Matter to a different, more flexible system called Movable Type. I haven't made very many changes at this point, but there are a whole lot of things that we'll be able to do with the new system that we couldn't do with the old.

The Outward Changes (How the Site Looks)

Not many, really. Please do note the "Recent Comments" in the sidebar of the home page, though.

The search function is gone for the moment. Unfortunately, Movable Type doesn't come with a built-in search engine (boring techincal reasons, but I'll be happy to explain if anyone is curious). I'm looking into a couple of options, but it'll be a couple of weeks before I have anything ready to go.

The Inner Changes (How the Site Works)

Logging In

The biggest change you'll notice is that you have to log in differently now. The old link (/cgi-bin/gm/gm.cgi) will no long work. The new log in page is at /mt/mt.cgi. There is also a log in link down at the bottom of every page, under the Movable Type logo.

All your usernames and passwords are the same as they were in the old system. You also have the option of telling the site to remember you on each computer you use. Just check the "Remember Me" box on the log in page.

You'll see a window that that has one box called "Geriatric Punks" and some buttons to the right of that.

Your User Profile

The first thing you might want to do is edit your profile. You now have the ability to change your own password and set a reminder clue for yourself if you ever forget it. If you ever do forget your password, there's a reminder link on the log in page. Click that and the system will send you a message asking you what your reminder clue is, and when you respond correctly, it will send you your password.

Bookmarklets

After that, you can set up a bookmarklet so you don't have to log in to post something to the site. Using the bookmarklet gives you a smaller, simpler version of the new entry form, but posts it directly to the blog. There are instructions on that page, so I'm not going to repeat them here. If you have any problems with it, email me, and we'll get it worked out.

The New Entry Form

When that's all set up, you can use the "New Entry" link in the "Geriatric Punks" box to look at the new entry form. There are many more options on the form, but I'm not going to explain all of them tonight, because we're not using most of them.

The differences that you should be aware of are:

1. Categories
   We can now categorize posts. I did not create any categories, because I'm not sure if we need to do that on this blog. So even though there's a pulldown list called "Primary Category", it won't have any options in it. So you can ignore it, unless folks think we should have categories. I'm certainly open to it, it just seems unnecessary for this particular blog. I only mention it so there's no confusion about that pulldown list. (When I get to working on the reviews thing that we talked about in December, we'll use the categories on that for sure.)
   
   
2. Publish/Draft Status
   We can now create posts and save them to publish later. So if you have an idea for a post, but don't have all the info yet, you can enter what you do have and save it with a status of "Draft". You'll be the only person able to see it in the editing screen, and it won't show up on the site until you change the status to "Publish". Note: There is also an "Authored on" field. That is set when the post is created, and does not update when you make changes to the post. So if you've been working on a post for a couple of days, and you're ready to post it, remember to change that date to the current day so it shows up at the top of the blog.
   
   
3. Delete
   You can now completely delete posts. All you have to do is log in, go to "Edit Entries" and you'll see a list of your posts. On the right hand side of the list, next to each post, there will be a check box. Check the post(s) that you want to delete and click the "Delete" button. Poof! It's gone. Note: This cannot be undone.
   
   
4. Uploading files
   There are more options when you upload files now.
   1. The first option is a path option. Leave it set on "Local Archive Path" and don't put anything in the text box next to that.
      
      
   2. The next option is to create a new entry or just see the HTML so you can add the file you just uploaded to an entry you're already working on. Usually you'll want to use the first option.
      
      
   3. Third, you have the option of creating a thumbnail of the image. This is a very good thing. I highly recommend this if your image is over 200 pixels wide. You can set your width or your height, and if you have the "Constrain proportions" box checked, it will set the other dimension for you.
      
      
   4. The last option is to embed the image or create a popup window. If you choose "Embedded Image", and you created a thumbnail, the thumbnail will be displayed on the entry and will be a link that will open the full-size image in the same window. If you choose "Popup Image" and created a thumbnail, the thumbnail will be a link that will open the image in a new window. If you choose "Popup Image" and did not create a thumbnail, your entry will have a text link that will open the full size image in a new window.
      
      
   
   
   

As always, gimme a shout if you have problems or suggestions.

Posted by mccreath at July 3, 2002 9:55 PM

Replies: 1 comment

Hey McDave,
Thanks for all your work and support. It's the same but better. Any plans for the topbar photo? I vote for the return of my puffy-eye.

posted by davel on July 6, 2002 08:48 AM

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