Sometimes Directions make things a little easier

I don't have a picture for this post, just a funny story. But first a little background.

I took a beginners computer programing course about 3 years ago when I had aspirations of becoming a college graduate. Involved in that course was basic web page design, learning all the code etc. etc. Anyway I have already used some on this blog, notice the background?

The funny story, well I had to laugh at myself anyway. I wanted to add a new widget. Blogger didn't have the one I wanted so I did some searching to find what I was looking for. I did rather quickly...Gotta say I like Google...and since it wasn't a Blogger widget, I copied the necessary code to add the widget. Being the ahem, suave web page designer I am, I opened up the html tab under the design tab, and proceeded to try and add my widget. It took a little bit but I found where I wanted to insert my widget. But I was perplexed because the widget code was in basic HTML and the Blogger uses XML. XML is actually easier to use then HTML, but it was only starting to become popular around the same time I took the earlier mentioned class. If you guessed that it threw me for a loop, you were right. But the same way I have learned alot of things (good or bad) I jumped right in to attempt to insert the code. After about five tries, Blogger was nice enough to accept it, well it didn't give me any errors anyway, but it didn't show the widget on the preview either. This meant that it just ignored what I inserted. So I went back to the original site to see if they had code in XML format. Nope sure didn't. Bummer. This meant back to my blog for another couple of attempts. This time I noticed there was a little check box sitting above the big box that held all the code, that said "Expand Widgets", Ah Ha! In my mind this meant I could open up the widget code, see what it all entailed and make the necessary tweaks to my widget code. Upon checking the box, it erased all my previous work....bummer again, it meant scanning through all the code again to find the necessary spot to insert my code. After scrolling up and down I finally found it. Long story short, after many tries, and lots of the editor hollering at me, I went back to the original site to see if I missed something. And I did. In small letters it had a link to get directions on HOW to add the widget. Needless to say thirty seconds later my widget was successfully added, by a simple copy and past into the right area on the DESIGN tab, not the tab that allowed me access to totally destroy my blog. As aggravating as it was trying to do it on my own, it was kinda fun. The challenge was there, its just my knowledge of the needed code wasn't.