Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Testing Another way of hiding the navbar

Update: Refer to Simple adjustable way to hide Blogger Navbar for the latest.

I have previously published a post Hiding the navbar. As had been mentioned in the post, the navbar can be useful in that it enables a visitor to search the content of the blog, it enables you to easily get to the LAYOUT by clicking on "customize", and to make a new post by clicking on "New Post" when you are signed into Blogger. However, many educators who uses Blogger for their blogs for the students will like to see the navbar gone because of the presence of "Next Blog". One never knowns what kind of blog you will get to when you click that tab. The chances of getting to a blog containing sexually explicit content is not negligible. Blogger has made it mandatory for blogspot blogs to have the navbar, but many blogspot blogs have hidden the navbar and so far no action has been taken. So I think it is justified and OK for educators to hide the navbar.

I do remember reading something about the navbar being compulsory using Blogger to host their blogs, but not compulsory for those who host the blog on their own (web host). However, accoring to Kawaljit of Maybe it is OK to remove Blogger navbar, Google did a series of road show in some Indian cities to promote their Blogger platform. Ankit attended the event and asked for clarification on the navbar policy from the Google representatives at the roadshow. They called up their office in Bangalore office and confirmed that it's legal to hide the navbar.

I have tested the method described in the post linked above before I published, but a blogger complained it no longer worked. I tested it and found it to be true. Fortunately Rat has posted a similar but different way of hiding the blog at Hide navbar where it advocate putting the code

#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}

just before the closing style tag ]]</b:skin>

So what you need to do is to sign into Dashboard, clcik LAYOUT for the relevant blog, click the template tab and look for the clossing style tag

]]></b:skin>

If you have problem finding ]]></b:skin>, press ctrl+F and you shoud see Find end CSS in New Blogger template. Type or copy-paste part or all of ]]></b:skin> into the "Find" box and click find. That part of the code in the template editor window will then be found and highlighted

Paste

#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}

just above that so that it become

#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}
]]>≶/b:skin>

Preview, and if satisfied, click "Save template"

I have tested it at this blog Blogging Ideas and have found it to work.

Important note: Before you make any changes to your template, always backup you template. Refer to Backing and changing template. It will also help to edit each Page Element one one one and save the content into a Notepad file so that you can put it back if you need to revert to your backup template (with the New Blogger, many Page Elements (widgets) will be deleted when you change template). However, if you use the Link List to make you "blogroll" you will not be able to save that Page Element this way. It will only be possible if you use the HTML/Javascript Page Elemtent to create the "blogroll". Also, if you want a template that don't have the navbar without you having to tinker with the template, use templates from New Blogger templates by Final Sense

24 comments:

Flaming said...

Thanks. This one works

Unknown said...

THANK YOU! It worked! I have religious sites and was HORRIFIED when hitting Next Blog. My church wants to link my site to their site, but until I did this, I could not take the chance! Thanks so much!!! Lynn

Paula said...

Thanks, I am making a blog for my mother running for governnment office, the next blog feature went to something about pipe bombs, not a great combo. I needed it off. Thanks.

Unknown said...

thanks - i created a blog for a professional society and like the others am very happy that i was able to remove the nav bar... for obvious reasons

Dennis Kriz said...

Thanks much! We were going to use blogger for disseminating news FOR A GRADE SCHOOL. The Principal was horrified by what she saw when she clicked "next blog."

The only way that she was going allow the school to use this system of information dissemination was if I found a way to block or hide the "next blog" feature.

Your suggestion sort of saves my ...

Dennis

PS - None of us at the school have _any_ problems with the NAVBAR per se, only with its unremovable random "Next Blog" feature, whose purpose today I simply don't understand: If people want to see how other people have set up their blogs, they could just google "blog."

Manature said...

Hi Dennis and all the others commentators,

Glad this post helped your school. Blogger now have a BIG problem with splogs (spam blogs) but they don't seem to be so much bothered with porn blogs.

Peter (Blog*Star)
Blogger Tips and Tricks

The Bead Consultancy: said...

Peter - thanks for this. This has been great because I run after-school clubs and wanted to use the blog to promote the sessions to children, parents and teachers. I would have been horrified if my customers had clicked Next Blog and discovered something untoward! Many thanks. Karen

MK said...

Hi Peter! I've tried this method but it doesn't seem to work for my blog.

My blog has its own domain.

Is there a problem here?

Manature said...

Hi Markk,

I am sorry, no experience with custom domain yet. Am getting ready but haven't decided on the URL to try to register. Trying to figure out this controversy over hyphen in URL.

Even if I get the custom channel, it is unlikely that I will do anything about the navbar, so I don't know if I will ever be of help to you on this.

Oh forgot about this. No time to check but go look and see if Hide navbar for New Blogger. And comment if you have anything else to add.

Peter Blog*Star
Blogger Tips and Tricks

MK said...

Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. No problem there, it's only a small thing. I might change template later, one without a navbar. Thanks.

Manature said...

Hi Markk,

If you want New Blogger templates minus the navbar, refer to New Blogger templates by Final Sense (no navbar).

Peter Blog*Star
Dummies Guide to Google Blogger
"online book" in progress. Use the content at the top of the main column

Jens Oldenburg Fotografie said...

THX Peter,
a fine script, very helpful.
It`s great to know that i don`t help to show porn sites.
Greetings from Switzerland.
Jens

K M Nur said...

It worked.
I have been looking for this solution for so long. Great it worked. Thanks

K Nur
http://moonbd.blogspot.com/

buhrena said...

thanks so much for this! I have been looking for a way to hide that pesky navbar, and this method you provided works like a charm!

I was a bit worried when the previous code didn't work for removing the nav bar, but thanks to this its all good~

Mau! said...

PERFECT! it works!! thanks from ARGENTINA!!
many blogs fixed now!
THANKS!

Maynard Black said...

Thank you, this worked great!

LS said...

Still working on 14 august 2009, Thanks, the page looks much better this way.

Tom McGonegal said...

I don't fine a template tab?? Should I use the Layout/Edit Html?

Manature said...

Yes, LAYOUT > EDIT HTML. I think I should publish a post on how to open the template editor.

Tom McGonegal said...

Thank you. It worked! I love being rid of the Navbar.

Anonymous said...

It doesen't work at my blog at all! I tried several times now, can someone help?

- christinasshow@live.dk

Unknown said...

Thank you very much Peter!!!
As a new blogger and inexperienced I found your instructions very easy and helpful.
I’ve tried different ways of hiding the navbar (posted from other people) but nothing worked before.
I recommend it to other users, which have the same problem…,just follow exactly step by step the given instructions.(use the ctrl+F to find the ]]>)and save your template. I also write on a paper what and where I made the changes, so if one day I would like to have the navbar back, I will know what and how to re-do.
Aneta, Athens Greece

Johanna said...

This works but it leaves a blank strip at the top. :( The old one moved the whole page up. Curse Blogger!!!

Peter @ Enviroman said...

Admin may I suggest you try out simple adjustable way to hid navbar.