Movable Type Tips, Tricks and Tweaks

Lightbox Notes

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Installing Lightbox with intention of converting existing photoblog to more of a typical gallery.

Because I store Lightbox's files in their own /lightbox directory, I had to edit /js/lightbox.js around lines 49,50 thus:

fileLoadingImage: '/lightbox_dir/images/loading.gif',
fileBottomNavCloseImage: '/lightbox_dir/images/closelabel.gif',

Edit is necessary to display "Close button" and "loading" images.

Just didn't want to forget this.

Resolved

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I know not how, but my dynamic archive funk seems to be resolved. In thinking particularly about why (1) new entries would display as expected, but old entries wouldn't and (2) archive mapping had to be changed from original in order to work, I wondered if the backup templates could have anything to do with the problem (causing some kind of conflict? I don't know). Well, I deleted every last one of them (200 or so) and voila! it's all good now.

Wonders never cease.

Testing Post-Upgrade Entry

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This is what I think is happening...

If I use the regular static publishing profile, the MT monster is happy and everything (indexes, archives, etc.) displays as expected.

If I use the dynamic archives publishing profile, the MT monster is mysteriously provoked into the following behavior:


  • Static pages display as expected

  • New entry archives, category archives for newly created categories, and newly created pages display as expected. (Newly created = created after upgrade to 4.2)

  • Archives for entries, categories, and pages created before the 4.2 upgrade do not display as expected. They are apparently missing the header, footer and other modules. Why?!

FWIW, I have tried batch editing/(re)saving the old entries - and - editing old entries and saving, in hopes of any change in display, alas to no avail.

What on earth could cause this behavior? Clearly a bug, right?

MT history of this blog:
Started out on MT2.x, upgraded numerous times through MT3.x, exported entries and moved to clean install of MT4.1, (upgraded to MT4.15? or exported entries to fresh install of 4.15? can't remember), upgraded to MT4.2rc2. That's when all the fun began.

Testing 20080618 1

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Archive mapping (or js? or something else? probably so) is not working.

I am using the dynamic archives publishing profile. I have refreshed templates Design/Templates/Refresh Templates

When I have (dynamic) entry archives mapped to %-c/%-b/ (category/sub-category/base-name/) they are displaying WITHOUT including the actual entry AND unstyled.

I followed (the exact same?) process on PajamaLabs' dynamic blog and that's working fine.

What the heck is up with that? And now it's time for me to head out of here so I will probably forget exactly where I am in the troubleshooting process and have to start all over. :-p

Movable Type 4.1

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[Bad News] I just installed and upgraded in a flash. Now I'm stumped. After refreshing templates from System Overview|Blogs and republishing, I am perplexed... where is my sidebar content?????? I have resaved and republished, checked settings and more, but to no avail. No sidebar love for upgraded blog. (Though not a problem with newly created blogs.)

[Good News] Update: Refreshing templates from Blog|Design|Templates and subsequent republish was successful. This is a change from previous versions where refreshing did not work in blog context and had to be done at system level. Is that by design? Hmmm.

[More Good News] Anyway, I love, love, love the fresh, new features and the continuing improvements to "vintage" MT features, as well.

Rework, Revive and Reboot

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This poor neglected blog, long in need of some love, is undergoing a makeover in every sense of the word. I hold the undefeated title for "World's Greatest Procrastinator" so I dare not predict exactly when this rebirth will occur... soon, I hope. I'm taking it back to default "everything" for now. Not pretty. Or creative. But it's a step towards the goal, nonetheless.

Until then, hope your holidays are blessed! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :-)