Syndicating Into the Ether

First, download the "rightbar.txt" file (use right-click and "Save As..."), rename it "rightbar.php", and put it on your web server in the same directory as your blog's main "index.html" file. This "rightbar.php" file contains the code that fetches and displays the XML stream for Into the Ether. Take a look, it isn't very complicated, and if you want to change the way it displays the mini-blog you shouldn't have any problems if you know a bit about programming.

Second, rename your "index.html" file to "index.php", if necessary. If you're using Movable Type, go to the "Templates" control panel and click on "Main Index". Where it says "Output File", change the name to "index.php". This is necessary because otherwise the PHP code we're going to put into the file won't be executed by your web server, and it won't work. You'll also probably have to delete your old "index.html" file so that it isn't displayed by default when people visit your site.

Third, copy and paste your main index into notepad, just as a backup in case something goes wrong. Then, before you save and rebuild, decide where you're going to want Into the Ether to be displayed. The easiest location is probably in one of your sidebars, so let's use that as an example. Locate the code for your sidebars in the "Main Index" box and insert the following PHP code:

<?php include('./rightbar.php'); ?>

That code tells your main index where to display Into the Ether.

Now save and rebuild the index and reload your site to see how it looks! If nothing comes up you may need to configure your server to recognize "index.php" as the default loading page.

If your webserver is using IIS you can use PHP EasyWindows or some other such program to handle the PHP.

If you have any problems, email me.

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Syndicating my new mini-blog Into the Ether should be a piece of cake if you're running on a server that supports PHP. (You can do it with ASP and other scripting technologies as well, but almost all web servers support PHP, and it's the best.) There are only three things you need to do. \n\nFirst, download the \"rightbar.txt\" file (use right-click and \"Save As...\"), rename it \"rightbar.php\", and put it on your web server in the same directory as your blog's main \"index.html\" file. This \"rightbar.php\" file contains the code that fetches and displays the XML stream for Into the Ether. Take a look, it isn't very complicated, and if you want to change the way it displays the mini-blog you shouldn't have any problems if you know a bit about programming.\n\nSecond, rename your \"index.html\" file to \"index.php\", if necessary. If you're using Movable Type, go to the \"Templates\" control panel and click on \"Main Index\". Where it says \"Output File\", change the name to \"index.php\". This is necessary because otherwise the PHP code we're going to put into the file won't be executed by your web server, and it won't work. You'll also probably have to delete your old \"index.html\" file so that it isn't displayed by default when people visit your site.\n\nThird, copy and paste your main index into notepad, just as a backup in case something goes wrong. Then, before you save and rebuild, decide where you're going to want Into the Ether to be displayed. The easiest location is probably in one of your sidebars, so let's use that as an example. Locate the code for your sidebars in the \"Main Index\" box and insert the following PHP code:

<?php\ninclude('./rightbar.php');\n?>

That code tells your main index where to display Into the Ether.\n\nNow save and rebuild the index and reload your site to see how it looks! If nothing comes up you may need to configure your server to recognize \"index.php\" as the default loading page. \n\nIf your webserver is using IIS you can use PHP EasyWindows or some other such program to handle the PHP.\n\nIf you have any problems, email me.

Syndicating Into the Ether

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