Setting up a CUSTOM moodtheme isn't that difficult, once you know how. But if you have any questions at all, PLEASE feel free to ask me. OK?
I'll try to walk through this as carefully as possible so that it makes sense for everyone...
Before we do that, please note MY requirements for using this custom-made theme. (Thanks!)
Please credit either me or my website somewhere on your user page.
To credit my LiveJournal, please Copy and Paste this code to your user info page:
If you'd like to use one of my banners for this purpose, please go HERE.
I also ask that you please COMMENT and tell me you're using the theme. I enjoy seeing how it displays in a variety of blogs!
NOTE: If you want to use it for a blog that's not here at LJ, please contact me first. Thanks! |
- The first thing you'll need to do is download the zip file you'll find HERE. (That's Jimbo's
 jim_street and my personal website!)
Many THANKS to both Mistress Marilyn mistressmarilyn and CharlieMC charliemc for having hosted the zip file for us for a long time at their website.
- Use whatever zip software you have installed on your computer to open that file. Save the images (name.gif) somewhere on your hard drive where you can easily locate them again.
YES. You DO need to have somewhere to HOST the images in order to use them. I'm sorry to say that most free websites won't allow linking to images, so that's not going to cut it... (There is a way around this that I generally will share with my flist members, though! LOL.)
(If you're considering buying your own domain/website, I'd recommend giving DotEasy.Com a try. The cost is $25.00 a year (in the U.S.), which is seriously the cheapest I've seen anywhere. No, I don't get anything for recommending them. LOL. But that's where our website is hosted -- and it's the BEST!)
- Upload the images you just saved to whatever website you're using for hosting.
NOTE:You're going to need to LINK to these, so don't change any of the image names! Make note of the full URL, including a subdirectory name (if you use one).
- It's time to 'create' the actual moodtheme for your personal blog use! To do this, you must first be at the LiveJournal website, and LOGGED IN for it to work.
Done that? Good deal!
- Now you need to go to the
dreaded LiveJournal Admin Console.
If you've never used it before, you might find it a little daunting. Never fear! It's not as bad as you think. Just hang in there and follow the instructions carefully. (If it doesn't work, be sure to ask. I'll try and help you out.)
- Now that you're at the Console, you need to enter the following into the window:
Don't CHANGE anything when you do that -- just cut and paste everything, put it inside the console window and hit the Execute button.
- Once you've done that, you should see the following:
Success. Your new moodthemeid = 123456
That won't be the actual number -- it's just an example!
- Make a note of the number! Write it down! Cut and paste it somewhere safe! Don't LOSE it. LOL. It's an essential part of this process.
- Now you're going to need a TEXT EDITOR to proceed. If you have Windows, you can use Notepad (or Wordpad) -- both come installed with Windows. I like to recommend NoteTab.Com, though. You can get their NoteTab Light as a free (no strings attached) download. (But if you have the $$$, NoteTab Pro is one of the best investments I've ever made in a software! I use it daily -- far more often than I do Word or other similar softwares. Well worth $20.)
Anyway, whatever editor you're planning to use, it needs to be a plain TEXT editor. Open it up!
- Now you need to copy (highlight, copy and paste) the following into your editor!
Are you with me so far? Good! The next part might seem complicated, but it's really NOT.
- Where you see #### in a given line of text, you need to REPLACE it with the number you got at the Admin Console (above). In Notepad you'd go to File = Replace to do this. It works slightly differently with each editor, but the concept is the same!
For 'find what' (used by most editors), put in: ####
For 'replace with,' put in: [your number, which is probably six numerials]
Click the 'replace all' (or similar) button.
You should now see YOUR number where you previously saw ####!
(And YES -- you can simply go in and type in your number for each line, if you want. Or cut and paste it in. Just remember that you need to change it EXACTLY from #### to your number for it to work!)
- Now you need to change the URL (http://www.yoursite.com) part of the code to MATCH your own! Again, use REPLACE and type this in the 'find what' line: http://www.yoursite.com
For the 'replace with' line, enter your personal URL info (where you've hosted the images, as noted above). NOTE: Again, if you put them in a SUBDIRECTORY, you need to be sure to include it! For example: http://www.yoursitename.com/moodtheme
Click the 'replace all' button.
So far so good? Great job!
- Now take this code (highlight and copy) and go BACK to the Admin Console. (You've probably still got it open, right?)
Paste it into the window and click the Execute button.
Be PATIENT at this point -- this takes a few seconds longer than before! If it worked, you'll see the following (132 times!):
Data inserted for theme=123456, moodid=##.
(The 'theme=' number will be your number and the 'moodid=' number will include every one of the individual Mood ID numbers.)
NOTE: Yeah, I actually created 132 different images for my mood theme, even though it can be done with as few as 15 images. (People who create custom mood themes do this differently, of course, as it suits them...)
Guess what? You're almost done! LOL.
- Now you need to go here to actually SET your mood theme.
You're looking for: Mood Icons
Select mood icon set:
Click the selection (drop down) button so you can scroll through your options.
NOTE: Custom themes are always way down at the BOTTOM, by the way -- so keep going until you see it!
Remember, it's called: brn_gamble's Gamble/Street moodtheme
You're DONE! You'll now see this moodtheme when you select your mood (when posting to either your personal journal or a community).
NOTE: Did you know that you can write ANY mood you want, whether it's one of LJ's 132 or not? Next to Mood: use the second window and write your mood -- such as flattered. Then go to the first window (where you can select a mood) and pick something similar to display an image. Cool, huh?
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brn_gamble) wrote,
helpful
