Jul 3, 2009

How to Create Three Column Blogger Template

You must have seen many blogs having three columns. You may also want to make your own three column Blogger Layout Template and give your blog a new level in style. So let's do it with a simple tutorial.

You can see in Design > Page elements that you already have two column, one for the main body and the other is the sidebar. So you need to create and add an extra sidebar column.

Adding the Third Sidebar Column in Blogger Template

Blogger Three Column

1. Go to Design > Edit Template and backup your template.

2. Find:

#sidebar-wrapper {
width: 220px;
float: $endSide;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden;     /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
}

And change float to:

float: right;

3. Below it add:

#left-sidebar-wrap {
width: 220px;
float: left;
word-wrap: break-word;
overflow: hidden;
}

This "float: left" will make the sidebar float to left. Thus you will be having a sidebar to the left of your blogger template.

4. Find and change the width of the outer-wrapper to 900px or more to avoid overlapping of sidebar over the main-wrapper.

#outer-wrapper {
width: 660px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:10px;
text-align:$startSide;
font: $bodyfont;
}

5. Find #main-wrapper and replace it with:

#main-wrapper {
width: 410px;
float: left;
margin:0 20px; 
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden; /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
} 

Here a margin to left and right of 20px is added to avoid overlapping of sidebars with the main wrapper. You can change it accordingly to overcome the issue of overlapping of sidebars.

7. Find the section:

<div id='main-wrapper'>

And just before this add:

<div id='left-sidebar-wrap'> 
<b:section class='sidebar' id='left-sidebar' preferred='yes'/>
</div>

8. Save your template and "Wallah", its done. You have created an extra sidebar for your Blogger template.

Now you have to do some adjustments yourselves. Adjust the widths by altering the pixels (px) of the "outer-wrapper", "main-wrapper", "sidebar-wrapper" and "left-sidebar-wrap". Adjust the margins, paddings and width by same way to "header-wrapper" and "footer-wrapper" to match the style.

See an example by downloading 3 sidebar columns Minima Blogger Template.

To be Noted:
This works only with layout templates.

11 comments:

  1. I tried this and it worked, except that when I added something to the new sidebar, it pushed everything on my right sidebar very far down the page. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It will work. Try increasing the #outer-wrapper width and adjusting the margins and paddings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. everything it set but the side bar overlaps just a little, how do i fix that?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've already told you in the last paragraph of this post, however,

    if don't want to increase the width of the outer-wrapper then try decreasing the widths of the sidebars or the main-wrapper and adjust the margins and paddings accordingly.

    Hope this helps. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. how do you adjust margins and paddings....because I have my left sidebar wrap overlapping a little on my main wrapper. Is there a way to center the main wrapper between the left and right side bar wrapper?

    ReplyDelete
  6. To your third sidebar and main-wrapper you will find values, like 30px or 50px, added to margins and paddings. Try decreasing these values to overcome the overlapping.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. Where do I put the text that goes into the new sidebar?

    2. I added the code but nothing happened. I thought it might show up after adding text?

    3. How do you put dividing lines between the columns?

    ReplyDelete
  8. What text you're talking about?

    Try downloading the template from above link.

    To add dividing lines see Adding Borders to Blogger

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just have 2 right side bars :S

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10 June, 2011

    I've tried it and it's not working. now i have no sidebars at all. Very unclear explanations.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Leaving reply as Anonymous will not help you also. To get the full support you must reply using your Blogger profile or URL of your blog's address so that I can have a look at the source code of your blog to detect the problem.

    ReplyDelete

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