3 Column Templates : Rounders 3 : Left and Right Sidebars : The Blogger Guide

Article Series: 3 Column Templates Step by Step Guides

The Rounder 3 template that comes by default with Blogger has only two columns. However, in the blogosphere, there is tremendous demand for three column templates. If you are one of such bloggers, this tutorial will give you the steps to modify a default 2 column Rounders 3 template in to three columns with left and right sidebars.

(For the more curious readers, the article series Three Column Templates Explained covers the behind the scene details.)

This guide is specific for Rounder 3. For other Rounders templates, check the article series home. Also note that this guide will only work for a new sidebar of 240 pixels wide. This is due to the required background images provided in this tutorial are being set to that size. If you need specific conversions, please contact me.

1) Define a new CSS id selector for the second sidebar.

Switch to Layout -> Edit HTML
Find the #sidebar-wrap selector
Copy that full section and paste below the existing sidebar section (it doesn't have to below) and rename it to #left-sidebar-wrap
Change the float to $startSide of the #left-sidebar-wrap selector (See the code snippet below)

#sidebar-wrap {
width:240px;
float:$endSide;
margin:15px 0 0;
font-size:97%;
line-height:1.5em;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long ... IE */
overflow: hidden; /* fix for ... float */
}

#left-sidebar-wrap {
width:240px;
float:$startSide;
margin:15px 0 0;
font-size:97%;
line-height:1.5em;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long ... IE */
overflow: hidden; /* fix for long non-text ... float */
}

2) Add a new div element, which will be the placeholder for the second sidebar

Locate the <div id='main-wrap1'> element.
Copy the code shown in red, above that section (this has to be above)

3) Expand the width of the parent wrappers to accommodate the newly added sidebar

Find the CSS section called #outer-wrapper
Modify its width property to 980 pixels

#outer-wrapper {
width: 980px;
...
}

4) Adjustment the required margins, padding etc

Locate the #left-sidebar-wrap section
Insert a right margin of 7 pixels. Don't remove the existing 15px. This padding is in addition to that.

#left-sidebar-wrap {
width:240px;
float:$startSide;
margin:15px 7px 0 0;
...
}

5) Add the required CSS selectors for the new sidebar.

Locate the #sidebar h2 selector
Copy the code shown below, after that selector.

#sidebar h2 {
color: #aabbcc;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aabbcc;
}

#left-sidebartop h2 {
line-height:1.5em;
color:#ffffff;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #ffffff;
font: normal bold 100% 'Trebuchet MS',Verdana,Arial,Sans-serif;
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}

#left-sidebartop a {
color: #ffffff;
}

#left-sidebartop a:hover {
color: #ffffff;
}

#left-sidebartop a:visited {
color: #ffffff;
}

#left-sidebar a {
color: #99ddbb;
}

#left-sidebar a:hover,
#left-sidebar a:visited {
color: #ffffff;
}

#left-sidebar h2 {
color: #aabbcc;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aabbcc;
}

/* Footer
----------------------------------------------- */
#footer-wrap1 {
clear:both;
margin:0 0 10px;
padding:15px 0 0;
}

6) Replace the existing background images with the expanded one as shown below.
All the Rounders templates use images for the rounded header and footer. We need to expand these images to accommodate the new sidebar.

Add a template variable to define the image host location as explained here. (This step will open up in a separate window. Return to the next bullet point after that)
Locate the following CSS selectors.
Replace the URLs of the images with the ones shown in red below.

#header-wrapper {
background: url("$imageHost/rounders3_corners_cap_top_w.gif") no-repeat $startSide top;
...
}

#header {
background:url("$imageHost/rounders3_corners_cap_bot_w.gif") no-repeat $startSide bottom;
...
}

#footer-wrap2 {
background:$titleBgColor url("$imageHost/rounders3_corners_cap_top_w.gif") no-repeat $startSide top;
color:$titleTextColor;
}

#footer {
background:url("$imageHost/rounders3_corners_cap_bot_w.gif") no-repeat $startSide bottom;
padding:8px 15px;
}

7) Modify the CSS rules for the wire frame layouts editor.

Locate the section that starts with "/** Page structure tweaks for layout editor wireframe */"
Replace that entire section with the following code.

/** Page structure tweaks for layout editor wireframe */

body#layout #header-wrapper,
body#layout #outer-wrapper,
body#layout #footer-wrap1 {
width:830px;
}

body#layout #main-wrap1 {
width: 485px;
margin-right:10px;
}

body#layout #sidebar-wrap,
body#layout #left-sidebar-wrap {
width:150px;
}

]]></b:skin>

Save the template. Switch to Page Elements view and enjoy your 3 column template! (The new sidebar might not be visible until you add some gadgets to it)

Note: You are free to use the images provided by me. But if you change your template according to this tutorial and use those images, please add the following code shown in red, right to the end of your template, in the place shown. It will simply link to this blog.

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<a href="http://www.bloggerguide.lk/2008/02/3-columns-step-by-step-guides.html">Three Column Modification</a> courtesy of <a href="http://www.bloggerguide.lk">The Blogger Guide</a>

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