So, yesterday started out like any other – I thought I would read some of my favorite sites and see what was going on in the world.

Soon after, I decided to take the “bull by the horns” and fix the comment format issue I was having, and while I was at it, perform some needed updates. If you actually scan the changes you will see a massive comedy of errors. I am publishing this for all the folks out there who feel like they are the only ones struggling to get their pages “right”.

My message – A final design does not occur overnight. Don’t give up! If I can do it – you certainly can!

The TypoXP theme author Everton Blair had published a method to add tabs at the top of the page, which I had been waiting for – so, I thought I would add them, but what I thought would be a simple upgrade turned into an entire day of trial & error, which is still not over…

Trial & Error (Version 0.00 Beta)

Put new .commentbody code sent by Nick Wilsdon in wrong .css

Trial & Error (Version 0.01 Beta)

Added navigation code to the wrong .css file (I detect a theme here)
Added navigation tabs to the top of the page
Every time the page would load, it would load with errors
Broken About link
Broken Subscribe link
BUMPzee! Widget broken (but didn’t notice yet)
MyBlogLog broken (but didn’t notice yet)
Sidebar Menu messed up

Trial & Error (Version 0.02 Beta)

Removed messed up Sidebar Menu code
Modified Title phrases for new links
Added Subscribe Page
Modified About Page
Subscribe page link still broken
BUMPzee! Widget broken (but didn’t notice yet)
MyBlogLog broken (but didn’t notice yet)

Trial & Error (Version 0.03 Beta)

Noticed that Subscribe page had weird URL
Modified new navigation tab to match weird URL
Subscribe page link fixed
Modified WP URL & Blog URL in Options to have www. prefix

Trial & Error (Version 0.04 Beta)

In the process of writing an email to the Everton, I finally figured out I had the .commentbody code in the wrong .css and didn’t have to send the email to him asking for advice on how to fix the comments
Moved it .commentbody to the correct .css, and the comments were fixed – YES! That is a very satisfying feeling
Noticed that the BUMPzee! Widget was broken
Noticed that MyBlogLog was broken
Page kept loading with Errors

Trial & Error (Version 0.05 Beta)

Removed all of the new tab navigation feature
Lost links to new Subscribe page
Lost links to new About page
BUMPzee! Widget working again
MyBlogLog working again

Trial & Error (Version 0.06 Beta)

Noticed that all of my BUMPzee! ratings were re-set and my articles were being pulled back into BUMPzee! so, I had to notify Scott Jangro

Trial & Error (Version 0.07 Beta)

Woke up this morning and received note from Scott that it was the URL options which had caused the issue.
Remembered about wrong .css with comments and thought the same thing might be happening with the code for the new navigation tabs
Re-added navigation tab .css to same file .css that the .commentbody code went to
Finally, navigation tabs working and the page is loading without error
Navigation tabs not causing BUMPzee! Widget to fail
Navigation tabs not causing MyBlogLog to fail
Archives tab broken now (not sure what caused this, but I think it is because of the URL options change and the fact that I do not have any articles published after the change).

Trial & Error (Version 0.08 Beta)

In process…

Will I ever be out of Beta?

One can only hope!