Ok, so you've found a cool code-based item for your blog's sidebar.  Now what?!

Well, first you need a Typelist to put it in.  If you haven't already, go and read Typelist Pictures.  Seriously.  Go read it. 

Did you read it?  Ok, we can move on.  Remember, this is all explained for Typepad users.

Since all digi-scrappers who blog should be on the awesome TopDigiBlogs site ('cause then we can all FIND each other!!!), I'm going to walk you through putting the code from there into your blog.  Code from most other sites should be about the same process.

Sign up for an account at TopDigiBlogs.  Be sure to include a URL for your blog's banner so your listing will be more personal.  If it says your banner is too big, resize it, upload the image it to your Typepad Control Panel in "files," and use the link to that image. 

(If you don't have your banner handy, you won't be able to get it by right-clicking over it from your blog in Typepad.  Just a weird feature.  To find your Typepad banner URL: You'll have to log in to your Typepad account.  Within your account, go to the "weblogs" tab. Next to the blog in question (if you have multiple blogs within Typepad, they all have their own control panel), choose "Edit Design."  From the screen that comes up, choose "change theme."   If you have a customized theme, you'll see a page with categories for "General Page Settings," "Page banner," "Weblog posts," etc. Next to "page banner," it should say "You have opted to use the image at the following URL as your banner image:."  The link for your banner will be right below that.

Ok, so from your account at TopDigiBlogs, click on "Link Code."    Highlight and copy the entire code. ("Ctrl" + "C" ) Back in Typepad, open up the Typelist you want to put it in and click to put your cursor where you want it to go within the "notes" section.  (Remember to make sure it's not in the middle of any existing content or code.) Then "ctrl" + "V" to paste, and save the list.

If it's a new list, be sure after you've added the code that you go into the "Configure" tab and check "Display text as notes," and then save. 

Remember that if you have Typelists configured to "display text as notes" -- which you need to, to make a code work -- you don't need to put ANYTHING in the small boxes next to "link title" or "link URL."  (These are the fiels above the "notes" section.) The only field you need to have anything in is the notes section.  Sometimes once you add content within the notes section it will automatically fill in those two boxes -- but don't put anything there yourself in a case like this.  When you're making a brand new Typelist and want to add the first entry, it asks you to enter the URL and hit "enter" or "ok" or whatever. You don't HAVE to put anything there, either. Just go ahead and hit "ok" and that will take you to the screen where you can insert content in the notes.

Also, if this Typelist isn't already on your blog, you will need to add it through the blog's "Content" configurations.  Go read starting from #11 in the Typelist Pictures tutorial if you need help with that.

Once you have added the code to your Typelist, inserted the Typelist in your blog, and saved it, go check your blog to make sure it's there (you might have to refresh the page.)  Always check to see how your blog if affected after adding any content.