MarsEdit Help | Contents | Q&A | Tips

Getting Started

Setting up a weblog

When you run MarsEdit, and you havenŐt told it about any weblogs, it will ask you if you want to add a weblog.

After you enter the name of your weblog and the URL of its home page, MarsEdit will usually be able to figure out the rest of the settings it needs.

Note: MarsEdit is a weblog editor, not a weblog generator. It works with systems such as TypePad, Radio UserLand, WordPress, Blosxom, Blogger, LiveJournal, and others.

If you donŐt already have a weblog, but would like one, we recommend researching which system best suits your needs. Some are free, some cost money, and they all have different features.

One way to get started is to find out what system your favorite webloggers use, since thereŐs a good chance youŐll want to have a weblog that works similarly to theirs.

If MarsEdit canŐt find the settings...

Sometimes MarsEdit canŐt find the settings for your weblog. If thatŐs the case, then youŐll need to enter them manually.

If the Settings window for your weblog is not already open, you can open it:

  1. Select the weblog in the Weblogs drawer in the main window.
  2. Click the Edit button at the bottom of the drawer.

The first tab in the Settings window includes a number of fields. The Name and Home URL should be already filled in.

In the Software popup, select the type of weblog software your weblog uses. If itŐs not one of the listed types, youŐll need to consult the documentation to find out what API it supports, so you can choose the appropriate ŇOtherÓ type.

The RPC URL field should contain the URL of the XML-RPC script on your system. This is not the URL of your RSS or Atom feed, this is something else.

The Blog ID is often your username or a number that identifies your weblog. Different systems have different ways of letting you find out what the Blog ID is.

Note: If you use one of the following systems, click on its name for more precise instructions:

Blogger
Blosxom and Blosxom-compatible
Conversant
LiveJournal
Manila
Movable Type
Radio UserLand
TypePad

When youŐre finished, click the OK button.

Downloading recent posts

In the main window, with your weblog selected, click the Refresh button in the toolbar. This will download your recent posts.

MarsEdit will ask you for your password. You can have it store the password in your keychain. (If you donŐt store the password in your keychain, MarsEdit will forget the password every time you quit.)

Then MarsEdit will contact your weblog system and download the recent posts. The titles of the posts will appear in the table at the top of the main window. Select an item to see the full post in bottom half of the main window.

What to do if thereŐs an error

If MarsEdit canŐt download your recent posts, then it will display an error message. This error should be informative. Often the problem is a network error or a problem with configuring your weblog.

If itŐs a configuration problem, check again that you have the correct settings for your weblog. The Software, RPC URL, and Blog ID fields are the important fields.

If problems persist, you may need to consult the documentation for your system or look in any online forums about configuring external weblog editors.