Add Custom Drop Down Menu To Templates 

by Zaheer Khan.. 

With the introduction of Blogger Template Designer, template editing has become more difficult for newbies due to excessive use of dynamic coding. The Famous templates are designed by Josh Peterson which includes the watermark and Picture Window template.

I introduced a drop down menu  in my earlier post and some of you had problems adding it to the new blogger templates. The code didn't work with the new templates because the CSS code I used was override by Josh's code. To solve this problem we will need to deactivate Josh's coding from your template. We can do that in easy steps as discussed below.

Live Demo

Add Drop Down Menu To New Blogger Templates

1. Go To Blogger > Design > Edit HTML
2. Backup your template and search for a similar code like this one,

/* Tabs
----------------------------------------------- */ .tabs-inner .widget ul {
  padding: 0;
display:none;
  background: $(tabs.background.color) $(tabs.background.gradient) repeat scroll bottom;
  -moz-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li {
  border: none;
display:none;}
.tabs-inner .widget li a {
  display: inline-block;
  padding: .5em 1em;
  margin-$endSide: $(tabs.spacing);
  color: $(tabs.text.color);
  font: $(tabs.font);
display:none;
  -moz-border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  -webkit-border-top-left-radius: $(tab.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-top-right-radius: $(tab.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  background: $(tab.background);
  border-$endSide: 1px solid $(tabs.separator.color);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li:first-child a {
  padding-$startSide: 1.25em;
display:none;
  -moz-border-radius-top$startSide: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -moz-border-radius-bottom$startSide: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li.selected a,
.tabs-inner .widget li a:hover {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 1;
  background: $(tabs.selected.background.color) $(tab.selected.background.gradient) repeat scroll bottom;
  color: $(tabs.selected.text.color);
display:none;
  -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  -goog-ms-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
}

You just need to remove the comment quote from the top i.e.
*/ and add it to the bottom as shown below:

/* Tabs
-----------------------------------------------
.tabs-inner .widget ul {
  padding: 0;
display:none;
  background: $(tabs.background.color) $(tabs.background.gradient) repeat scroll bottom;
  -moz-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  border-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li {
  border: none;
display:none;}
.tabs-inner .widget li a {
  display: inline-block;
  padding: .5em 1em;
  margin-$endSide: $(tabs.spacing);
  color: $(tabs.text.color);
  font: $(tabs.font);
display:none;
  -moz-border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  -webkit-border-top-left-radius: $(tab.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-top-right-radius: $(tab.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  border-radius: $(tab.border.radius) $(tab.border.radius) 0 0;
  background: $(tab.background);
  border-$endSide: 1px solid $(tabs.separator.color);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li:first-child a {
  padding-$startSide: 1.25em;
display:none;
  -moz-border-radius-top$startSide: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -moz-border-radius-bottom$startSide: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -webkit-border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  -goog-ms-border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
  border-top-$startSide-radius: $(tab.first.border.radius);
  border-bottom-$startSide-radius: $(tabs.border.radius);
}
.tabs-inner .widget li.selected a,
.tabs-inner .widget li a:hover {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 1;
  background: $(tabs.selected.background.color) $(tab.selected.background.gradient) repeat scroll bottom;
  color: $(tabs.selected.text.color);
display:none;
  -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  -goog-ms-box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
  box-shadow: 0 0 $(region.shadow.spread) rgba(0, 0, 0, .15);
}

*/

3. Save your template and you are done! You can reactivate the above coding anytime you want by reversing the step.
Now add your drop down menu happily by reading this tutorial -> Drop Down Menu
The only thing you need to do extra is to use the CSS code below instead of the one I shared in the earlier tutorial. Rest all steps are exactly the same.

/*----- MBT Drop Down Menu ----*/
#mbtnavbar {
    background: #060505;
    width: 100%; 
    color: #FFF;
        margin: 10px 0;
        padding: 0;
        position: relative;
        border-top:0px solid #960100;
        height:35px;
}

#mbtnav {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
}
#mbtnav ul {
    float: left;
    list-style: none;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
}
#mbtnav li {
    list-style: none;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
        border-left:1px solid #333;
        border-right:1px solid #333;
        height:34px;
}
#mbtnav li a, #mbtnav li a:link, #mbtnav li a:visited {
    color: #FFF;
    display: block;
   font:normal 12px Helvetica, sans-serif;
   margin: 0;
    padding: 9px 12px 10px 12px;
        text-decoration: none;
      
}
#mbtnav li a:hover, #mbtnav li a:active {
    background: #BF0100;
    color: #FFF;
    display: block;
    text-decoration: none;
        margin: 0;
    padding: 9px 12px 10px 12px;
      
  
      
}
#mbtnav li {
    float: left;
    padding: 0;
}
#mbtnav li ul {
    z-index: 9999;
    position: absolute;
    left: -999em;
    height: auto;
    width: 160px;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
}
#mbtnav li ul a {
    width: 140px;
}
#mbtnav li ul ul {
    margin: -25px 0 0 161px;
}
#mbtnav li:hover ul ul, #mbtnav li:hover ul ul ul, #mbtnav li.sfhover ul ul, #mbtnav li.sfhover ul ul ul {
    left: -999em;
}
#mbtnav li:hover ul, #mbtnav li li:hover ul, #mbtnav li li li:hover ul, #mbtnav li.sfhover ul, #mbtnav li li.sfhover ul, #mbtnav li li li.sfhover ul {
    left: auto;
}
#mbtnav li:hover, #mbtnav li.sfhover {
    position: static;
}
#mbtnav li li a, #mbtnav li li a:link, #mbtnav li li a:visited {
    background: #BF0100;
    width: 120px;
    color: #FFF;
    display: block;
    font:normal 12px Helvetica, sans-serif;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 9px 12px 10px 12px;
        text-decoration: none;
z-index:9999;
border-bottom:1px dotted #333;
  
}
#mbtnav li li a:hover, #mbtnavli li a:active {
    background: #060505;
    color: #FFF;
    display: block;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 9px 12px 10px 12px;
        text-decoration: none;
}

If you needed any further help feel free to ask. Peace out