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This blog is published using the iBlog client, an easy-to-use OS X application that makes uploading static pages to the .Mac server simple. iBlog version 1.x has been around for a few years now and despite a number of updates its basic feature set has remained relatively static. However, version 2.x is now in development and promises to add some of the features requested by users in the small but friendly community Forum. Mac fans can now choose from an increasing range of blogging software, and here I take a quick look at ecto, a seemingly popular and well-regarded client.

This article refers to iBlog (version 1.x), a Mac blogging client that was formerly used to publish this site. It may refer to design elements and other features that have since been replaced.

Ecto is described as:

a feature-rich desktop blogging client for MacOSX and Windows, supporting a wide range of weblog systems, such as Blogger, Blojsom, Drupal, MovableType, Nucleus, TypePad, WordPress, and more.

This software is far from a gooy mess (as in ectoplasm... sorry) but not perfect, and in some ways overly complex. I was unable to get iPhoto or iTunes integration working (I tried version 2.4.1 with a Blogger account). I want to highlight some of the things that work well from the point-of-view of an iBlog user with a "version 2.x wish list" in mind!

Do you prefer plain or RTF?

iBlog 1.x uses and RTF editor which is responsible for introducing spurious code that has thus far prevented this blog from validating. It's nice to see ecto offer (and explain) a choice of working with plain text or RTF:

Valid XHTML

Somehow ecto still manages to produce valid (although bloated) XHTML even when working in RTF editing mode. It even includes a built-in validation checker for those of us who really care about web standards. The composite below shows the same text as seen in both editing modes. Notice also the box at the bottom right of the entry window where you simply click on the [+] icon to add a Technorati tag (these are listed as such beneath the abstract when published):

Technorati and Flickr integration

These tags are inserted via a customisable placeholder. Notice the neighbouring tab for Flickr, which allows you to insert Flickr images into your posts:

Integration with del.icio.us

In terms of tagging, ecto is also integrated with the "social bookmarking" site del.icio.us. Choosing Edit > Create Link > URL Assistant... brings up the window below, enabling you to log in to your del.icio.us account and submit links:

Integration with Amazon

Another great feature is Amazon integration. You can search the store of your choice for products related to your post and insert these as text, text and image, or image-only links (all linked to your Associate ID of course):

Editing image properties

You can decide if an image should be embedded, or shown as a thumbnail or text link. You can apply such attributes as alignment, border, margin, and title on a per-image basis, or use a class to apply then as per your stylesheet:

Although ecto per see is not an alternative to iBlog (it's a front-end to other server-side blogging systems), it certainly has some valuable features the likes of which would be welcome in iBlog 2.x. Meantime, ecto is surely the King of integration. iBlog puts it's strength in ease-of-use.

Update 01.01.06: Get your stuff into ecto and you are free to migrate between several blogging platforms; that's a real bonus. Can you import from iBlog's RTF editor to ecto's? Yes, but not without having to do some work.

Although text and styling (bold, italic, etc.) transfers fine, images to do not. These need to be manually added one by one as links: not good. Any of your custom code in iBlog (between the HTMLCode containers) can be pasted directly into the editor by switching to ecto's HTML view. You need to do some work on the links too:

http://www.flickr.com

becomes:

http://www.flickr.com/%22%20target=%22NewWindow

... generating validation errors (a find-and-replace of "%22NewWindow" to NewWindow" will fix this, and you'll need to change %22%20 to quote + space to make the URL work!).

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