Monday, December 12, 2005

Blogspot hack: Amazon recommended readings

This hack shows a side-box with a random list of recommended readings from Amazon.
It uses your Amazon Associate ID and a list of ASIN/ISBN. The user can go back and forth through the list. You can see it working on the bottom-right of this page.

  1. The parameters in oAMZ are pretty much self explanatory
  2. It actually uses my own Amazon Associate ID, you can tweak it by looking for immeleblogdes-20 and stephahamelim-20

Blogger Beta

Create a new HTML/JavaScript Page Element and give it a meaningful title such as "Recommended Reading". Then copy the code below:

<!-- Begin Amazon Readings Blogger Scriptlet -->
<a style="float:left" href="javascript:arzPrev()">< Previous</a>
<a style="float:right" href="javascript:arzNext()">Next ></a>
<center><iframe scrolling="no" width="120" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" name="fAmazon" height="172" marginwidth="0"></iframe></center>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- Begin Amazon Recommended Readings
var oAMZ = {
sLocale:"CA", // {US|CA}
bImage: "Large", // (Large|Small|None)
bPrice: "None", // (All|New|None)
sTextColor: "000000",
sLinkColor: "000000",
sBorderColor:"ffffff",
sBackgroundColor:"ffffff",
sWindow:"_blank",
asASIN:[
  "078521965X", // Call to Action
  "0072257024", // Google AdWords
  "0470053852", // Google Analytics
  "0785218971", // Waiting for your cat to bark
  "0321344758", // Don't make me think
]
};
function arzSet(i){fAmazon.location.href=oAMZ.sURL+"&asins="+oAMZ.asASIN[oAMZ.iPos]}
function arzNext(i){oAMZ.iPos=oAMZ.iPos==oAMZ.asASIN.length-1?0:oAMZ.iPos+1;arzSet(i)}
function arzPrev(i){oAMZ.iPos=(!oAMZ.iPos?oAMZ.asASIN.length-1:oAMZ.iPos-1);arzSet(i)}
oAMZ.sURL="http://rcm"+(oAMZ.sLocale=="CA"?"-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?t=immeleblogdes-20&o=15":".amazon.com/e/cm?t=stephahamelim-20&amp;amp;amp;o=1")+(oAMZ.bPrice=="New"?"&nou=1":(oAMZ.bPrice=="None"?"&npa=1":""))+(oAMZ.bImage=="Large"?"&IS2=1&p=8":(oAMZ.bImage=="Small"?"&IS1=1&amp;amp;amp;p=8":"&noImg=1&p=6"))+"&fc1="+oAMZ.sTextColor+"&lc1="+oAMZ.sLinkColor+"&bc1="+oAMZ.sBorderColor+"&bg1="+oAMZ.sBackgroundColor+"&f=ifr&l=as1<1="+oAMZ.sWindow;
oAMZ.iPos = Math.round(Math.random()*(oAMZ.asASIN.length-1));
arzSet(oAMZ.iPos);
// End Amazon Recommended Readings -->
</script>

Classic Blogger

This hack shows a side-box with a random list of recommended readings from Amazon.
It uses your Amazon Associate ID and a list of ASIN/ISBN. The user can go back and forth through the list. You can see it working on the bottom-right of this page.

  1. Change the sAmazonAssociateID to your own account
  2. Change the list of ASIN/ISBN in asAmazon.
  3. You might want to tweak the colors to your own side design where it says
    "fAmazon.location.href=..."
    • fc1=99ddbb // text color
    • lc1=99ddbb // link color
    • bc1=223344 // border color
    • bg1=223344 // background color
    You might want to build a sample Product Link at Amazon Associate Central for easier preview and tweaking of the colors.
<!-- Begin .box #2 -->
<div class="box"><div class="box2"><div class="box3">
<h2 class="sidebar-title">Recommended Readings</h2>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td colspan="2" align="center">
<iframe name=fAmazon width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br/>
</td></tr>
<tr><td> <input type="button" value="<<" onclick="azPrevious()"></td>
<td align="right"><input type="button" value=">>" onclick="azNext()"> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<script language="javascript">
var sAmazonAssociatesID = "immeleblogdes-20"; // Change this to your own Amazon Associate ID
var asAmazon = new Array(
"0735710627", // Change the list below to your own list of ASIN/ISBN
"1568303823",
"0131854615" // Make sure last entry doesn't end with a comma
);
var azPos = Math.round(Math.random()*(asAmazon.length-1));azSet();
function azSet(){fAmazon.location.href="http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm"+"?t="+sAmazonAssociatesID+"&o=15&p=8&l=as1&asins="+asAmazon[azPos]+"&fc1=99ddbb&amp;amp;amp;=1&lc1=99ddbb&bc1=223344<1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&amp;amp;amp;bg1=223344";}
function azNext(){azPos = azPos == asAmazon.length-1?0:azPos+1;azSet();}
function azPrevious(){azPos = !azPos?asAmazon.length-1:azPos-1;azSet();}
</script>
</div></div></div>
<!-- End .box #2 -->
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