Blogger hack: reverse, year based archive list

This Blogger hack allows the monthly archive list, which might become very long if your blog, like mine, goes several years back, to be grouped by years. The listing will show the year of the current posting with expanded entries, and links to the other years. Clicking on another year will go to the latest posting page of that year, whith the monthly archive links expanded.

Additionnally, when looking at a previous post, the first link of the archive list allows you to go back to your most current posting.

<h2 class="sidebar-title">Archives</h2>
<ul class="archive-list">
      <ArchivePage><li><a href="<$BlogURL$>">Publication actuelle</a></li></ArchivePage>
<script type="text/javascript">
var sCurrent=location.pathname;
if(sCurrent.indexOf("200")==-1){var dtNow=new Date();sCurrent=dtNow.getFullYear();}
else sCurrent=sCurrent.substr(sCurrent.indexOf("200"),4);
var archives=new Array();
<BloggerArchives>archives[archives.length]=new Array('<$BlogArchiveURL$>','<$BlogArchiveName$>');</BloggerArchives>
var sPYear="0000",bOpen=true,bClose=true;
for (var i=archives.length-1;i>=0;i--){
   var sURL=archives[i][0],sYear=sURL.substr(sURL.indexOf("200"),4);
   if(sYear==sCurrent){if(sYear!=sPYear&&bOpen){document.write("<li>"+sYear+"<ul>");bOpen=false;}document.write('<li><a href=\"'+sURL+'\">'+ archives[i][1].replace(sYear,"")+ '</a></li>');sPYear=sYear;}
   else if(sYear!=sPYear){if(!bOpen&&bClose){document.write("</ul></li>");bClose=false;}document.write('<li><a href=\"'+sURL+'\">'+sYear+'</a></li>');sPYear=sYear;}
}
</script>
<noscript><BloggerArchives>
<li><a href="<$BlogArchiveURL$>"><$BlogArchiveName$></a></li>
</BloggerArchives>
</noscript>
</ul>

See my other Blogger hacks:

• Simultaneously publish Blogger to MSN Space
  
• Random quotes in sub-header
  
• Amazon recommended readings
  

A word or two about Web Analytics

I've been using the Web since the fist Mosaic inception in 1993 and even before, through Gopher and other Internet services. Web reporting, initially a technical field merely measuing "hits", has now grown to a maturity level where various fields of science (statistics, human-computer interaction, interface design, etc.) truly leverage the technical tools at our disposal through Web Analytics: "the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage." - Source: Web Analytics Association

Some products I've used or implemented:
• WebSideStory HBX
  
• Coremetrics
  
• Omniture SiteCatalyst
  
• Google Analytics (a.k.a. Urchin)
  
• WebTrends
  
• Deepmetrix LiveStats
  
• Nedstat

Interesting ressources
• Web Analytics Association: http://www.webanalyticsassociation.org/
  

Recommended books on Web Analytics:

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