Typo

Blogging APIs

Typo supports all 3 major API’s ( Blogger, MetaWeblog and MovableType Extensions ). It supports all three because every one implements some different features. Even when you set a client to talk to the MetaWebLog API it will still use the Blogger API if you delete posts in some clients.

Generally the MovableType API is the most feature full. Most clients give you the most features when you choose this API.

How To Connect

You can add backend/xmlrpc to your site’s URL for your desktop client, as in http://my.blog.tld/backend/xmlrpc.

Tested Clients

Clients which support the MovableType API or metaWeblog XML-RPC ”should” work with Typo. Desktop clients known to work:

Mac OS X

• Ecto
• MarsEdit (use “MovableType” protocol as the autodetected “Other MetaWeblog-compatible” will discard your keywords/tags.)
• DashBlog - post from the Dashboard
• TextMate - OS X Text Editor with blog editing bundle

Windows

• w.bloggar
• SharpMT
• BlogJet - Opt for the MovableType API if you want a reliable connection
• bTonga
• ecto
• zempt - No longer in active development
• Windows Live Writer -select the “Custom (MovableType API)” option when setting up the blog

Linux

• BloGTK - post from the toolbar in GTK setup instructions
• drivel - (version > 2.0) setup is similar to BloGTK
• Gnome-Blog - Gnome Blog, post entries to your blog right from the gnome panel
• Flock-Blog - Flock Blog, comes with built in bloger post entries, update entries, insert images ect.

Palm

• mo:Blog - Palm-based blog posting app, shareware (use MovableType API)

Series 60 Mobile Phones

• PicoBlogger 2.5 - Moblogging client for series 60 mobile phones (have tested with both MetaWeblogAPI and MovableTypeAPI and Typo 2.6.0. Doesn’t allow comments on posts, even if allow by default is set)

Cross platform

• mtsend.py - command line tool
• Flock - New browser that built in Blogging support. The metaWeblog API option works in the manual configuration.
• JBlogEditor - Based on Eclipse RCP (Rich Client Platform), uses metaWeblog and atom API.
• Oafer42 - Ruby-Fox blogging script (Windows/Linux). Uses the metaWeblog API. Simple is key! (publish, trackback, ping-o-matic)
• DeepestSender - Mozilla Firefox extension. Primarily intended for LiveJournal, but supports the Blogger and MetaWeblogAPI. Partially functional: Blogger support does not work; MetaWeblogAPI (selected via the WordPress option) will allow history and posting succesfully; the client does not support extended content and categories don’t work.
• ScribeFire - Mozilla Firefox extension.
• flog - post from the command line with $EDITOR

Not working

The following clients were tested against Typo and were found not to work:

Cross platform

• Flickr - Typo’s MetaWeblogAPI and BloggerAPI does not properly implement “getUsersBlogs” at the present time, which makes the system incompatible with Flickr.
• Writely

Palm

• u*Blog 1.0 - Freeware palm application (doesn’t seem to work with any of the APIs, tested against 2.5.5)

S60 Nokia

• Lifeblog doesn’t work with Typo XMLRPC but does support typepad’s MT API. Go figure. Not sure what the problem is but would be awesome if it worked.

Some .NET clients experience difficulty when used against a lighttpd+FastCGI setup, because lighttpd does not support the Expect HTTP header, which said clients always set. Thankfully, there’s a workaround.