Word 2007 and Movable Type

You can use Word 2007 (Beta) to edit your blog entries, even with tools other than the ones Microsoft says they support. I use mine to connect with my Movable Type Blog, and here’s how to do it:

• Click the Big Button thing on the top left (they have a name for it, but I can’t remember it. )
• Chose New
• When the New Document interface comes up chose “New Blog Entry”
• The stripped down blogging version of Word will appear.
• Chose Manage Accounts on the ribbon.
• Create a new Account.
• Enter the username and password you use to blog.
• For API Chose “Metaweblog”
• Point the post url to your mt-xmlrpc.cgi file
• If your blog admin file is http://www.someblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi this file would be at: http://www.someblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-xmlrpc.cgi
• It should ask you which Blog you wish to edit, and you’re done.

Note that it doesn’t handle categories, and I don’t think it will handle posting notifications, so I typically chose to “Publish as Draft” which is available by clicking the small triangle under the “Publish” command on the ribbon. Once that is done, I use Movable type to add categories, and publish. I recommend you do the same. The way I see it, this isn’t too bad because Word gives me excellent spell checking, grammar checking and undo. This all speeds up my blogging process immensely.

I also recommend you install the NaughtyWordChars plugin from Andy Yaco-Mink, as “smart quotes” might screw up your blog entries.