Quick Start

First launch

ecto will automatically start up the Account Configuration manager when launched for the first time. The manager will guide you through setting up your first account.

Account configuration

Enter your weblog's address in the Account Configuration screen and click "Next". ecto will try to retrieve some of the information it needs to communicate with your weblog.
(If ecto fails to retrieve this information, consult the Account Setup Help for details on manual configuration of your account.)

If successful, ecto will display the name of the weblog system it found, as well as the access point (XML-RPC address) it needs to communicate with your weblog.

Click "Next" and enter the username and password for your weblog.
(These should be the same as the username and password you use to access the online control panel for Blogger, MovableType, TypePad, or any of the other ecto supported weblog systems you may use.

Here you will be asked to enter a name for the new account. Click "Next" once again. ecto now has all the information it needs to communicate.

Once ecto has retrieved the necessary information from your weblog server, you'll be asked for default settings:

• Convert linebreaks

  if you prefer your weblog system to handle linebreaks in your entry (note that the Rich Text editor overrides this).

• Allow comments

  if you want visitors to comment on your entries.

• Allow trackback pings

  if you want to allow users to send trackbacks to your entries.

• Notify weblog directories

  ecto can send notifications to weblog directories such as blo.gs or technorati.com. If you have a private blog, you may want to uncheck this.

Posting an entry

When ecto is done communicating with your weblog, the main window will appear. This window lists the entries of your weblog as well as a list of accounts and blogs in the side-drawer. To post your first entry with ecto, choose "New Draft" from the File menu to open a new editor window. Simply type a title in the top-most text box and some text in the main text box. If your weblog system supports categories, select one or more categories in the side drawer.

Once you've set up your entry, click "Post" in the window's toolbar to publish it to your weblog. ecto will first save the entry locally, on your computer, as a draft, and then send it to your weblog server.

Recent entries

By default, ecto retrieves the 20 most recent entries from your server and stores them locally, on your computer. If the Entry List window is not showing recent entries, click the Refresh button in the bottom-left corner of that window. To view an entry, double-click it or press the Return or Enter key.

For more information, click the appropriate links in the side-bar.