I tested to see if you can copy the NON-HTML format (compose here at blogger.com) directly into an HTML page. The answer is "YES"

I wanted to make sure a non-HTML format coding of HTML from a compose page in blogger.com could be copied successfully into an HTML page.

The answer (at least here at blogger.com) is "YES".

When it converted to the HTML page I knew it was working because the letters and numbers that are colored specific colors in the HTML page were the correct (not just black and white type) that you will see in a Compose mode here at blogger.com

So, when I copied this blank Link code into an HTML page:

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<a href="url">link text</a>

url was red

the <p> (many of them) were green as well as others and href and other things were blue in color.

This way I knew it had converted into the HTML coding page properly and should operate as an html page when saved.