Prototype for New RSS to JavaScript Code

I ought to be something else, but have been bothered by two items regarding our often used RSS2JS (allows humans to use RSS by cut and past JavaScript, processed by a PHP middle ware script).

1. It hinged upon the defunct, gone, and un-documented OnyxRSS Parser.
2. It could not handle Atom feeds, and since Blogger is offering that now as the default, trouble loomed.
3. The old site needs a revamp and better documentation.

So this morning I downloaded and began toying with the Magpie RSS parser and am pretty pleased with what I have been able to wrench out of it. Magpie offers the ability to cache feeds, plus its wider feed support look promising. It seems to parse the XML, and no matter what the tag is named (e.g. “dc:date” vs “pubdate” vs “modified”) returns the data as a consistently named item one can deal with.

I’ve played around with a variety of RSS 0.91, 0.92, 1.0, 2.0, and Atom feeds and so far so good. Since some feed items have loooooooooong descriptions, I am adding an option where one could define that an item description be truncated at a certain number of characters.

Well enough babbling. I have a TEST version of the new build a feed page, which will disappear sometime soon once I have absorbed this into the main site or a more cohesive site. This new “build a feed” form provides only the feed preview, but the form stays consistent on the page so you can modify parameters for testing.

Comments welcome, unless I still have my blog comment forms still messed up (working on that too, yet another anti-spammer strategy).

The final version and downloads of this might be ready in a week or so. Gotta dream up a new design to hang the site.

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