Question for Andem

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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149
63
Is there an easy way to get an RSS feed to show on an html web page? I want to get a series of internet feeds to appear on a webpage, like a news feed, and for the life of me cannot figure out how. Is there a way a noob can do this without having to learn php algorhythms or getting a degree in computer programming?
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
I actually downloaded that today. I don't understand it. I think the html template area is what confuses me the most. How can that template extract information from the source? I don't get it.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
Thanks. I give this a try. I'll probably be back to ask for help.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
Back already. I'm really at square one on this. Do I just change a couple of variables here, upload it to the site and it becomes the webpage?
 

Andem

dev
Mar 24, 2002
5,643
128
63
Larnaka
There are some examples there to show you want to do. LastRSS will just parse the rss output. You need another file to format it; Here's an example: http://lastrss.webdot.cz/demo3.phps

Yes, you do have to change variables on this example such as the RSS feed address.

Additionally, you can include that php file in a another php file (or web page) with:

PHP:
<?php include("file.php"); ?>
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
I can't seem to get past square one.

The lastrss.php file sends the information to the demo3.php file?

The demo3 file is the file.php file in your example?

Also, it says in the documentation to create a cache dir file? Is that referring to demo3 or do I create a datafile called '/rsscache_ as noted below'?

// If CACHE ENABLED
if ($this->cache_dir != '') {
$cache_file = $this->cache_dir . '/rsscache_' . md5($rss_url);
$timedif = @(time() - filemtime($cache_file));
if ($timedif < $this->cache_time) {
// cached file is fresh enough, return cached array
$result = unserialize(join('', file($cache_file)));
// set 'cached' to 1 only if cached file is correct
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 1;
} else {
// cached file is too old, create new
$result = $this->Parse($rss_url);
$serialized = serialize($result);
if ($f = @fopen($cache_file, 'w')) {
fwrite ($f, $serialized, strlen($serialized));
fclose($f);
}
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 0;
}
}
// If CACHE DISABLED >> load and parse the file directly
else {
$result = $this->Parse($rss_url);
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 0;
}
// return result
return $result;

Actually in the lastRSS file in quotes below can you hilite the areas needed to be changed, perhaps toss in an example? The rss_url information I need to place, for example.

<?php
/*
======================================================================
lastRSS 0.9.1

Simple yet powerfull PHP class to parse RSS files.

by Vojtech Semecky, webmaster @ webdot . cz

Latest version, features, manual and examples:
http://lastrss.webdot.cz/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LICENSE
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL)
as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
To read the license please visit http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
======================================================================
*/
/**
* lastRSS
* Simple yet powerfull PHP class to parse RSS files.
*/
class lastRSS {
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Public properties
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
var $default_cp = 'UTF-8';
var $CDATA = 'nochange';
var $cp = '';
var $items_limit = 0;
var $stripHTML = False;
var $date_format = '';
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Private variables
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
var $channeltags = array ('title', 'link', 'description', 'language', 'copyright', 'managingEditor', 'webMaster', 'lastBuildDate', 'rating', 'docs');
var $itemtags = array('title', 'link', 'description', 'author', 'category', 'comments', 'enclosure', 'guid', 'pubDate', 'source');
var $imagetags = array('title', 'url', 'link', 'width', 'height');
var $textinputtags = array('title', 'description', 'name', 'link');
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Parse RSS file and returns associative array.
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
function Get ($rss_url) {
// If CACHE ENABLED
if ($this->cache_dir != '') {
$cache_file = $this->cache_dir . '/rsscache_' . md5($rss_url);
$timedif = @(time() - filemtime($cache_file));
if ($timedif < $this->cache_time) {
// cached file is fresh enough, return cached array
$result = unserialize(join('', file($cache_file)));
// set 'cached' to 1 only if cached file is correct
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 1;
} else {
// cached file is too old, create new
$result = $this->Parse($rss_url);
$serialized = serialize($result);
if ($f = @fopen($cache_file, 'w')) {
fwrite ($f, $serialized, strlen($serialized));
fclose($f);
}
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 0;
}
}
// If CACHE DISABLED >> load and parse the file directly
else {
$result = $this->Parse($rss_url);
if ($result) $result['cached'] = 0;
}
// return result
return $result;
}

// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Modification of preg_match(); return trimed field with index 1
// from 'classic' preg_match() array output
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
function my_preg_match ($pattern, $subject) {
// start regullar expression
preg_match($pattern, $subject, $out);
// if there is some result... process it and return it
if(isset($out[1])) {
// Process CDATA (if present)
if ($this->CDATA == 'content') { // Get CDATA content (without CDATA tag)
$out[1] = strtr($out[1], array('<![CDATA['=>'', ']]>'=>''));
} elseif ($this->CDATA == 'strip') { // Strip CDATA
$out[1] = strtr($out[1], array('<![CDATA['=>'', ']]>'=>''));
}
// If code page is set convert character encoding to required
if ($this->cp != '')
//$out[1] = $this->MyConvertEncoding($this->rsscp, $this->cp, $out[1]);
$out[1] = iconv($this->rsscp, $this->cp.'//TRANSLIT', $out[1]);
// Return result
return trim($out[1]);
} else {
// if there is NO result, return empty string
return '';
}
}
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Replace HTML entities &something; by real characters
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
function unhtmlentities ($string) {
// Get HTML entities table
$trans_tbl = get_html_translation_table (HTML_ENTITIES, ENT_QUOTES);
// Flip keys<==>values
$trans_tbl = array_flip ($trans_tbl);
// Add support for &apos; entity (missing in HTML_ENTITIES)
$trans_tbl += array('&apos;' => "'");
// Replace entities by values
return strtr ($string, $trans_tbl);
}
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
// Parse() is private method used by Get() to load and parse RSS file.
// Don't use Parse() in your scripts - use Get($rss_file) instead.
// -------------------------------------------------------------------
function Parse ($rss_url) {
// Open and load RSS file
if ($f = @fopen($rss_url, 'r')) {
$rss_content = '';
while (!feof($f)) {
$rss_content .= fgets($f, 4096);
}
fclose($f);
// Parse document encoding
$result['encoding'] = $this->my_preg_match("'encoding=[\'\"](.*?)[\'\"]'si", $rss_content);
// if document codepage is specified, use it
if ($result['encoding'] != '')
{ $this->rsscp = $result['encoding']; } // This is used in my_preg_match()
// otherwise use the default codepage
else
{ $this->rsscp = $this->default_cp; } // This is used in my_preg_match()
// Parse CHANNEL info
preg_match("'<channel.*?>(.*?)</channel>'si", $rss_content, $out_channel);
foreach($this->channeltags as $channeltag)
{
$temp = $this->my_preg_match("'<$channeltag.*?>(.*?)</$channeltag>'si", $out_channel[1]);
if ($temp != '') $result[$channeltag] = $temp; // Set only if not empty
}
// If date_format is specified and lastBuildDate is valid
if ($this->date_format != '' && ($timestamp = strtotime($result['lastBuildDate'])) !==-1) {
// convert lastBuildDate to specified date format
$result['lastBuildDate'] = date($this->date_format, $timestamp);
}
// Parse TEXTINPUT info
preg_match("'<textinput(|[^>]*[^/])>(.*?)</textinput>'si", $rss_content, $out_textinfo);
// This a little strange regexp means:
// Look for tag <textinput> with or without any attributes, but skip truncated version <textinput /> (it's not beggining tag)
if (isset($out_textinfo[2])) {
foreach($this->textinputtags as $textinputtag) {
$temp = $this->my_preg_match("'<$textinputtag.*?>(.*?)</$textinputtag>'si", $out_textinfo[2]);
if ($temp != '') $result['textinput_'.$textinputtag] = $temp; // Set only if not empty
}
}
// Parse IMAGE info
preg_match("'<image.*?>(.*?)</image>'si", $rss_content, $out_imageinfo);
if (isset($out_imageinfo[1])) {
foreach($this->imagetags as $imagetag) {
$temp = $this->my_preg_match("'<$imagetag.*?>(.*?)</$imagetag>'si", $out_imageinfo[1]);
if ($temp != '') $result['image_'.$imagetag] = $temp; // Set only if not empty
}
}
// Parse ITEMS
preg_match_all("'<item(| .*?)>(.*?)</item>'si", $rss_content, $items);
$rss_items = $items[2];
$i = 0;
$result['items'] = array(); // create array even if there are no items
foreach($rss_items as $rss_item) {
// If number of items is lower then limit: Parse one item
if ($i < $this->items_limit || $this->items_limit == 0) {
foreach($this->itemtags as $itemtag) {
$temp = $this->my_preg_match("'<$itemtag.*?>(.*?)</$itemtag>'si", $rss_item);
if ($temp != '') $result['items'][$i][$itemtag] = $temp; // Set only if not empty
}
// Strip HTML tags and other bull**** from DESCRIPTION
if ($this->stripHTML && $result['items'][$i]['description'])
$result['items'][$i]['description'] = strip_tags($this->unhtmlentities(strip_tags($result['items'][$i]['description'])));
// Strip HTML tags and other bull**** from TITLE
if ($this->stripHTML && $result['items'][$i]['title'])
$result['items'][$i]['title'] = strip_tags($this->unhtmlentities(strip_tags($result['items'][$i]['title'])));
// If date_format is specified and pubDate is valid
if ($this->date_format != '' && ($timestamp = strtotime($result['items'][$i]['pubDate'])) !==-1) {
// convert pubDate to specified date format
$result['items'][$i]['pubDate'] = date($this->date_format, $timestamp);
}
// Item counter
$i++;
}
}
$result['items_count'] = $i;
return $result;
}
else // Error in opening return False
{
return False;
}
}
}
?>

Also, do I upload everything to the public_html folder or does anything go to a cgi-bin?

Sorry to be a pain.
 

Andem

dev
Mar 24, 2002
5,643
128
63
Larnaka
Hey I'll give you a hand with the PHP stuff soon. I have a meeting tomorrow and much work ahead of me for the rest of my working "vacation". Sorry for the late reply.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
I know you're up to your eyeballs. This will work for now. If you do find a spare moment down the road that would be great. Try to enjoy what's left of your vacation. Sounds like work though.