HOWTO: RSS Feeds for UNIX Forums

[Neo]

If you want to submit your favorite UNIX.COM forum to RSS news feeds registries or directories, here is how:

The top level RSS link to the UNIX forums is:

http://www.unix.com/external.php

This is the default for the RSS type, which is:

http://www.unix.com/external.php?type=RSS

(There is also type JS for Java Script and XML)

If you are interested in a specific forum RSS, you can add the forum ID, for example, the main "Dummies" forum ID is 2, so:

http://www.unix.com/external.php?forumids=2

The forum ID can be found in the URL (f=2) for example.

Feel free to submit your favorite UNIX forum to any RSS registry and post back where you submitted our news feed.

# Enable External Javascript
This setting allows you to enable/disable the Javascript content syndication system that allows you to embed vBulletin data in HTML pages.

If you set this option to 'yes', you can call it by going to:
http://www.unix.com/external.php?type=js

You could use javascript directly in your html pages to control the returned data.

# Enable RSS Syndication
This setting allows you to enable/disable the RSS content syndication system.

If you set this option to 'yes', you can call it by going to:
http://www.unix.com/external.php?type=rss

(example) There is a news-plugin for Trillian which lets you use RSS feeds to get the latest information posted in your trillian program.

# Enable XML Syndication
This setting allows you to enable/disable the XML content syndication system.

If you set this option to 'yes', you can call it by going to:
http://www.unix.com/external.php?type=xml

Thanks and Have Fun,

Neo

[Neo]

Please note I have added this code to the footer that provides the link to our RSS feed based on forum id:

<a href="http://www.unix.com/external.php?forumids=$forumid"><img src="images/xml.jpg" alt="[RSS]" title="UNIX Forums RSS Feed" align="right"/></a>

External links can't use the code above because the variable $forumid is not set.

For the general forum, try:

<a href="http://www.unix.com/external.php"><img src="images/xml.jpg" alt="[RSS]" title="UNIX Forums RSS Feed" align="right"/></a>

With the image in this attachment.

[eugrus]

Could you also add

so that users, whose browsers (for ex. firefox) support this tag, could automatically subscribe the feed?

[Neo]

(Already supported) Look at the XML button on the bottom of each page and you can see our RSS feeds are very flexible.

I uses these and they work fine in Personal Google, etc.

For example, if the link is, by default:

http//www.unix.com/external.php?forumid=5

You can add the RSS info, if required for the same results:

http//www.unix.com/external.php?forumid=5&type=RSS

or even:

http//www.unix.com/external.php?type=RSS&forumid=5

It is really "up to you".... as it works fine.

[eugrus]

You did not understand me. I am talking about tag used by firefox to automatically subscribe for feed.

[Neo]

No, I don't understand you, sorry.

[eugrus]

See http://devedge-temp.mozilla.org/libr...3.html#1808449 and http://pcweb.mycom.co.jp/news/2004/09/15/101b.jpg

[Neo]

Where should we change the vB code to include or add this for this forum? In the HTML header area?

[eugrus]

... add it here ...