I would like to create an automated RSS ‘channel’(I think:fangel:) on my website (the site in my signature) to create a feed with a link and description every time a user submits new content to the front page. The description would be taken directly from the description that the user submitted.
Now, I checked out a few sites that says RSS language is easy, this and that, and had instructions on writing up a basic feed. I can’t seem to find any examples similar to what I would like to do, or maybe I am just over looking something.
I have a decent understanding of PHP, HTML and CSS, so I wouldn’t think that I am in to far in over my head.
I don’t have time to try your existing feeds now, but I will when I get the chance to.
Once you know the format for a feed file you can create one dynamically. If not an actual hard file, you can send an HTTP request for the virtual file to the script file that outputs the content.
So you could put the comment into a database and use that, or you could write a new file every time a comment is made. Personally I’d go the database route.
Alright, I think I’m starting to understand the database concept a little better. I read a little more about it here:
I have not tried anything yet, because I’m still not quite sure what I’m getting it to. I think the main thing I’m not understanding at the moment is how any new data (whether it’s a new post, article, or whatever on a site) is moved automatically from the site to the database (or database to database?) for the feed.
One RSS feature I am thinking about at the moment is one you can find on craigslist. For example, they have it set up so if someone posts an ad for a chair they are selling (because ‘chair’ is one the the keywords), a feed immediately goes out to the people who downloaded their RSS feed for a chair search on craigslist. Now, I think what I’m trying to do should be a lot less complicated than what they have set up.