Re: [Koha-devel] rss

[Owen Leonard]

> > Im not sure what you mean by adding rss to to the database. Do you
> > mean Koha should be able to output RSS, if so, it already can.
> >
> I can't quite figure out how to enable the RSS feeds, which would be very
> nice. I have read the README, but I'm still unclear how to set the
> lastAcquired.conf file.

RSS in Koha current releases is REALLY rough at this stage. It's
unfortunate, because there's a significant technical barrier to getting
them working. These are some of the steps you have to take:

1. Edit the template (e.g. lastAcquired.tmpl) and replace the <link> URL
with that of your OPAC.

2. Edit the configuration file (e.g. lastAcquired.conf) to change some
generalized info that displays in the user's feed reader:
-- title= [whatever you want the title of the feed to be]
-- link= [the web "homepage" for the feed, OPAC home page?]
-- url= [a web-accessible image that serves as an 'icon' for the feed

3. Set up a cron job that runs 'rss.pl' at regular intervals. When rss.pl
is run, it writes an output file in XML format (e.g. lastAcquired.xml). The
trouble is, by default it publishes that file right in the /rss directory,
where it isn't web-accessible. That means you have to move it, change the
configuration to publish it somewhere else, or set up a symlink.

Then, after you get all that working, you find that the lastAcquired feed
lists duplicate entries because it queries the items table and pulls
entries for each copy.

The other developers can correct any inaccuracies in this description--it's
been a while since I tried to mess with Koha's RSS. But the point still
stands: Not very useful yet!

  -- Owen

  --
  Web Developer
  Nelsonville Public Library
  http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us