dnews

√app«dnews

Web Developer News

Using PHP and MagpieRSS to present Dynamic News Feeds

In my ongoing quest to demonstrate how the resources I review using the drx application are both pragmatic and worthwhile, I present RSS News feeds for Web developers from a number of different sources, and in several categories. I tweak this list often, so stay tuned. Suggestions are also welcome.

Although wrapping dnews as an application object took a little work, the engine behind actually fetching the news items is the MagpieRSS PHP feed parser (via Expat). Magpie supports RSS 0.9x, 1.0, 2.0 and most Atom format feeds. Installing and getting it working was incredibly easy. The Magpie library is very simple to use, but be warned of the old adage “garbage in = garbage out,” meaning pick your sources carefully and check them out by hand before plugging the results into your own pages. This is especially important if you are using XHTML like I am, or you can easily break your site.

On the bright side, since the results are cached, once an update is fetched (by anyone, not necessary you), the items are displayed very quickly. Not only does this improve the quality of the user’s experience, it is also good practice in order to avoid hammering your sources with requests.

On an even brighter note, I spent approximately one afternoon implementing this application. In addition to MagpieRSS, Feedview and the RSS Feed Validator were also very useful while developing dnews. Enjoy.

By popular demand, I have published a document which describes how this application was built. Visit the Howto MagpieRSS tutorial for more information.

RSS Channel Selector

Developer Blogs

1. Just Do It! 5 Ways to Get Over the Fear of Working for You...

Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, especially with a decision as life-changing as deciding to work for yourself. Alyssa points out some ways you can battle the fear and follow your dreams.
Published: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:21:28 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=c439d94d5dfac141ac8e21736bed7...
2. Review: Acrobat.com - It’s A Nice Looking Suite

Jennifer takes a first look at Acrobat.com, an online suite of applications from Adobe.
Published: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:55:36 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=a3122aa26d279c920bbdde1b07b64...
3. Ready for PHP & MySQL Week at SitePoint?

To celebrate the release of the new edition of well-loved SitePoint book "Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP &#038; MySQL, 4th Edition" — by Kevin Yank, we're publishing a chapter a day next week, beginning Tuesday the 7th of July. Check out what you'll be reading.
Published: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:35:02 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=108e903e3d554e862ae41a24cbb8a...
4. Referrals: How Do You Say Thank You?

One very important part of getting referrals from clients is saying thank you. Alyssa discusses some ways you can show your clients how much you appreciate their referrals.
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:39:10 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=5f1edf2b50a8c81acf32bc79b8e39...
5. Five jQuery Galleries And Slideshows

Add professional slide-shows and galleries to your website without the need to be a programming whiz. Jennifer takes a look at five free jQuery plugins.
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:18:04 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=31d3e521526be6a98fecfba8973af...
6. How to Pick the Perfect Programming Editor

Craig provides a list of essential features every web developer needs in their favorite code editor. He also suggests a number of features we could live without.
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:46:35 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=39723c80e0b853087f73a38e64ee3...
7. Learn PHP The Easy Way

With over 40,000 copies sold of the three previous editions, I’m very pleased to announce the latest title hot off the SitePoint production line, Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP &#038; MySQL, 4th Edition, by Kevin Yank.
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:48:44 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ff6c05166c739c519b12be74a001e...
8. Get a Free iPhone: Help SitePoint Recruit a PHP Developer

SitePoint is looking for two experienced PHP developers (one with a sysadmin twist) to join the team here at SitePoint HQ in Melbourne, Australia. Help us find the right person for either of these positions, and we’ll buy you a shiny, new iPhone 3GS!
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:23:09 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=031db3257c3ef0f5203d83f43ef45...
9. Announcing Updates to our Popular Add-ons for Firefox 3.5

If you've recently installed Firefox 3.5 you're probably itching to get hold of updates to our popular developer add-ons, Dust-Me Selectors, and CodeBurner for Firebug. And here they are &#8212; hot off the press!
Published: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:26:12 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=2aa25634b475f2a6550d6eef07bb5...
10. Referrals: Getting Clients To WANT To Plug You

Referrals are invaluable because they can be a passive, indirect and inexpensive way to promote your business. Alyssa highlights some ways to encourage client referrals.
Published: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:52:35 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=5b247c8a3deb55057eba12308fca4...