Feeds

[HorseOptions]

We have found a way to make a RSS Feed. The original is at HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options! (external.php) and I was able to make a dube using feedburner (not knowing any better at HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options! (feedburner). The external.php is not updating. Anyone know why? Just curious. Thanks.

Rob Shurtleff
HorseOptions.com

[Lhotch]

Originally Posted by HorseOptions

We have found a way to make a RSS Feed. The original is at HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options! and I was able to make a dube using feedburner (not knowing any better at HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options!. The external.php is not updating. Anyone know why? Just curious. Thanks.

Rob Shurtleff
HorseOptions.com

Sorry, Im not following this post at all.

You say you found a way to make a feed and then at the same time state the external.php file isnt updating.

external.php is a script that queries the database of your classified site and builds a feed which is noting more than XML/RSS formatted text.

If you point a browser at the external.php file the text is built and displayed. Web pages DO NOT update themselves. You have to refresh the page which in turn causes the the script to be rerun and data once again collected from the DB and a new page will be displayed showing any changes in the database.

Sure, someone could argue that some pages dynamically change etc but this is because some form of javascript is used to refresh the page in the background.

[HorseOptions]

Larry,

So when I point my browser to horseoptions.com/external.php and at the top This feed contains errors. Internet Explorer will try updating this feed again later. is displayed, what does it mean and how can I fix it?

It terms of how it is suppose to work, what is the difference between the feed that feedburner made and the external.php file when the feedburner feed is based on the external.php file?

Rob

[Lhotch]

Originally Posted by HorseOptions

Larry,

So when I point my browser to horseoptions.com/external.php and at the top This feed contains errors. Internet Explorer will try updating this feed again later. is displayed, what does it mean and how can I fix it?

I dont get any such error when I view the page so Im not sure what to tell ya.

Originally Posted by HorseOptions

It terms of how it is suppose to work, what is the difference between the feed that feedburner made and the external.php file when the feedburner feed is based on the external.php file?

Rob

Im not familiar with feedburner, but if you pointed feed burner to you external.php file then there shouldnt be any difference at all.

[HorseOptions]

Well I'm still getting the error. When I go to our website HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options! and hit the link to subscribe to the RSS feed (lower left corner) the page does not come up - as if there is not internet connection). I'll submit a ticket and get Eric to look at it for me.

[Lhotch]

Thats likely because internet explorer doesnt like something in the content of the ad and firefox as well as feedburner know how to deal with it. Is there an option on the page to display more info?

[HorseOptions]

Internet Explorer cannot display this feed

This feed contains code errors.
Go back to the previous page.

More information

An invalid character was found in text content.
Line: 59 Character: 221

<description><a href=http://www.horseoptions.com/viewlisting.php?view=486><img src='http://www.horseoptions.com/thumbs/small_100_2720.jpg' align='left' style='margin: 0 5px 5px 0;' border='0' /></a>

I have no clue what this means.....

[Lhotch]

One of your users cut&pasted something into the description field of their ad.

If you use firefox and view the feed and look at the feed source you can see strange symbols. Its actually the bullit points in the following ad...

HorseOptions.com - Horse Classifieds...with Options! � Beautiful Dale Chavez Show Halter

I would submit a support ticket and see if 68C can do some more sanitization on the feed.

[HorseOptions]

So if we take and modify the description of the ad to plain text, that should fix the error you think?

[Lhotch]

Originally Posted by HorseOptions

So if we take and modify the description of the ad to plain text, that should fix the error you think?

Yepper. Im actually kind of surprised the ad took the bullits in the first place.