Simple RSS Feed Reader
Version
3.0 (last update on Jan 9, 2013)
Rating
Compatibility
Reviews
37
License
GPLv2 or later
Non-Commercial
Type
Date Added
29 January 2007
Adding RSS/Atom syndicated content inside your Joomla! website is now super-easy and simple with the 'Simple RSS Feed Reader' module from JoomlaWorks. All you have to do is add a few feeds to the module parameters, publish the module in some position and that's it!
You can even publish multiple feeds at the same time (meaning in the same module instance) and have them display combined!
The 'Simple RSS Feed Reader' module is based on the same feed parsing engine that powers JoomlaReader.com, the most popular Joomla! news aggregator in the Joomla! Community.
The feeds are stored inside your Joomla! site's cache folder and refreshed in a specific time interval, which you set in the module's parameters. This feed cache is different to Joomla!'s cache, as you may need to have your site refreshed every 5 minutes, but have the feeds the module retrieves stored longer than 5 minutes.
--- NOTABLE FEATURES ---
- one input box for feeds enables you to add unlimited feeds per module instance
- combine multiple feeds into one output list
- show or hide the first image inside each feed content
- extract and resize remote images for more layout control - we use Sencha's world class image resizing service for fast loading times and without stressing your server
- additional content options include pre-text, post-text and a custom link option at the bottom of the feeds block
- MVC templating is now standard, module comes pre-packed with 2 generic templates that will fit most sites - they also serve as a great starting point if you want to create your own
- One input box for feeds enables you to add unlimited sources to your module (previously limited to 20 feeds only per module instance).
--- GETTING STARTED ---
After you install the module, add one or more feed sources in the related box under "Fetch Options" and simply adjust the "Feed Content Options" in the module parameters. Then publish into some module position.
--- STYLING ---
The module installs with 2 generic templates (default and compact), which should be sufficient for most websites. If you want more control, you can simply override both the generated HTML and CSS, using MVC template overrides within your Joomla! template. Or you can create new folders with new module templates inside your template's /html/mod_jw_srfr/ folder and just select the new ones in the module's parameters.
The compact template is inspired by http://joomlareader.com
--- DEMO ---
Demo for "default" sub-template: http://demo.joomlaworks.net (right column)
--- NOTE ON JOOMLA! 1.5 ---
If you're on Joomla! 1.5, you can still get v2.3 of the module in our site's product/download page of the module.
Images
This is the best of the rss readers that work in joomla 3.0. so far. Much better than joomla's default rss module.
I have to concur with the two previous reviews: this does not work. I get an error which say:
"Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated"
on all the feeds.
This issue was raised over 6 weeks ago on the developer's forum by other users but it was left unanswered.
"Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated"
on all the feeds.
This issue was raised over 6 weeks ago on the developer's forum by other users but it was left unanswered.
Owner's reply
Upgrade to the newest version 3.x. Such warnings have been fixed.
My hopes were very high based on positive feedback given here. Yes, extension was easy to install, and easy to set up.
Still, the extension did not do what it was supposed to - I was looking for a RSS feed reader which could retrieve set number of items for all specified feeds. This only shows feeds from last added feed. There are several support requests on their support forum regarding this as well. And none of the support requests regarding this problem was answered.
Easy to uninstall too.
Still, the extension did not do what it was supposed to - I was looking for a RSS feed reader which could retrieve set number of items for all specified feeds. This only shows feeds from last added feed. There are several support requests on their support forum regarding this as well. And none of the support requests regarding this problem was answered.
Easy to uninstall too.
Owner's reply
You probably misconfigured the module. Actually, what makes this module great is the fact it combines multiple feeds into one output. Just make sure you set how many items to fetch per feed AND overall. If you retrieve 10 items per feed and your feed total is also 10, then if one of your feed sources is more often updated, it will show up first (since everything is sorted by date).
Great product! Very easy to use and to create a custom theme to fit your website requirements.
Nice module and easy set-up, works well except does not show images.
I tried several other RSS readers to integrate an existing Podcast and Blogger blog into my Joomla site. The others were making weird cascading layout things or were only customizable in the code. I'm not a coder, so that wouldn't really work for me.
This RSS Feed Reader worked first shot out of the box, Podcast and Blog posts showed up beautifully and with a few settings, I was VERY happy with the result.
Thank you!
This RSS Feed Reader worked first shot out of the box, Podcast and Blog posts showed up beautifully and with a few settings, I was VERY happy with the result.
Thank you!
It may somehow be my mistake but two things happened. First, when I attempted to display feed items using Simple RSS Feed Reader on the same page as the standard Joomla Feed "mod_feed" Reader I got a white screen. I understand that this may not be possible, however then, when I attempted to uninstall the module there were two instances of "mod_feed" in my module list. I uninstalled the first thinking it was the one associated with Simple RSS Feed Reader and what happened is that the uninstall uninstalled both! Now I no longer have the standard Joomla mod_feed module. I do backups before installation of anything new so I can recover from this but people should be aware of this unexpected behavior.
Runs perfectly on my website but not on wampserver and xampp. In wampserver / xampp the module is not displayed correctly and the tool tip pop-up isn't working but besides this its a great module.
Hope we can get a fix for this though.
Hope we can get a fix for this though.
Owner's reply
You may be missing required PHP modules on your local server, that's why it may not work properly for you.
In order for the module to work properly, your local server must have the following PHP modules enabled: cURL, iconv, PCRE, Zlib.
Hope this helps.
I'd give this 5 stars but it's basly programmed. If you use ANY other module that uses simplepie, your site will break. I got a tip from the gCalendar guys and patched this plugin to look for simple pie and only load it if needed, but then it has to be AFTER the other simplepie modules...need to put it first and you're out of luck. I'm having to look elsewhere.
Owner's reply
It's easy to fix that for the next version. Thanks for the input.
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