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The RSS Import WordPress Plugin Displays RSS Feeds on Your Page, Post, or Sidebar
Have you been searching and searching for a way to include your RSS feeds on a page or post in your blog? The sidebar is covered: It’s easy to get RSS feeds in it using the WordPress plugin that ships with WordPress, or using FeedBurner, or any number of plugins. But what about pages? What about posts?
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Today I (finally) came across a plugin that will display RSS feeds on your page, post, or sidebar. Additionally, you can use php or shortcodes, and it has other configuration and customization options. The WordPress plugin is RSSImport2. You can find it in the Official WordPress Plugin Repository.
I gave it a whirl as soon as I installed it and it just worked. Thankfully!
Using RSS Import in Pages, Posts, and Templates
This php code displays RSS Feeds with just the title of the feed item, as show below. It can be placed within a template file, a sidebar text widget, as well as within pages and posts. When used within a template file, you simply place the code (along with any configuration options). BUT if using the php code within a post, page, or a sidebar text widget, you’ll need to have the Exec-PHP plugin3 (or similar) installed in order to actually execute the code and see the results.
PHP Code
<?php RSSImport(5, 'http://taylorwebstuff.wordpress.com/feed/'); ?>
The feeds used in the examples below are live from TaylorWebStuff, my WordPress.com blog.
Here are the results:
- Is Online Project Management On Your Radar?
- No Ides of March But Epic Technical Challenges Abound
- Time and Billing in the Cloud: Reviewing Invoicera
- Resurrected Living: A Healthy Lifestyle
- Customer-Centric Writings on E-Commerce and Referrals
Shortcodes
The next example uses shortcodes, which is indicated by the square brackets. You do not place shortcodes within a template file. You place shortcodes directly in posts, pages, or sidebar text widgets. (This plugin comes with a widget of its own, the RSS Import Widget, which is not the same as the plain-old sidebar text widget referenced here.)
[ RSSImport display="5" feedurl="http://taylorwebstuff.wordpress.com/feed/" displaydescriptions="true" rel="follow" ]
The extra configuration options in the code above mean (1) display a description for each RSS feed item (displaydescriptions=”true”) and, (2) when the links are clicked, give some link juice to the source (rel=”follow”).
See the result below.
- Is Online Project Management On Your Radar?
Project management software for the desktop has traditionally been costly and difficult to master. New SaaS offerings bring the world of project management online. Long on features, it's also att … - No Ides of March But Epic Technical Challenges Abound
According to history, the Ides of March in 44 B.C. was the day a group of Roman Senators assassinated Julius Caesar. Occurring on March 15th, it’s a day that lives on in infamy. While the fate … - Time and Billing in the Cloud: Reviewing Invoicera
Moving From Desktop to the Cloud Online billing and invoicing is the in-the-cloud counterpart of the same function found in your offline desktop accounting software. Here’s my personal review o … - Resurrected Living: A Healthy Lifestyle
Breathing Life Into A Google Blogger Hosted Blog Resurrected! The blog I started in ’09 sat there half-dead for more than a year and a half. With the excitement of doing bigger and better writin … - Customer-Centric Writings on E-Commerce and Referrals
Haven’t written here in a while, so this is a sort-of round-up of articles, blog postings from various places. I’ve been focused on customers and ecommerce lately. With this is mind, I …
Here’s the Plugin Page: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/rss-import/
Here’s the Author’s Support Site http://bueltge.de/wordpress-plugins/
Use The RSS Import Widget in the Sidebar
Okay, now I’m referring to the widget that actually comes with the RSS Import plugin.
The configuration options I spoke about earlier have to be input by hand when you are including either the php code or the shortcode within your page, post, or template. With the widget, you select the configuration options you want from a drop-down. I have to warn you, it is a looooong drop-down list!
The image below just gives you a small peek at what’s available. (Click the image for a larger view.)
Remember, this is a sidebar widget. In order to get these effects within your page or post, you’ll have to use either the php code or the shortcode. Even so, this is far better than the alternative I was facing before searching and finding this plugin: no rss feeds within my pages or posts.
Webmasters : Content For Your Blogs and Newsletters A shorter version of this article is available for your use in newsletters, blog postings, ezines. Get it at Breaking Away From the Sidebar – Aggregate and Display RSS Feeds on Your WordPress Pages and Posts.
Place Your RSS Feed on Squidoo, Too
These days, I’m also trying my hand at building Squidoo Lenses. It is good for sharing your expertise, getting backlinks to your blogs, and connecting with like-minded people.
Squidoo includes an RSS Feed module that allows you to easily grab a feed from anywhere and include it in your lens page. If you’re not familiar with Squidoo, visit my profile to see the lenses I’ve created. Select the Vernessa Taylor, Computer Geek lens where you will notice the feed from this site is included.
Here’s a short video on how to use the Squidoo RSS module from lensmaster Tiffany Dow.
Talk About It …
Was this information about RSS what you were looking for? Are you already using RSS Import or another solution for getting feeds onto your posts or pages? Was the video helpful? Any tips or insights? Did we leave anything out?
Participate in (or even start) the conversation below.
Related Squidoo Articles on Blogs in the TaylorNetwork
How Can Squidoo Help With Marketing Your Local Business?
Have You Hugged Your Squidoo (Lens) Today?
My First Lens Ever – Share Your Squidoo Experience
Footnotes
- wpLifeStream plugin, by Entropia, Inc., “integrates your social network activity across the web with your blog” [↩ go back]
- RSSImport by Frank Bültge is in the Official WordPress Plugin Repository. The author’s support site is in German but you can submit your questions in English and he will respond in kind. [↩ go back]
- Exec-PHP is in the Official WordPress Plugin Repository. Created by Sören Weber. Author’s Support Site [↩ go back]
About Vernessa Taylor
As a Technology Consultant and Internet Coach, Vernessa Taylor+ works with both online and offline business owners. She writes about small business systems such as project management and customer referral systems at CoachNotes Blog.
Years ago, in the earlier days of WordPRess, I used a plugin called BDP Aggregator. I loved that thing. Lots of options, mix and match, feeds by category. It just worked and it worked well. But I don’t know what happened to it, other than it is no longer available. Even the website is gone. Oh well …
On my non-WordPress sites, you know — those good old hand-coded HTML websites — I used CaRP, which is an RSS to HTML parser/converter written in PHP. CaRP never had a WordPress plugin version, but it could be manipulated to add your RSS feed to posts, which I didn’t bother to do. They still have a free version, so if you want it, go on over and get it.
Back to the story at hand. Nothing else seemed to fit the bill.
Subsequent searches never seemed to yield anything useful. Until today. Two solutions showed up. One was a coding solution (I don’t write code, but I can follow instructions and cut and paste it). I didn’t really want to go that route, but I would if I had to.
So, trying to get far away from that solution, I continued searching and clicking useless links until I arrived at the LifeStream plugin, which was actually mentioned in the forums of the guy who wrote the code I was running away from. wpLifeStream1 “integrates your social network activity across the web with your blog”.
I didn’t install the plugin, though. I like to read up on what kinds of results others are having before I take the plunge myself. Although it seemed like it would do what I wanted, it appeared to be trying to do too much and too many people were having unresolved issues with all that other stuff. I abandoned that idea, took a nap, and decided to give the search one more try before resigning myself to working with the code mentioned above.
Do you get the idea that working with code to modify my core files is like washing the dishes, or vacuuming the floor, or raking the yard? By golly, it’s got to be done, but I’m gonna procrastinate as long as I can!
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I’ve been trying to find this for three days now. Thank you so much for this code and plugin
Rick
Rick, you’re very welcome! Your site is shaping up nicely! Let me know if you have any questions about the RSS Import Plugin.
Thank you for another great article. Where else could anyone get that kind of information in such a perfect way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
You’re welcome, Kelley. What kind of presentation are you giving?
Hi Vernessa
I’ve been trying to get the plug in to work but it just won’t have it. I tried the short code option for 3 valid feeds AND even used the code you [provide and that provided by the author.
The widget however will work, but I don’t want the feed in the sidebar I wnat it on a page
Hi Jon – Several things come to mind. You might already have double-checked these, but just in case … (1) The short code in this post has some extra space after the opening bracket and before the closing bracket. Be sure to remove those spaces. (2) You’ll need a plugin that allows you to actually run PHP code within your pages and posts. See the link in the footnotes for Exec-PHP. (3) You will need to switch from Visual Editing mode over to HTML mode before inserting your code. (4) Sometimes WordPress adds extra paragraph code around code you insert, which borks the whole thing. Search for a plugin to remove those extra paragraphs automatically.
Let me know if any of this helps or if you need further assistance.
Hi Vernessa
It was a bit of both added code and the plugin – I used a different one to the one you recommend as the write up seemed better… while the added code doesn’t add in the html editor, so I’ll just bung the rss feeds in there, no sweat.
I’m a very happy bunny now, thank you so much for your help, these sorta things can be extremely frustrating, you’re a very kind lady.
Jon
PS I will tweet about you using your tweet thingy – neat little thingy it is too
Hey Jon! My pleasure to assist. Glad you got it all sorted out to your satisfaction. And I appreciate the tweet!
BTW The tweet “thingy” is the free @AnyWhere application that you can setup from your Twitter development account. If you’d like to implement it on your blogs, let me know and I’ll dig up a link with some instructions.
Update ==> A couple of slideshows: This one provides an overview and this one shows actual steps to integrate.
I noticed your EpicMA blog was CommentLuv enabled. But can’t figure out why your recent posts aren’t displaying here under your comment. Would love to send you the link juice. Any idea?
I was searching for this code and plugin and found on your blog!! Exactly what I needed to install and display on my blog! Thank you!!!!!!
Welcome James! Glad you stopped by and picked up the code to display RSS feeds within your blog. Let me know if you need additional help.
Hi Vernessa, Did you know that the video was taken down? I was all geared up for it too.
Thanks for the tips here and I might try to add my Facebook Page RSS somewhere on my blog with this plugin. I’ll let you know how I make out. Chat soon
Ileane recently posted..The Benefits Of Having An iPhone
Hey Ileane,
Thanks for the heads-up on the video. Almost seems like an epidemic on YouTube these days … or maybe a mystery novel, “The Case of The Disappearing Videos.”
Yes, let me know how this works for Facebook RSS. It’s a neat method for sharing your content from other venues and platforms. Glad you stopped by!
Vernessa Taylor recently posted..How to Sell Your Product From Under Your Affiliates