tips and tricks for movable type
generate RSS feeds by category
May 02, 2003
You can offer your readers syndication feeds by category using MT's Multiple Archive Templates feature - credit for this trick goes to Ben Trott.
1. Go to List Templates and select your RSS template for editing. Select and copy the code in the Template Body window.
2. Go back to List Templates and select Create new archive template. Give the template a name such as Category RSS. Paste the code from your RSS template into the Template Body window, and select SAVE.
3. Go to Blog Configuration | Archiving and select ADD NEW. In the popup window, choose Category Archive for the archive type and Category RSS for the template. Select ADD.
4. For the new template you've just added, set up an Archive File Template with this code:
SAVE your changes.
5. Rebuild your Category Archives. MT will generate an XML file for each category in your archives folder.
6. You can list these feeds on your site using the following code:
<a href="<MTBlogArchiveURL><MTCategoryLabel dirify="1">.xml"><MTCategoryLabel></a><br>
</MTCategories>
TrackBack: 28
(URL: http://www.thegirliematters.com/sf/mt-track.cgi/146)
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Comments
And I hope we'll be treated to some category RSS feeds here, soon! :)
wow its very useful .. :), i'll use it.
Oh, gosh! The pressure! =)
I'll be adding a syndication link soon, so I guess I could do the category ones as well.
Thanks for this tutorial; I put the RSS links next to the category links, seperated by a pipe. Tested it in my aggregator...neat!
G - This works great. We're going to be using it over at Fanblogs.com and I'll definitely include the credits on our credits page.
How did change the code so there is an RSS link next to each category that matches the category archives being generated on the sidebar?
http://npoblogs.org/npoblogs
Great tip! I have it implemented on my site but have a question. Is there anyway to make the RSS feeds from the categories also include the excerpts from the aggregated RSS feeds into that category.
We are working on a site that aggregates nonprofit related RSS feeds into categories. I would like to allow folks to subscribe to individual categories, but still be able to read the excerpts from the recent postings. Is that possible?
We are using a borrowed template from mt-plugins page, but will change as we get the beta working. Any help is greatly appreciated.
http://npoblogs.org/npoblogs
What's the answer to "How did change the code so there is an RSS link next to each category that matches the category archives being generated on the sidebar?" I would love to know! :)
I implemented your category RSS and it works great.
But then I discovered a problem. I already had a categories archive on my index page that also included # of entries in each.
Now that I made the RSS archive both RSS and the original Cat archive returns the RSS feed. Is there a way to include both or do I have to revert back to original config and give up the idea of having a RSS feed for each category?
Thanks....Marc
I am trying to do this so that I can generate a feed for all my indiv. arch.
I followed the steps above except instead of Add New->Cateogory I selected Individual. Now instead of Archive File Template -> .xml what must I do?
Thanks for the help!
Eli
Thanks for this little trick. Big help really.
For anyone reading this to have both the RSS and the HTML pages, make sure to have the category selected, not the rss, then it will work fine.
<a href="<MTBlogArchiveURL><MTArchiveTitle dirify="1">.xml"><MTArchiveTitle></a> is the way to generate the necessary link on one's home page automatically as Girlie has now revealed over in the MT Support forum...
(after replying to a forum post, I thought I'd add this!)
If anybody is having problems with all of your category links showing up as the .xml filename, then you probably changed the radio button in Weblog Config: Archiving around. Make sure the radio button that is selected is next to the regular html category archive template. That's what determines where the permalink goes to.
I tried the advice above, but the HTML category index does not update- even when using the tips given in the commnts here (I am using MT 3.11).
Any idea how to have them both work?
Thanks!
It worked like a charm on MT 3.15. Thanks for the tip.
I just upgraded to MT 3.1/3.2 and noticed that 4 does not work anymore. The category name does not get expanded and i ended up with a file <MTArchiveCategory dirify="1">.xml on my harddisk.
Any idea?
I just followed all the steps in 3.2 and they worked correctly for me - a file was generated for each category name, with an .xml extension.
These steps are based on versions prior to 3.2 of course; for step 4, there's no specific field called "Archive File Template" in 3.2 now - it's "Archive File Path" under Archive Mappings on the Publishing settings page; and you have to select Custom... from the dropdown menu in that column for the new template you added, then paste the code there and SAVE.