RSS Feed Newspaper without Calibre

ggareau · 07-28-2009, 04:27 PM

So, I was looking to make myself a newspaper out of RSS feeds without Calibre, since I don't really use Calibre. The Sony software can't really handle RSS either. Since it took me a while to work this out, I thought I'd let you all know.

1.) Lengthen the RSS feeds. Some feeds only show part of the article, and I wanted the whole article. If you put the URL of the feed you want to lengthen in here: http://fivefilters.org/content-only/, it'll give you back a feed URL for the lengthened feed.

2.) Combine the feeds. I wanted one big newspaper file, so I needed to combine the feeds. I ended up tracking this down: http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.in...2xGAIubVX0sBXw, but there was a bit of a snag - it needed an opml file somewhere online. Luckily, I have my own web server, but most of you likely have some amount of free hosting with your ISPs so it shouldn't be an issue (If not, see step 4). Anyway, I put all of my RSS feeds on my RSS feed reader (NetNewsWire), and exported the list as an OPML file, and tossed it up on the server.

3.) Make it readable offline. If you subscribe at http://www.feedbooks.com, they will let you create a newspaper. You just need to add the feeds you want. Throw in the combined feed URL you get from step 2, and you should be good to go. You can download as ePub, Mobi, or PDF (or Reader-formatted PDF). Now, when you want your news, download it from here. It'll take care of the rest.

4.) Before you ask, yes, I know you can skip step 2. The reason I used that extra step is because I will still be reading my own feeds on my computer from time to time, and this way it's easier to stay synchronized. If I add or delete a feed from my RSS Reader, I can just re-export it and upload it to the server without needing to change things in multiple places. Your preferences may vary.

And now those of you who don't like Calibre have a decent RSS option.

Enjoy!

richman · 07-29-2009, 08:35 AM

gee, is your way better than the calibre way?

Is there a reason you don't like using calibre for newsfeeds? I like that the newsfeeds in calibre have table of contents page, and I just scan table of contents and pick news item I'm interested in. Does your way have table of contents or other way to jump from story to story. I didn't like calibre newsfeeds at first because everything just seemed jumbied together, but since table of contents works for me, I'm cool with calibre.

I'm just trying to find out a reason to do it another way, "better formating, looks better, easier to get", just so I can understand why you are re-inventing the wheel , sort of thing.

I'm willing to try your way, but just needed a reason why it would be good to do it your way. Does it have pictures and is it easy to go from story to story, or is it just page after page of random stuff and you go from first page to last page and can't sort by subject?

ggareau · 07-29-2009, 02:36 PM

It's your call, really. I'm not going to try to convince you that it's the better way - it's just another way.

That said, I kind of hate Calibre's UI, and would rather use the Sony software, even though I use Macs. I rarely use ToCs because I just flip pages, but yes, this method has a ToC. I like being able to click a link on a webpage and saving a file directly to an SD card rather than syncing my Reader. Regarding sorting, you'd need to adjust the Yahoo Pipe file, but you could sort it however you want - I go with newest to oldest, but you could easily sort by subject.

Also, for me at least, it's more convenient. Yes, you could avoid the recipes and just lengthen the RSS feeds like above, but as it sits the recipes are too much work for me to care about. I'm sure they work great for a lot of people, but given the option of setting up a bunch of recipes that I go to which Calibre doesn't have already, there's really no choice. Not to mention that if I used Calibre I'd need to have two independent lists of RSS feeds (one for Calibre, one for my Computer), whereas my method just has a simple export->upload path.

But mostly, a quick, easy way to get the feed - when I want it, how I want it, in the format I want it - is the reason why I like this way. I can't get all three of those with Calibre. Maybe you can. Just another option.

I should add that this option has no pictures, unfortunately, but I can live with that.

carlobee · 07-29-2009, 09:30 PM

thanks for sharing your idea and thoughts on this one!

Hellmark · 07-30-2009, 01:06 AM

Can't you use calibre as a commandline tool? I know parts can be. I'd just set up a shortcut with the command, so you just hit that, and it does what you want, without you seeing the GUI. Just click, and poof! you have newspapers!

07-28-2009, 04:27 PM	#1
ggareau Member Posts: 24 Karma: 154 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Sony Reader	RSS Feed Newspaper without Calibre So, I was looking to make myself a newspaper out of RSS feeds without Calibre, since I don't really use Calibre. The Sony software can't really handle RSS either. Since it took me a while to work this out, I thought I'd let you all know. 1.) Lengthen the RSS feeds. Some feeds only show part of the article, and I wanted the whole article. If you put the URL of the feed you want to lengthen in here: http://fivefilters.org/content-only/, it'll give you back a feed URL for the lengthened feed. 2.) Combine the feeds. I wanted one big newspaper file, so I needed to combine the feeds. I ended up tracking this down: http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.in...2xGAIubVX0sBXw, but there was a bit of a snag - it needed an opml file somewhere online. Luckily, I have my own web server, but most of you likely have some amount of free hosting with your ISPs so it shouldn't be an issue (If not, see step 4). Anyway, I put all of my RSS feeds on my RSS feed reader (NetNewsWire), and exported the list as an OPML file, and tossed it up on the server. 3.) Make it readable offline. If you subscribe at http://www.feedbooks.com, they will let you create a newspaper. You just need to add the feeds you want. Throw in the combined feed URL you get from step 2, and you should be good to go. You can download as ePub, Mobi, or PDF (or Reader-formatted PDF). Now, when you want your news, download it from here. It'll take care of the rest. 4.) Before you ask, yes, I know you can skip step 2. The reason I used that extra step is because I will still be reading my own feeds on my computer from time to time, and this way it's easier to stay synchronized. If I add or delete a feed from my RSS Reader, I can just re-export it and upload it to the server without needing to change things in multiple places. Your preferences may vary. And now those of you who don't like Calibre have a decent RSS option. Enjoy!

07-29-2009, 08:35 AM	#2
richman Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: sony prs-505 BLUE,itouch,netbook	gee, is your way better than the calibre way? Is there a reason you don't like using calibre for newsfeeds? I like that the newsfeeds in calibre have table of contents page, and I just scan table of contents and pick news item I'm interested in. Does your way have table of contents or other way to jump from story to story. I didn't like calibre newsfeeds at first because everything just seemed jumbied together, but since table of contents works for me, I'm cool with calibre. I'm just trying to find out a reason to do it another way, "better formating, looks better, easier to get", just so I can understand why you are re-inventing the wheel , sort of thing. I'm willing to try your way, but just needed a reason why it would be good to do it your way. Does it have pictures and is it easy to go from story to story, or is it just page after page of random stuff and you go from first page to last page and can't sort by subject? Last edited by richman; 07-29-2009 at 08:38 AM.

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07-29-2009, 02:36 PM	#3
ggareau Member Posts: 24 Karma: 154 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Sony Reader	It's your call, really. I'm not going to try to convince you that it's the better way - it's just another way. That said, I kind of hate Calibre's UI, and would rather use the Sony software, even though I use Macs. I rarely use ToCs because I just flip pages, but yes, this method has a ToC. I like being able to click a link on a webpage and saving a file directly to an SD card rather than syncing my Reader. Regarding sorting, you'd need to adjust the Yahoo Pipe file, but you could sort it however you want - I go with newest to oldest, but you could easily sort by subject. Also, for me at least, it's more convenient. Yes, you could avoid the recipes and just lengthen the RSS feeds like above, but as it sits the recipes are too much work for me to care about. I'm sure they work great for a lot of people, but given the option of setting up a bunch of recipes that I go to which Calibre doesn't have already, there's really no choice. Not to mention that if I used Calibre I'd need to have two independent lists of RSS feeds (one for Calibre, one for my Computer), whereas my method just has a simple export->upload path. But mostly, a quick, easy way to get the feed - when I want it, how I want it, in the format I want it - is the reason why I like this way. I can't get all three of those with Calibre. Maybe you can. Just another option. I should add that this option has no pictures, unfortunately, but I can live with that.

07-29-2009, 09:30 PM	#4
carlobee Fanatic Posts: 535 Karma: 972 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: The new iPad	thanks for sharing your idea and thoughts on this one!

07-30-2009, 01:06 AM	#5
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	Can't you use calibre as a commandline tool? I know parts can be. I'd just set up a shortcut with the command, so you just hit that, and it does what you want, without you seeing the GUI. Just click, and poof! you have newspapers!

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