Set Up an RSS Widget

Putting an RSS Widget in a Carmen course takes three steps.

Step 1: Generate the code to read an RSS feed.

Use an online code generator to generate code that reads RSS feeds. (This process requires no programming experience.)

Using RSS feeds is like linking to an external site -- you have no control over the content or availability of the information. If the source server goes offline, or the RSS feature is removed, your widget will no longer function.

Step 2: Create a new widget.

Create a widget in Carmen and paste the code generated in Step 1 into it.

Step 3: Create a custom homepage for your course.

Create a custom homepage and decide which Carmen widgets to use and where to place them.

Step 1: Generate the Code to Read an RSS Feed

These instructions apply to Feed2JS, a handy tool for translating RSS feeds into something that works in a regular web page.

1. Locate the web address of your RSS feed. Most RSS-ready sites include a small RSS icon or perhaps just a text link for "RSS feed."

2. Click on the link and copy the resulting URL to use in the next step. This example is from the Columbus Dispatch <http://www.dispatch.com/>.

Be sure to start your URL with http:// -- although some browsers show feeds beginning with feed://, the code generator gives an error if the URL doesn’t begin with http://.

3. Go to http://digitalunion.osu.edu/feed2js/build.php and follow the step-by-step directions. See samples of feeds generated with various settings.

If you want to display an image feed, from Flickr for instance, change the setting for Use HTML in Display? to yes.

4. After you’ve made you settings, be sure to test of validity of the URL to your feed and then to generate your JavaScript code. Copy and paste the code into a plain text document so you'll have it ready for Step 2.

Step 2: Create a New Widget

1. Go to the Carmen course in which you want your RSS widget. Click on Edit Course, and then on Homepages, and then on Create New Widget.

2. Give your widget a name and a description. The name will appear in the widget title on your course page; the description is for reference only. Click Save.

3. Once you've saved the widget, you'll see 4 tabs. You can accept the default choices in the first three (Style, Release Conditions, and Admin) until you're more comfortable with the tool. Click on the Custom Code tab.

Paste code in the Custom Code tab.

Use copy-and-paste to replace the sample text with the JavaScript code you generated in and saved in Step 1.

You can refine the appearance of your new widget but using a language called CSS. For example, Paste this CSS code above the JavaScript code in the Custom Code tab to remove bullets and indenting from the list of news items:

<style type="text/css">
   list-style-type: none;
   padding: 0;
   margin: 0;
</style>

4. Click Save, and then go back to Manage Homepages. Notice that you now have a widget that you can edit (or copy into other courses), in addition to the Shared Widgets.

Step 3: Create a Custom Homepage for Your Course

See Edit Course Home for instructions.

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Set Up an RSS Widget

Step 1: Generate the Code to Read an RSS Feed

Step 2: Create a New Widget

Step 3: Create a Custom Homepage for Your Course