RSS Integration

What RSS integration is for

RSS integration lets ScreenSoft retrieve structured content from a configured RSS channel, prepare its media and distribute definition changes to devices linked to that channel.

How synchronization works

1. The server connects to each configured RSS channel, retrieves its definition and stores a local copy for comparison.
2. New media files are downloaded, converted where necessary and prepared. Unused media and items are removed.
3. If the current definition differs from the previous one, the updated definition is sent to every device linked to the channel.
4. Devices download the prepared media from the server and use the updated definition.

How ScreenSoft detects item changes

• A guid in the new definition that was not in the old one → new item; its media are downloaded and prepared.
• A previous guid missing from the new definition → removed item; its media are removed.
• The guid exists in both but changeDate differs → changed item; old media are removed and new media downloaded and prepared.

Main properties

• guid – unique item ID; never change it, usually use the database record ID.
• title – required title; cannot be empty and may use HTML formatting.
• description – item description; optional HTML formatting.
• category – item category name; if only one category exists throughout the channel, the category picker is hidden in preview.
• link – webpage address; preview is a QR code for a mobile device.
• pubDate – date/time when the item was created.
• endDate – last day of visibility; after this time on the device the item becomes invisible.
• changeDate – last change time; the item is cached by guid and fetched again when it changes.
• media:content – image representing the item; URL and type are required.
• media:group – container for one or more IMAGE, VIDEO, DOCUMENT, HTML or TEXT media entries.

XML example

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/">
    <channel>
        <item>
            <guid>661e4533afef0661e4533afef4</guid>
            <title>20% discount</title>
            <description>Grocery from local distributors</description>
            <category/>
            <pubDate>2024-04-16 00:00:00</pubDate>
            <endDate>2024-05-21 00:00:00</endDate>
            <changeDate>2024-04-15 16:00:01</changeDate>
            <link>https://.../661e4533afef0661e4533afef4/</link>
            <media:content url="https://.../6533afef4.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
            <media:group>
                <media:content url="https://.../JHR0906799.pdf" name="Document name" type="application/pdf"/>
                <media:content description="Long information text ..." type="text/plain"/>
                <media:content type="text/html"><![CDATA[<h1>Title</h1><p>HTML formatted text</p>]]></media:content>
            </media:group>
        </item>
    </channel>
</rss>

Item parameters

Media group entries

Image, Document, Video: media:content is required; url and type are required attributes; name is optional.

HTML: media:content contains Text / HTML and uses required type text/html.

Text: media:content uses required type text/plain and required description.

Supported content types