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			133 lines
		
	
	
		
			5.9 KiB
		
	
	
	
		
			Plaintext
		
	
	
	
	
	
Rivendell has the ability to manage multiple RSS audio feeds, including
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capabilities for posting and expiring audio automatically as well as updating
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associated cast metadata.  
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CREATING AND POPULATING RSS FEEDS
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--------------------------------
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Setting up a new RSS feed is a matter of accomplishing the following steps:
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1) Create and configure the feed in RDAdmin
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2) Schedule the audio posts by means of one or more Upload Events in RDCatch.
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3) Manage the metadata in RDCastManager.
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We'll cover each of these steps in turn.
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1) Creating RSS Feeds
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Base parameters for each RSS feed are configured in RDAdmin->ManageFeeds.  The
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'CHANNEL VALUES' section shows metadata values that will be common to the feed
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as a whole (as opposed to specific podcasts within it).  The other parameters
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are used as follows:
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       Key Name - A unique name, eight-characters or less in length, used to
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                  identify the feed within Rivendell.
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  Audio Upload URL - This is the URL of the directory to which the audio
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                     files will be uploaded.  It is also the URL that the
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                     system will use when deleting expired audio from the
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                     system (e.g. by means of an FTP 'DELETE' command);  
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                     hence the specified 'Username' and 'Password' should grant
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                     sufficient rights to allow  contents in the directory
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                     to be deleted.  Currently supported protocols are 
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                     'file:', 'ftp:' and 'smb:'.
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Audio Download URL - This is the URL of the directory from which the audio 
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                     files will be downloaded.  The URL listed should be 
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                     world-readable by 'anonymous' users.  Often, this will
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                     be the same as the 'Audio Upload URL' above.  
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   Enable AutoPost - If enabled, each new cast in the feed will become
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                     'visible' immediately following upload, using the
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                     default metadata as configured in the channel values.
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                     If not enabled, then all new casts are placed on hold
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                     pending the customization of the metadata for the
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                     particular cast in RDCastManager.   
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   Audio Extension - The file extension to use for files posted to the feed
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                     (default: 'mp3').  NOTE: when using a non-default value,
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                     it is necessary to manually create a corresponding 
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                     symbolic link on the web server running the 'rdfeed.xml' 
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                     script with the appropriate extension that points to the
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                     script.  For example, if using an extension of 'aac', one
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                     would do:
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                         cd <rd-bin-dir>
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                         ln -s rdfeed.xml rdfeed.aac
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   Max. Shelf Life - Sets the maximum period (in days) that a piece of audio 
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                     can be set in RDCastManager to remain in the feed until 
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                     purged.  If set to 'None', then no limit is enforced.
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                     This value also establishes the default expiration date
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                     for each cast (with 'Off' resulting in no expiration
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                     date being set --i.e. the cast remains TFN).
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XML Data Fields - The various 'XML' fields contain customizable templates that 
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Rivendell uses to construct the actual XML code that goes into the RSS file.
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The following variables are automatically substituted on-the-fly when the XML
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is rendered by the 'rdfeed.xml' script:
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CHANNEL PARAMETERS (from CHANNEL PARAMETERS)
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-- VARIABLE --  -- Meaning -------------------
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----------------------------------------------
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%TITLE%         Channel Title
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%CATEGORY%      Channel Category
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%LINK%          Channel Link
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%COPYRIGHT%     Channel Copyright Notice
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%WEBMASTER%     Channel Webmaster Address
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%DESCRIPTION%   Channel Description
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%BUILD_DATE%    Last Build Date
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%PUBLISH_DATE%  Date of feed creation
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%GENERATOR%     Name and Version of RSS Generator
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ITEM PARAMETERS (from individual cast record in RDCastManager)
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-- VARIABLE -------  -- Meaning -----------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------------------
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%ITEM_TITLE%         Item Title
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%ITEM_CATEGORY%      ITem Category
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%ITEM_DESCRIPTION%   Item Description
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%ITEM_LINK%          Item Link
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%ITEM_AUTHOR%        Item Author
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%ITEM_SOURCE_TEXT%   Item Third-Party Source - Human Readable
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%ITEM_SOURCE_URL%    Item Third-Party Source - URL Link
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%ITEM_COMMENTS%      Item Comments
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%ITEM_AUDIO_URL%     Item Audio Download URL
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%ITEM_AUDIO_LENGTH%  Item Audio File Length in bytes
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%ITEM_AUDIO_TIME%    Item Audio Playout Time in MM:SS format
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%ITEM_PUBLISH_DATE%  Date of cast creation
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%ITEM_GUID%          Globally Unique ID String
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2) Posting Audio
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Once the RSS feed(s) are set up, individual podcasts can be added by
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scheduling one or more Upload events in RDCatch.  To associate a given upload
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to a particular feed, simply select the desired feed in the 'RSS Feed' 
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control of the Edit Upload dialog, being sure that it gets uploaded to the
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location specified in the 'Audio Base URL' for the feed.  RDCatch will
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automatically add the audio to the feed's XML file after the upload.
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3) Editing Podcast Metadata
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The metadata for individual podcasts (including the cast's expiration date and
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posting status) can be edited by means of the RDCastManager module.  Operation
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of the module should be largely self-explanatory.
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POSTING THE RSS FEED FILE
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-------------------------
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The RSS file for each feed is generated dynamically by the RDFeed
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script.  The specific location of the script is determined by the value
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given in the '--libexecdir=' parameter to './configure' (see the
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'INSTALL' file for more details) and will also be influenced by the specific
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configuration used by the web server.  A typical link would looks as 
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follows:
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   http://www.example.com/rd-bin/rdfeed.xml?TEST
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This link would serve the RSS file for the feed with the Key Name 'TEST'.
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