How to Create a RSS Feed in XML

What is an RSS Feed in XML? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and it allows anyone to create, update and distribute content on the Internet. Its use is commonly associated with publishing frequently changing news stories or blogs. The user-created RSS feed is actually just an XML document that contains a special tag to identify it as RSS and a channel element which contains the items that link to the content of the feed.

Things You'll Need

• Web server or Internet host to serve your feed

Instructions

Create the Document

1. Create an XML document using either an XML editor or a simple text editor, like Notepad.

2. Click "File", then "New" to create a new file if you are using Notepad.

3. Click "File" next, then "Save As."

4. Select "All files" from the "Save as type" drop-down menu in the "Save As" dialog box.

5. Name your file using a ".XML" file extension and click "OK" to exit.

Create an RSS Feed

1. Add the required XML and RSS identifier tags to your document. All XML rules of well-formedness and validity apply. For example:
   


   

2. Add the Channel element as a child of the RSS tag. Title, Link and Description are three required elements of the Channel. For example:
   

 
  
  http://a link to my channel
  My Channel Description
 


3. Add any number of Channel Items to your Channel. These are the individual stories or blogs that are contained in your RSS Feed. For example, adding one Item:
   

 
  
  http://a link to my channel
  My Channel Description
   
    
    http://a link to my item
    The Item description that appears as the text of the link
   
 


Tips & Warnings

• Using an XML editor can help speed development time and reduce errors.

• Validate your XML documents before deployment to the Internet.

Resources

• The RSS 2.0 specification