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How to Build a Desktop RSS Reader for Your Site Quickly

Build a Remote Desktop Reader with Flash, PHP, XML

Digg this Story

Below is our desktop application rss reader which imports xml feeds from the forum.

Review the app here:
http://www.bigpawsonly.com/bpoaddict2/bpoaddict.exe

This set of instructions is ultra short and assumes you have basic knowledge of Flash and ActionScript, PHP, RSS, HTML, and your web server.

The application is made in Flash using the FLA file, PHP script as a proxy for Flash’s remote domain security sandbox, an ActionScript rss parser, and an xml file for the menu and feed by Steve Nelson at www.thegoldenmean.com. He also has a tutorial here:

http://www.thegoldenmean.com/technique/rssReader01.html

Steps for creation :

Once the UI is created, export it to flash and edit the flash of Steve’s design to suit your UI (eg. Text areas, menu, etc.)

Set the RSS feeds in the parser to point to your XML (eg. Our feeds from our SMF board http://www.bigpawsonly.com/index.php?action=.xml;type=rss;sa=recent;limit=10).

Once your files are published to SWF, you can use a program like mProjector to publish the file as an executable with its windowless/handlebar properties, tray status, and icon bundled.

Upload the PHP proxy and all associated files and wala! You have a personalized desktop application that will parse feeds from your site, blog or forum.

Credits:

The author of this fla file, the associated class "ProcessRssX", and the XML file "feedList.xml" is Steve Nelson sn@thegoldenmean.com

Xpath.as was developed by Neeld Tanksley at http://xfactorstudio.com

The rssProxy.php script was written by Dan Segolson at www.dmsproject.com