opensearchdescription.xml

OpenSearch is a relatively obscure topic that I’ve only crossed a few times, here is the premise.

A simple tag can be added to your content, in this case HTML, but a feed can also contain this element.

<link rel="search" href="http://www.giantgeek.com/opensearchdescription.xml" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" title="giantgeek.com" />

That link refers to a file that resembles the one below, in it you can specify the URL to the search facilities on a website, or as in the case below, use the parameters for a Google search of your website.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE OpenSearchDescription>
<OpenSearchDescription xmlns="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:moz="http://www.mozilla.org/2006/browser/search/">
<ShortName>GiantGeek.com</ShortName>
<Description>Use Google to search our web site.</Description>
<InputEncoding>UTF-8</InputEncoding>
<Tags>giantgeek skotfred</Tags>
<Contact>[email protected]</Contact>
<Image width="16" height="16" type="image/x-icon">http://www.giantgeek.com/favicon.ico</Image>
<!-- NOTE: this uses Google, you can give your own search url instead -->
<Url type="text/html" method="GET" template="http://www.google.com/search?q=site:giantgeek.com {searchTerms}"/>
<Url type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" rel="self" template="http://www.giantgeek.com/opensearchdescription.xml"/>
</OpenSearchDescription>

Many modern browsers that provide a ‘search box’ in the browser interface, can then add the capability to perform a search of your website even when the user is not there already.

REFERENCES and Additional Reading:

RSS Implementation Guide (Part 1 of ‘many’)

First off… the abbreviation RSS has two conflicting (but similar) meanings, both of which are XML file formats for web syndication:

  • RDF Site Summary
  • Really Simple Syndication

If you are already running a Blog or other web application that provides support for RSS, most of the work is already done for you. Here we will cover the integration of the “Feed” into your other websites.

If you take a look at the HTML source of this page, it should closely resemble what is shown below…


<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS 2.0" href="http://www.giantgeek.com/blog/?feed=rss2" />
<link rel="alternate" type="text/xml" title="RSS .92" href="http://www.giantgeek.com/blog/?feed=rss" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom 0.3" href="http://www.giantgeek.com/blog/?feed=atom" />

There's not a whole lot of difference in the actual content of these different feeds, they all contain the same 'core'
content, but apply it to different standards (each of which has it's own strengths and weaknesses).

To add the feed link to your site, it's recommended to use one or more of the 'feed' types and place the appropriate <link> into the <head> section of your website.

A 'standard' icon for RSS was recently agreed upon by Microsoft (for MSIE 7.0) and the Mozilla Organization - it is the orange colored icon that is shown here (RSS Feed Icon). Many websites that support RSS subscriptions have opted to place this in the footer of their pages.

In upcoming articles we'll show you how the RSS feed itself is created and discuss the differences in each format.

Podcasting

Just figured i’d share in the knowledge of this topic as it’s been a part of my life since about May 2005. Podcasting is essentially an MP3 (audio) blog, some have developed to the point of having adds or even being broadcast over satellite radio.

I’m subscribed to several podcasts, the most popular being Adam Curry‘s Daily Source Code…. yeah, for those of you that are my age, you’ll remember this guy as an MTV JV (as a regular top-40 jock as well as on HeadBangers Ball).

I don’t anticipate ever doing one of these on my own, but would be willing to provide some content for anyone that would like my input.

Listen in and enjoy!