# REXML/RSS parse error

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 7, 2006, 11:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627 "2006-12-07T11:48:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pjpatten)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 11:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627/1 "2006-12-07T11:48:21Z")

</div>

Hello,

I have a problem while parsing an RSS file. I try to open a URL via  
open-uri and it usually works fine, but with the RSS URLs from ccMixter  
I get a parse error. It’s a bit strange because if i download the file  
and try to open it, it works fine.

I tried:  
rss =  
RSS::Parser.parse(“[ccMixter (remix,editorial\_pick)](http://ccmixter.org/media/api/query?score=400&sinceu=1157536651&limit=25&tags=remix+editorial_pick&rand=1&format=rss)”,false)

And got:  
RSS::NotWellFormedError: This is not well formed XML  
Missing end tag for ‘html’ (got “head”)  
Line:  
Position:  
Last 80 unconsumed characters:  
from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rss/rexmlparser.rb:24:in `_parse' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rss/parser.rb:163:in `parse’  
from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rss/parser.rb:78:in `parse’  
from (irb):43

If i save the file and try to open it, it works fine:  
rss = RSS::Parser.parse(“query”,false)

Imho there should be no difference between open a local file or an URL.

Thanks for all the help I got the last days from this list,  
Patrick

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pjpatten)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627/2 "2006-12-07T14:12:46Z")

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Hi,

In [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
“REXML/RSS parse error” on Thu, 7 Dec 2006 19:45:53 +0900,  
Patrick P. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> RSS::NotWellFormedError: This is not well formed XML  
> Missing end tag for ‘html’ (got “head”)

I got some garbages after RSS 2.0:

% ruby -r open-uri -e ‘puts  
open(“[ccMixter (remix,editorial\_pick)](http://ccmixter.org/media/api/query?score=400&sinceu=1157536651&limit=25&tags=remix+editorial_pick&rand=1&format=rss)”).read’  
| tail -n 25  
  
  
  
“/web/ccmixter/www/cclib/cc-util.php”(205): Cannot modify header  
information - headers already sent by (output started at  
/web/ccmixter/www/cclib/cc-feed.php:432) [2006-12-07 07:10  
am][138.243.129.4][/media/api/query?score=400&sinceu=1157536651&limit=25&tags=remix+editorial\_pick&rand=1&format=rss]

 body { font-size: 11px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #F99; margin: 4%; text-align: center; } 

![](https://www.ruby-forum.com/mixter-files/skull.gif)

### wups, ccMixter is experiencing technical difficulties...

If you were in the middle of an upload or posting a message it probably worked OK but you should click here to get back to the site's home page or use your browser's BACK button to return to the site and make sure.

The admins have been notified of the problem and will look into it very shortly.

Thanks,

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pjpatten)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627/3 "2006-12-07T15:59:06Z")

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Kouhei S. schrieb:

> I got some garbages after RSS 2.0:

Thank you, I hadn’t seen it. I’ve written an e-mail to them, but the  
most RSS reader are able to parse this malicious file. Do you know any  
way to force the parser to read this file. For RSS It would be ok, to  
stop parsing after the closing RSS tag.

Thanks,  
Patrick

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pjpatten)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627/4 "2006-12-07T16:13:12Z")

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Hi,

In [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
“Re: REXML/RSS parse error” on Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:56:38 +0900,  
Patrick P. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> most RSS reader are able to parse this malicious file. Do you know any  
> way to force the parser to read this file. For RSS It would be ok, to  
> stop parsing after the closing RSS tag.

What about gsub(/\</rss\>.\*\z/m, ‘’)?

Thanks,

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@pjpatten](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pjpatten)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rexml-rss-parse-error/78627/5 "2006-12-07T16:35:19Z")

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Kouhei S. schrieb:

> What about gsub(/\</rss\>.\*\z/m, ‘’)?

Yes, that works very well :-). I’m very happy now _g_. Thank you very  
much,  
Patrick