# RSS::Parser Documentation **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [June 30, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640 "2006-06-30T12:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/1 "2006-06-30T12:37:23Z")
Hi I am trying to use the RSS classes from “rss/2.0” and everything works but I want to know what attributes and properties I can get at from each of the classes I am getting back. For example, the class has a “channel” which I can tell has a “title” attribute (because it works when I query it 🙂 but I would really like a list of every attribute that is supported! I found documentation for it here: [http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/rss/rdoc/](http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/rss/rdoc/) But unless I am missing it, taking the example I used before and looking at the doc for RSS::Rss::Channel: [http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/rss/rdoc/classes/RSS/Rss/Channel.html](http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/rss/rdoc/classes/RSS/Rss/Channel.html) It doesnt tell me the basics like what attributes and methods it has. Am I missing something? What is the best way at getting at this information or am I going to have to plough through the source? Dave ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/2 "2006-06-30T12:55:47Z")
I haven’t used the RSS/2.0 lib, I am using the FeedTools plugin and so far it works perfectly for the feeds I have tested. The problem you are asking is a generic one, like how can I discover what methods are available for an object. You can ask the object itself, “object.methods” will list all methods. Coming from the Java world sometimes I miss the “.” 😉 But Ruby brought the fun back 🙂 Generally I play with the “ruby console” to play with the objects and it helps quickly to discover what’s there and how to use it. ## \_Hari View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/RSS%3A%3AParser-Documentation-tf1872507.html#a5118388](http://www.nabble.com/RSS%3A%3AParser-Documentation-tf1872507.html#a5118388) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/3 "2006-06-30T13:27:09Z")
Thanks for the response Nari, I have tried that but taking my example above… is this really the best documentation I can get for these inbuilt classes: =\> ["==", “===”, “=~”, “ **id** ”, “ **send** ”, “`”, “b64encode”, “blank?”, “categories”, “category”, “category=”, “class”, “clone”, “cloud”, “cloud=”, “convert”, “converter=”, “copy\_instance\_variables\_from”, “copyright”, “copyright=”, “daemonize”, “date”, “date=”, “dclone”, “decode64”, “decode\_b”, “description”, “description=”, “display”, “do\_validate”, “do\_validate=”, “docs”, “docs=”, “dup”, “enable\_warnings”, “encode64”, “eql?”, “equal?”, “extend”, “extend\_with\_included\_modules\_from”, “extended\_by”, “freeze”, “frozen?”, “full\_name”, “generator”, “generator=”, “hash”, “id”, “image”, “image=”, “indent\_size”, “inspect”, “instance\_eval”, “instance\_exec”, “instance\_of?”, “instance\_values”, “instance\_variable\_get”, “instance\_variable\_set”, “instance\_variables”, “is\_a?”, “item”, “item=”, “items”, “kind\_of?”, “language”, “language=”, “lastBuildDate”, “lastBuildDate=”, “link”, “link=”, “load”, “managingEditor”, “managingEditor=”, “method”, “methods”, “nil?”, “object\_id”, “other\_element”, “private\_methods”, “protected\_methods”, “pubDate”, “pubDate=”, “public\_methods”, “rating”, “rating=”, “remove\_subclasses\_of”, “require”, “require\_gem”, “require\_gem\_with\_options”, “require\_library\_or\_gem”, “respond\_to?”, “returning”, “send”, “set\_category”, “set\_item”, “setup\_maker”, “silence\_stderr”, “silence\_stream”, “silence\_warnings”, “singleton\_methods”, “skipDays”, “skipDays=”, “skipHours”, “skipHours=”, “subclasses\_of”, “suppress”, “tag\_name”, “taguri”, “taguri=”, “taint”, “tainted?”, “textInput”, “textInput=”, “title”, “title=”, “to\_a”, “to\_json”, “to\_s”, “to\_yaml”, “to\_yaml\_properties”, “to\_yaml\_style”, “ttl”, “ttl=”, “type”, “untaint”, “validate”, “validate\_for\_stream”, “webMaster”, “webMaster=”, “with\_options”] Ok that does technically give me the name of all methods I can call but it contains no description of them whatsoever and sure, I can figure out that title is the title of the feed but (and this is just an example) what is skipHours ?, ok so I could call it to try and get more information but all it tells me is “nil”. This cant be the best documentation available for these classes, can it? ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/4 "2006-07-10T21:50:18Z")
> I also found this now: > [http://www.cozmixng.org/~rwiki/?cmd=view;name=RSS+Parser%3A%3ATutorial.en](http://www.cozmixng.org/~rwiki/?cmd=view;name=RSS+Parser%3A%3ATutorial.en) > > Which is fantastic, but as you say this is a generic problem and while > that will solve my current issue I know that there isnt a document of > this standard available for most of these classes. Dave, unless you’re not planning on supporting Atom feeds or RSS 1.0 feeds (very likely a mistake unless you’re only looking to parse one or two feeds which you happen to be the publisher of) the ‘rss/2.0’ code isn’t likely to be a good choice. If the feeds you’re parsing happen to become invalid (happens all the time) your site may break if you’re using ‘rss/2.0’ to parse. SimpleRSS or FeedTools are both better ways to go, IMHO, depending on whether you need speed or accuracy, respectively. (Disclaimer: Obviously, I wrote FeedTools, so I’m biased.) ## Cheers, Bob A. AIM: sporkmonger Jabber: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/5 "2006-06-30T13:33:52Z")
I also found this now: [http://www.cozmixng.org/~rwiki/?cmd=view;name=RSS+Parser%3A%3ATutorial.en](http://www.cozmixng.org/~rwiki/?cmd=view;name=RSS+Parser%3A%3ATutorial.en) Which is fantastic, but as you say this is a generic problem and while that will solve my current issue I know that there isnt a document of this standard available for most of these classes. ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/6 "2006-07-10T22:56:39Z")
> Hi Bob > > Since writing this post, you will be pleased to know I have switched to > FeedTools 🙂 I have even taken on board FeedUpdater and I have just > finished integrating that with my existing code. I might IM you or > something soon because I have a requirement of the updater which if you > also like the idea, I might try and submit as a patch to you. > > Dave Hehe, alright. Go for it, patches are always welcome. ## Cheers, Bob A. AIM: sporkmonger Jabber: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@daveverwer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveverwer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rss-parser-documentation/96640/7 "2006-07-10T22:13:33Z")
Bob A. wrote: > Dave, unless you’re not planning on supporting Atom feeds or RSS 1.0 > feeds (very likely a mistake unless you’re only looking to parse one > or two feeds which you happen to be the publisher of) the ‘rss/2.0’ > code isn’t likely to be a good choice. If the feeds you’re parsing > happen to become invalid (happens all the time) your site may break if > you’re using ‘rss/2.0’ to parse. SimpleRSS or FeedTools are both > better ways to go, IMHO, depending on whether you need speed or > accuracy, respectively. Hi Bob Since writing this post, you will be pleased to know I have switched to FeedTools 🙂 I have even taken on board FeedUpdater and I have just finished integrating that with my existing code. I might IM you or something soon because I have a requirement of the updater which if you also like the idea, I might try and submit as a patch to you. Dave