[HowTo] Display your latest threads on an external page using an XML feed

[Colin F]

This HowTo explains what needs to be done to include the 10 latest threads from your forums on an external PHP page using the XML feed.

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Near the top of your php page, but after the <?php code include the following:
// ################################################## ####
// ## configuration
// ##
// ## $xml_file= 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=xml';
// ## Adjust this variable to point to your XML feed
$xml_file = 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=xml';

// ## configuration end
// ################################################## ####


$is_item = false;
$tag = '';
$title = '';
$description = '';
$link = '';
$n = 0;

$url_array = parse_url($xml_file);
$filename = strrchr($url_array['path'], '/');
$realpath = substr($url_array['path'], 0, (strlen($url_array['path']) - strlen($filename)));
$forumlink = $url_array['scheme'] . '://' . $url_array['host'] . $realpath . '/showthread.php?t=';

function character_data($parser, $data)
{
global $is_item, $tag, $title, $author, $date, $time;
if ($is_item)
{
switch ($tag)
{
case "TITLE":
$title .= $data;
break;

case "AUTHOR":
$author .= $data;
break;

case "DATE":
$date .= $data;
break;

case "TIME":
$time .= $data;
break;
}
}
}

function begin_element($parser, $name, $attribs)
{
global $is_item, $tag, $attribute;
if ($is_item)
{
$tag = $name;
}
else if ($name == "THREAD")
{
$is_item = true;
$attribute = $attribs[ID];
}
}

function end_element($parser, $name)
{
global $is_item, $title, $author, $date, $time, $xml_output, $attribute, $forumlink;
if ($name == "THREAD")
{
$description = $author . " @ " . $date . "/" . $time;
$xml_output .= "<dt><strong><a href='" . $forumlink . $attribute . "'>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($title)) . "</a></strong></dt><dd>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($description)) . "</dd>";
$title = "";
$author = "";
$date = "";
$time = "";
$attribute = "";
$is_item = false;
}
}


$parser = xml_parser_create();

xml_set_element_handler($parser, "begin_element", "end_element");
xml_set_character_data_handler($parser, "character_data");
$fp = fopen($xml_file,"r");

while ($data = fread($fp, 4096))
{
xml_parse($parser, $data, feof($fp));
}

fclose($fp);
xml_parser_free($parser);
Make sure to adjust the $xml_file variable at the very top of the code you just added.
Add the following code to wherever on that page you want to display the output:
echo $xml_output;