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

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1. Near the top of your php page, but after the <?php code include the following:
   

   // ######################################################
   // ## configuration
   // ##
   // ## $rss_file= 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=rss';
   // ## Adjust this variable to point to your RSS feed
    
   $rss_file = 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=rss';
       
   // ## configuration end
   // ######################################################
   // ## Do not touch code below!
       
       
   $is_item = false;
   $tag = '';
   $title = '';
   $description = '';
   $link = '';
       
   function character_data($parser, $data)
   {
       global $is_item, $tag, $title, $description, $link;
       if ($is_item)
       {
           switch ($tag)
           {
               case "TITLE":
               $title .= $data;
               break;
               case "DESCRIPTION":
               $description .= $data;
       
               break;
               case "LINK":
               $link .= $data;
               break;
           }
       }
   }
       
   function begin_element($parser, $name)
   {
       global $is_item, $tag;
       if ($is_item)
       {
           $tag = $name;
       }
       else if ($name == "ITEM")
       {
           $is_item = true;
       }
   }
       
   function end_element($parser, $name)
   {
       global $is_item, $title, $description, $link, $rss_output;
       if ($name == "ITEM")
       {
           $rss_output .= "<dt><strong><a href='" . trim($link) . "'>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($title)) . "</a></strong></dt><dd>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($description)) . "</dd>";
           $title = "";
           $description = "";
           $link = "";
           $is_item = false;
       }
   }
       
       
   $parser = xml_parser_create();
       
   xml_set_element_handler($parser, "begin_element", "end_element");
   xml_set_character_data_handler($parser, "character_data");
   $fp = fopen($rss_file,"r");
       
   while ($data = fread($fp, 4096))
   {
       xml_parse($parser, $data, feof($fp));        
   }
       
   fclose($fp);
   xml_parser_free($parser);

2. Make sure to adjust the $rss_file variable at the very top of the code you just added.
3. Add the following code to wherever on that page you want to display the output:
   

   echo $rss_output;