[HowTo] Display your latest threads on an external page using an RSS2 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 RSS2 feed.

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

   // ######################################################
   // ## configuration
    // ##
    // ## $rss2_file= 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=rss2';
    // ## Adjust this variable to point to your RSS2 feed
     
    $rss2_file = 'http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/external.php?type=rss2';
        
    // ## configuration end
    // ######################################################
    // ## Do not touch code below!
        
        
    $is_item = false;
    $tag = '';
    $title = '';
    $description = '';
    $link = '';
    $date = '';
    $author = '';
        
    function character_data($parser, $data)
    {
        global $is_item, $tag, $title, $description, $link, $date, $author;
        if ($is_item)
        {
            switch ($tag)
            {
                case "TITLE":
                $title .= $data;
                break;
        
                case "DESCRIPTION":
                $description .= $data;
                break;
        
                case "LINK":
                $link .= $data;
                break;
        
                case "PUBDATE":
                $date .= $data;
                break;
        
                case "AUTHOR":
                $author .= $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, $date, $author, $rss2_output;
        if ($name == "ITEM")
        {
            $rss2_output .= "<dt><strong><a href='" . trim($link) . "'>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($title)) . "</a></strong> - " . htmlspecialchars(trim($date)) . " by <em>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($author)) . "</em></dt><dd>" . htmlspecialchars(trim($description)) . "</dd>";
            $title = "";
            $description = "";
            $link = "";
            $date = "";
            $author = "";
            $is_item = false;
        }
    }
        
        
    $parser = xml_parser_create();
        
    xml_set_element_handler($parser, "begin_element", "end_element");
    xml_set_character_data_handler($parser, "character_data");
    $fp = fopen($rss2_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 $xml_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 $rss2_output;