[Forum] Google Alerts + vBulletin = XML Error: not well-formed (invalid token) at Line 1

[Paddy Murphy]

Hi,

I'm trying to use a Google Alerts RSS Feed URL to publish on my forum (vBulletin 4.2.2 Patch Level 4), but when I click on preview I get "XML Error: not well-formed (invalid token) at Line 1"

Any solution to this?

Regards,

Paddy

[starme]

I am also using Google Alerts RSS without any problem, Can you go to the RSS URL if its giving the correct output?

[Paddy Murphy]

I am also using Google Alerts RSS without any problem, Can you go to the RSS URL if its giving the correct output?

Well the output looks ok to me, but I'm no expert. Does it look ok to you?

https://www.google.ie/alerts/feeds/00705490796826983622/14161849857810901776

[Paddy Murphy]

starme, could you give me one of the RSS feeds that you use to see if it works on my forum please?

[kh99]

Can you post the feed url that you have in your settings?

[Paddy Murphy]

Can you post the feed url that you have in your settings?

I did above - http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum...30#post4255630

[kh99]

OK, I asked because someone else recently had an issue where the feed looked OK in a browser but vbulletin was getting an error message. But it doesn't look like you have the same issue. When I tried it I got a different error message, :"Invalid char on line 1" (the whole feed is line 1 since there are no line breaks). I traced it down to the character at the end of "gardaí", and a euro sign. I have no idea if the problem is the feed or vbulletin's code, or what to do about it, but I thought I'd post this in case it helps someone else figure it out.

[Paddy Murphy]

Thank you very much kh99. I would have not known of how to have found that out myself. I've been trying other RSS feeds from Google Alerts and I still can't get any of them to work. Do you think it would be best to open a ticket for this issue?

I'd really love to get this feature working on my forum.

[Zachery]

That feed request you posted earlier doesn't work for me at all.

[Paddy Murphy]

That feed request you posted earlier doesn't work for me at all.

I've since deleted that one. This is one I'm currently trying - https://www.google.ie/alerts/feeds/0...58734532630058

I opened a ticket about this issue today and this is the reply I got;

Hello,

Thank you for contacting vBulletin Support. Google is using a markup called ATOM. We only support RSS in the RSS Feed Manager. Google's markup is incompatible.


All the best,
Wayne Luke

Then I saw this post - http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum...ort-atom-feeds - while looking into the issue.

So I'm totally confused...

[Zachery]

I can confirm I'm getting the same issue with an invalid character on my own test sites. Google doesn't offer any other output of the feed? can you run it though feedburner or anything?

[Paddy Murphy]

I can confirm I'm getting the same issue with an invalid character on my own test sites. Google doesn't offer any other output of the feed? can you run it though feedburner or anything?

Thank you Zachery !

I didn't know that I could convert the Google alert rss feed url via feedburner. I've tested two google alert rss url's and both have worked when I put them through feedburner to get these url's;

https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/d...5r3jk76u84dtc4
&
https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/d...2bth3ffocrriu0

You can see the results in my test section of my forum - http://www.forum.norml.ie/forumdispl...?21-Test-Forum

So I'm happy that I now have the feeds coming through.

##########################################

If you can advise on another issue I have please? Some of the characters in the thread titles are coming through wrong. For example: ' is coming through as '

I've read that this is related to the server charset ? I've checked mine just now and it's "Server charset: UTF-8 Unicode (utf8)", isn't this the correct charset ?

Can you help with this please?

Thank you

Edit! Sorry, those characters are coming direct from the feed (so it must not be the server charset?), you can see them in it - https://www.google.ie/alerts/feeds/0...58734532630058

Is that fixable?