How to Display RSS Feeds as HTML

CaRP is an acronym for Caching RSS Parser developed by Antone Roundy. He developed CaRP because he wanted to convert RSS feeds to HTML instead of javascript (as the majority of RSS to HTML converters do).

I will not be going into the details on how to install the PHP script (CaRP) here. Antone does a fine job of that for you after you have it downloaded.

I already have a JavaScript feed that is displayed on my website. Why would I need to display RSS feeds in HTML?

RSS feeds displayed as JavaScript don't have the same effect on search engines because search engines don't execute JavaScript so they don't know what the JavaScript contains.

RSS feeds that are converted to HTML are slurped up like gravy by the search engines. Search engines love fresh content and converting RSS feeds into HTML is a great way of doing so.

Make sure (if you are not using CaRP) that if you already have an RSS converter that it is displaying the feeds in HTML.

Just go to your web page with the RSS feed(s) and 'view page source' (CTRL+U in Firefox). If you cannot find the text of your feed - neither can the search engines.

Get your free download of CaRP

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Since CaRP is basically some php script it will not work on .htm or .html pages unless you create an .htaccess file with the following code:

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html

Upload the .htaccess file to either the CaRP directory or the directory where your feeds are displayed.

For example:
Say you created a 'news' folder on your website to hold your rss feeds like so - http://www.yoursite.com/news/

Simply upload your .htaccess file to the /news folder and everything should be working.

If you still see an error message check out carp.docs.geckotribe.com for a detailed FAQ, further instructions, and tech support.

Get the CaRP script and follow the detailed (and super simple) instructions on installing it on your website.

Also, if you are running CaRP on a non-php page such as .htm or .html refer to the workaround above that uses an .htaccess file to make things work.

You can customize the display settings of your RSS feed either via a theme file (it's a CSS for your feed basically) or directly within the php code you enter into your desired web page.

There is a ton of how-to documentation on pretty much every imaginable scenario if you get stuck and need help at carp.docs.geckotribe.com.

Use a div tag within a simple table (one row, one column) to set your various styles such as width, background color, and more.

Here is an example tag:
< div style="width:490px;border:1px solid #333333; background:#ffffff; padding: 5px; margin: 15px; 0px; 0px; 15px;" >

Note:
I had to add spaces around the < and > characters in order for Squidoo to display it. Remove the spaces if you use this method of controlling the look of your feed.

Step 2 showed you how to customize the size of your converted RSS feed and here is the simple script to display the feed as HTML.

Here is the Style just before we add the CaRP script-
< div style="width:200px;border:1px solid #333333; background:#ffffff; padding: 5px; margin: 15px; 0px; 0px; 15px;" >
< ? php
$carptheme='YourCaRPtheme';
require_once '/home/carp/carp.php';
// Add any desired configuration settings before CarpCacheShow
// using "CarpConf" and other functions
CarpCacheShow('http://www.RSSFeedURL.com/blog/feed/rss');
? >
Again, I had to add spaces around the < and > so as not to confuse Squidoo.

The bold items are those that you will have to change for your RSS to HTML project. You don't have to create a theme to customize your RSS feed display, but it makes it easy to change the look of several feeds at once by only having to change the theme instead of each separate instance of the CaRP script.

Here is an example of a feed theme that CaRP allows you to create so the display of your converted RSS feed looks just like you want.

Again, spaces were added around the < and > to keep from confusing Squidoo.
< ? php
/*
My CaRP Theme
Version 1.0
by ME
*/
// Set up the title format
CarpConf('cborder','link');
CarpConf('bctitle','< center >');
CarpConf('actitle','< /center >');

CarpConf('bitems','< ul class="carpthemename" style="margin:0;" >');
CarpConf('aitems','< /ul >');
CarpConf('bi','< li >');
CarpConf('ai','< /li >');

// surround the item link with a DIV
CarpConf('bilink','< div style="padding-bottom: 15px;" >');
CarpConf('ailink','< /div >');

// set the CSS classes of the channel and item links
CarpConf('clinkclass','h2');
CarpConf('ilinkclass','h3');

CarpConf('poweredby','< br / >');

// set what is displayed
CarpConf('iorder','link');
CarpConf('maxitems',3);
//CarpConf('maxidesc',200);

CarpConf('aiauthor','< /i > - ');
CarpConf('aidate','< /i >');
CarpConf('bidesc','< br / >');
? >

Drop that into a text editor and save as the name of your theme like so - mycarptheme.php and upload that into the 'themes' folder where CaRP is located.

For more information on how to individualize your theme check out carp.docs.geckotribe.com.

Just so you know

In order to download the free (basic) version of CaRP you submit your name and an email address. You will receive a confirmation email with a link that you must click in order to download CaRP. You will also receive a seven day email course from Antone (CaRP developer) entitled "RSS into Dollars."

You can delete the mini-course emails if all you want is CaRP. You will also receive any updates to CaRP via email.

I didn't want to tell people to just visit this website and download CaRP. I wanted folks to be aware that you would have to enter an email address in order to get CaRP. Some people just don't want to give out an email address to download something.

That said - in over a year of using CaRP I have only received the 7-day mini-course, a newer version of CaRP, and once received an email to upgrade to CaRP Evolution at a nice discount (which I did since I loved the basic version of CaRP).

You don't get junk mail by submitting your email to download CaRP.

Still interested? Try CaRP out for yourself.