[LON-CAPA-users] FW: help with RSS feeds

[Stuart Raeburn]

Hi,

> I am not seeing how to tell whether I create (a) or (b) on the msu domain
> when I create a blog when signed in as a course coordinator using
> Main Menu>My Space>Edit Blogs...

When you use either the "RSS Feeds" item in the <your name> dropdown  
or Main Menu>My Space>"Edit blogs, RSS feeds and podcasts"  (they both  
load the same URL: /adm/<domain>/<username>/_rss.html) the "New RSS  
Feed or Blog" textbox & "New Feed" button will create a blog owned by  
you, irrespective of your current role, be it author, course  
coordinator, or none.

So the personal feed created is always type (a) using this method.   
You can however name the blog/feed to indicate that it's for a  
specific course.

Currently the only way a blog/feed of type (b) is created is by  
checking the "Add to my public course blog" checkbox when posting a  
discussion within a course. That blog/feed will be named: Course Blog  
<Course Title> (where  <Course Title> is your course's title.  This  
blog/feed will aggregate any discussion postings you make in the  
course where the "blog" checkbox was checked.  Of course, you can also  
subsequently add other items to that same blog/feed "manually" (once  
created), by using the "Edit" link for the blog/feed

If you view the URLs in the "Edit links for the type (b) feeds you  
will see the format is:

/adm/<udom>/<uname>/CourseBlog_<cdom>_<cnum>_rss.html

where <udom> is blog owner's domain, msu in your case
and <uname> is blog owner's username, lira in your case
and <cdom> is course domain, msu in your case
and <cnum> is internal course number (e.g., 31803011547874578msul1

For the type (a) feeds the format is:

/adm/<udom>/<uname>/<blogtitle>_rss.html

where <blogtitle> is the name you gave to the feed (with any  
characters not matching a-zA-Z0-9_) removed.

For type (c) -- "Feeds which belong to a course" -- the feeds shown on  
a course's syllabus page (if the standard template is used), and  
managed via: Public->Feeds in the inline menu displayed in course  
context the URL format for the "Edit" link is:

/adm/<cdom>/<cnum>/<blogtitle>_rss.html

The URLs for the HTML versions of a blog which provide public access  
(i.e., no LON-CAPA log-in required) have the formats:

Type (a)

/public/<udom>/<uname>/<blogtitle>_rss.html

Type (b)

/public/<udom>/<uname>/CourseBlog_<cdom>_<cnum>_rss.html

Type (c)

/public/<cdom>/<cnum>/<blogtitle>_rss.html

The "Course Announcements" blog created automatically when you post to  
the Course Announcements in a course, as Course Coordinator via:
"Calendar" item in the <your name> dropdown or Main Menu -> "Course  
announcements and my calendar", and check the "Include in course RSS  
newsfeed" checkbox is automatically assigned (internally) a  
<blogtitle> of:
Course_Announcements


Stuart Raeburn
LON-CAPA Academic Consortium


Quoting lira <lira at egr.msu.edu>:

> As a follow-up about the two types of personal feeds
> (a) Feeds you own which are not associated with a course
> (b) Feeds you own which are associated with a course
>
> I am not seeing how to tell whether I create (a) or (b) on the msu domain
> when I create a blog when signed in as a course coordinator using
> Main Menu>My Space>Edit Blogs...
>
>
> I seem to get the same screen using the dropdown by my name in the upper
> left, even if in my author role.
>
> Also, are feed created when logged into a course role always type (b)?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lon-capa-users-bounces at mail.lon-capa.org
> [mailto:lon-capa-users-bounces at mail.lon-capa.org] On Behalf Of Stuart
> Raeburn
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2015 7:45 PM
> To: lon-capa-users at mail.lon-capa.org
> Subject: Re: [LON-CAPA-users] FW: help with RSS feeds
>
> Hi,
>
>> (1) When replying to a discussion forum, there is a checkbox for 'Add
>> to my Public Course Blog'.  This is not documented in the course
>> manual. When I create a blog when signed into the course role, is the
>> blog automatically become my course blog that is independent of a blog
>> created in a different course?
>
> If you check the 'Add to my Public Course Blog' checkbox when posting a
> discussion within a course, a blog will be automatically created (if one
> does not already exist) with the name: Course Blog <Course Title>
>
> That blog belongs to you, and can be managed via the RSS Feeds option in the
> drop-down menu displayed when you click on your name at the top left of any
> LON-CAPA page.  The blog (i.e., the HTML version) is visible to anyone
> logged into LON-CAPA; the RSS feed (URL provided) can be subscribed to using
> an RSS Reader.
>
> That blog is independent of blogs you may have previously created in other
> courses.
>
>> (2) I believe that these RSS feeds belong to the individual who
>> created them?
>
> Correct.
>
>> (3) If I have multiple courses, will all of my feeds show up on the
>> profile page, or only the feeds for the course viewed by the student?
>
> All unhidden feeds which you "own" will show up on your Personal Information
> (About Me) page.  You can hide a feed by clicking the "Edit" (HTML) link for
> a particular blog listed under "Available RSS Feeds and Blogs", and then
> clicking the "Hide this Feed" button at the bottom of the page.
>
>> (4) Is the only access to the course RSS feed via the Course
> Announcements?
>
> No.
>
> Course Coordinators can add feeds which belong to a course using:
> Public -> Feeds when the Course Coordinator role is selected in a course.
>
> Note: these feeds can be edited by any Course Coordinator in the course, and
> are "owned" by the course and not by a user.
>
> If you add an Announcement to a course using:
> Main Menu -> "Course announcements and my calendar"
>
> and check the "Include in course RSS newsfeed" checkbox, a Course Feed
> titled: "Course Announcements" which belongs to the course will be created
> (if it did not already exist).
>
> Once one or more unhidden feeds exist in a course, students will see a
> "Feeds" item included in the Course's inline menu (i.e., the row which
> starts:
> Main Menu Contents Grades).  Following this link will take the student to a
> list of feeds owned by the course (including Course Announcements).
>
>> (5) How do students subscribe to the course RSS feed?
>
> To subscribe to a Course feed they will log-in the LON-CAPA course and click
> the "Feeds" item in the inline menu (second row at top of page).
>   Then they should copy the RSS URL and subscribe to it using their
> preferred RSS reader.
>
> In your case you may wish to use both a blog/rss feed which you own and
> which is associated with your current course (for discussion
> postings) , and also a blog/rss feed "owned" by the course for announcements
> etc., i.e.,
>
> "Course Announcements"  (HTML and subscription URL accessed via "Feeds")
> "Course Blog <Course Title> (HTML and subscription URL accessed via your
> profile page).
>
>> (6) Is a 'Blog' different from a 'Feed' or are they just different
>> names for the same RSS feed?
>
> In LON-CAPA the content you include in a blog post, optionally including an
> uploaded file, e.g., a Podcast) is available for display in both a web page
> (the HTML view, i.e., a "blog") and also in an RSS reader (subscription
> required to the particular feed, i.e., an RSS feed).
>
> However, there are three types of Blog/RSS Feed:
>
> (a) Feeds you own which are not associated with a course
> (b) Feeds you own which are associated with a course
> (c) Feeds which belong to a course
>
> Individual domains can choose to disable creation of personal, non-course
> feeds -- i.e. type (a) -- based on the user's institutional status.
>
> Course Coordinators could prevent students from creating their own
> course-specific blogs, i.e., type (b) by creating a blocking event
> using:
>
> Settings -> Content Settings -> Blocking Communication/Resource Access
>
> by setting an appropriate block period, and checked the "Blogs"
> checkbox in the "Blocked?" column.  However, this would also prevent the
> student from using personal course blogs in other courses, so really should
> only be used for a limited time (e.g., for the duration of an online exam).
>
> A previous posting of mine to the lon-capa-users list also discussed RSS
> feeds.
>
> See: http://mail.lon-capa.org/pipermail/lon-capa-users/2012-July/004087.html
>
> Bug 6603 referred to in that posting has been addressed and the
> corresponding changes (the "Feeds" item in a course's inline menu) are a
> part of LON-CAPA 2.11.0 (see: the 2.11.0 release notes:
> http://mail.lon-capa.org/pipermail/lon-capa-announce/2014/000089.html )
>
> Stuart Raeburn
> LON-CAPA Academic Consortium
>
>
> Quoting lira <lira at egr.msu.edu>:
>
>> I need help to understand existing RSS configurations. These are
>> undocumented in the course manual.
>>
>> (1) When replying to a discussion forum, there is a checkbox for 'Add
>> to my Public Course Blog'.  This is not documented in the course
>> manual. When I create a blog when signed into the course role, is the
>> blog automatically become my course blog that is independent of a blog
>> created in a different course?
>> (2) I believe that these RSS feeds belong to the individual who
>> created them?
>> (3) If I have multiple courses, will all of my feeds show up on the
>> profile page, or only the feeds for the course viewed by the student?
>> (4) Is the only access to the course RSS feed via the Course
> Announcements?
>> (5) How do students subscribe to the course RSS feed?
>> (6) Is a 'Blog' different from a 'Feed' or are they just different
>> names for the same RSS feed?
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Carl Lira
>>
>>
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>
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