RSS Feed Generator help

[bhass]

I'm trying to make a basic RSS feed generator. I'm still a newb and I really need help. My aim is to have the user input all their desired settings then create an XML file in the same directory with all of their RSS settings.

First I'd like it to ask the user how many articles it wants to put in the RSS feed. So it can loop the adding articles bit that many times. Then after the user inputting all their desired options, for it to display, then save.

So far I have this, which is absolute rubbish. It looks horrendous and I think it is...How can I go about doing what I actually want to do?

#!/usr/bin/env python
print "Welcome please fill in these details about your websites feed:"
name=raw_input("Name of Feed:")
desc=raw_input("Description of Feed:")
url=raw_input("Location of Website:")
print "Your websites details have been temporarilly stored for this session, now fill in your articles details:"
aname=raw_input("Name of Article to Syndicate:")
adesc=raw_input("Description of Article to Syndicate:")
aurl=raw_input("URL of Article:")
print "Your article details have been filled in, please wait..."
print "Your XML code for this Feed is:"
print """<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?> \n
<rss version="0.91">\n"""
print """<channel>\n
<title>"""
print name
print """</title> \n
<link>"""
print url
print """</link>
\n <description>"""
print desc
print """</description> \n
<item><title>"""
print aname
print """</title">\n 
<link>"""
print aurl
print """</link>\n <description>"""
print adesc
print """</description>\n
</item>\n
</channel>\n
</rss>"""

[micmast]

you could export it to a file

another option would be to add a front end to the program with QT, gtk or something.

[bhass]

you could export it to a file

another option would be to add a front end to the program with QT, gtk or something.

I'm quite stuck on actually how to get all the settings inside the XML tags and then make it a variable it so I can export it. How can I do it?

[micmast]

you could do something like this

[code=python]
file = open("output.xm l","w");
file.write("<?x ml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"ISO-8859-1\" ?>")
file.write("<rs s version=\"0.91\ ">\n<channel>\n <title>"+str(na me)+"</title>");
...
[/code]

[bhass]

you could do something like this

[code=python]
file = open("output.xm l","w");
file.write("<?x ml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"ISO-8859-1\" ?>")
file.write("<rs s version=\"0.91\ ">\n<channel>\n <title>"+str(na me)+"</title>");
...
[/code]

Thanks loads! :)
I shall do

[bhass]

One more question, is there a command that can delete the contents of a chosen file

[bvdet]

The following will effectively delete the contents of a disc file:
[code=Python]>>> f = open(file_name, 'w')
>>> f.close()[/code]

[bvdet]

You can compile a list of strings using string formatting and write them to file with one write statement. Example:
[code=Python]f = open(file_name, 'w')

outlist = ['<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>', '<rss version="0.91"> ',]
outlist.append( ' <channel>\n <title>%s</title>' % name)
outlist.append( ' <link>%s</link>' % url)
outlist.append( ' <description>%s </description>' % desc)
outlist.append( ' <item>\n <title>%s</title>' % aname)
outlist.append( ' <link>%s</link>' % aurl)
outlist.append( ' <description>%s </description>' % adesc)
outlist.append( ' </item>')
outlist.append( ' </channel>')
outlist.append( '</rss>')

f.write('\n'.jo in(outlist))
f.close()[/code]

[bhass]

Thanks! This has really helped me :)

[bvdet]

You are welcome, bhass. Thanks to micmast for contributing.

-BV