Simple Way to Create RSS Feed With Web API

RSS Feeds

The following describes Really Simple Syndication (RSS):

• RSS Syndicates site content.
• Defines an easy way to share and view headlines and content.
• RSS files can be automatically updated.
• RSS is XML.

Implementing RSS Feed with Web API

There are many more articles flying on the internet about implementing a RSS Feed.  But here, I am providiing a simple way to implement a RSS feed with the Web API.

Step 1

Open Visual Studio and create ASP.NET web application.

Step 2

Select a Web API template from the template wizard. The options for MVC and Web API are selected as shown below:

Step 3

An ASP.NET project will be created and the solution in the explorer looks like the following:

Now, right-click on the Areas folder and Add New and Controller option.

Step 4: A wizard with options to add various types of API controller will be displayed.

Select Web API 2 Controller with read/write actions and name it as RSSFeedController as shown below.

Step 5: In the RSSFeed controller, write a class called RSSRepository with a few properties.

Step 6: Modify the existing controller action (in the demo), use HTTPResponse as a return type as in the following:

 

HttpResponseMessage represents the Represents a HTTP response message.
public HttpResponseMessage Get()
{
    var output = new MemoryStream();
    string xml;
    try
    Next, I have written a logic to get data sample.
    List<RSSRepository> Feeds = new List<RSSRepository>();
    Feeds.Add(new RSSRepository()
    {
        Id="[email protected]",
        Content="Sample RSS Feed to display.",
        Link = "http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/authors/aravindbenator/articles/",
        Title="Aravind-Aravindbenator",
        UpdatedOn=DateTime.Now
    });
    List<SyndicationItem> items = new List<SyndicationItem>();

 

Next, create a syndication feed with header as in the following:

 

List<SyndicationItem> items = new List<SyndicationItem>();
var feed = new SyndicationFeed("RSS Feed Sample-Web API", "Aravind.", new Uri("http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/authors/aravindbenator/articles/"));
feed.Categories.Add(new SyndicationCategory("RSS Feed Sample-Web API"));

Create syndication items as in the following:

 

 

var solutionfeed = new SyndicationItem(rssrepo.Title, rssrepo.Content,
new Uri("http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/authors/aravindbenator/articles/"), "[email protected]",
rssrepo.UpdatedOn);
solutionfeed.Title = new TextSyndicationContent(rssrepo.Title);
solutionfeed.Id = "[email protected]";
solutionfeed.BaseUri = new Uri("http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/authors/aravindbenator/articles/");
solutionfeed.Content = new TextSyndicationContent(rssrepo.Content );

solutionfeed.ElementExtensions.Add(new XElement("enclosure", new XAttribute("type", ""),
new XAttribute("url", "http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/AuthorImage/aravindbenator.jpg"), new XAttribute("width", 200),
new XAttribute("height", 200)).CreateReader());
items.Add(solutionfeed);

Add syndication items to syndicate the feeds. I have added a few sample data to the syndication item for reference.

 

feed.Items = items;

Step 7

The following shows formatting the Syndication Feed:

var formatter = new Rss20FeedFormatter(feed);
var xws = new XmlWriterSettings { Encoding = Encoding.UTF8 };
using (var xmlWriter = XmlWriter.Create(output, xws))
{
    formatter.WriteTo(xmlWriter);
    xmlWriter.Flush();
}
using (var sr = new StreamReader(output))
{
    output.Position = 0;
    xml = sr.ReadToEnd();
    sr.Close();
}

The following shows returning the RSS Feed:

var response = new HttpResponseMessage(HttpStatusCode.OK) { Content = new StringContent(xml, Encoding.UTF8, "application/atom+xml") };
return response;

Step 8

The following shows testing the RSS Feed,

The URL will be like http://localhost:50945/api/RSSFeed (Base URL + API +Controller).

 

You can use custom methods too.

Thanks and regards.

Aravind