[Web4lib] Wanted: RSS and XML Utilities

[Jonathan Gorman]

> I have appreciated the recent posts about RSS readers. I am looking for 
> tools and utilities for marking up RSS xml documents, creating XSL 
> stylesheets, and inserting iTunes tags into RSS feeds to make podcasts.
>

Hmmm, heck of a list there.  I'll also add some HTML editing tools since 
it seems related.

Two XML applications tend to be popular for general-use of manipulating 
XML, stylesheets and the like: XMLSpy and oXygen.  I've heard people like 
both, but since I just use emacs with psgml mode configured for XML I 
don't use either.  (Yes, I might be a geek).  I've heard nxml is good too 
but haven't tired it out yet.

More special purpose tools:
For XSLT: Saxon makes a good parser, although I often employ xsltproc as 
well.  I tend to do all of my transformation on the command-line.

For HTML: for my money you can't beat the Firefox + Web Developer plugin. 
You can do so many wonderful things to the html and get so much info about 
it.  (See where you're making mistakes, try out CSS edits in real time 
etc).

Sorry I don't know of anything RSS-specific.  I tend to stick to RSS 2.0, 
and that's a pretty simple schema.  Of course, I don't generate RSS 2.0 by 
hand so I don't know of any DTD or schema for use with editing RSS feeds.

The iTunes looks pretty straightforward as well.  You might just have to 
use your favorite text editor :).

I'm hoping to see some people post some other tools.  I'd be curious to 
see them.


Jonathan T. Gorman
Visiting Research Information Specialist
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
216 Main Library - MC522
1408 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 244-4688