Console RSS/ATOM Feed Reader

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About

Cfeed (formerly CRR) is purely textual, console based RSS and Atom feed reader for Windows platform built in C#. It uses System.ServiceModel.Syndication library to read RSS 1.0, 2.0 or Atom 1.0 feeds.

HTML to Text rendering is done using HtmlAgilityPack

This project was inspierd by wonderfull Newsbeuter and a lack of similar tool for Windows platform.

Basic Usage

Before running cfeed for the first time, you have to do some basic configuration. The only required configuration consists of list of URL's of RSS or Atom feeds. See settings.conf for example configuration. You can remove everything except the Feeds section. The only required property in Feeds colleciton is FeedUrl. Minimal settings.conf looks like this:

{
    Feeds: [{FeedUrl: "http://feeds.newscientist.com/"}]
}

Any setting in embedded default.conf can be overridden in settings.conf placed in application root folder.

More about config in next section.

After setting feeds in config file, you can run the app. Application will list configured feeds, and refresh the feed contents in background.

By default, you can open the feed with Spacebar or Enter key. This will list articles in the feed. Hitting same kays again will open selected feed item. Use Arrow Up, Arrow Down, Page Up and Page Down keys to navigate lists. By default return to previous screen using Backspace or Escape (can be configured differently in settings).

Hitting R while on list of feeds will refresh selected feed, and Control+R will refresh all feeds.

When on article, article content will be loaded on background. Hitting O will open selected article in default (or configured) browser. Full list of actions and hotkeys can be found in Configuration section.

Configuration

Cfeed uses json files to store app configuration. Embedded default.conf provides default settings when no other config file is present. User setting are stored in settings.conf. Any setting in latter file overrides default settings. The settings.conf also includes list of feeds, but there are plans to move this to separate feedlist.conf file.

Structure of JSON object:

• Feeds - list of feeds and feed related settings (url, filters, custom label)
• UI - look & feel of application, layout of views
• Shortcuts - key bindings
• App - app related settings, like external browser etc.

Feeds

Basic setting.conf can look like this:

{
    Feeds: [
    {
        #URL of RSS otr Atom feed
        FeedUrl: "http://feeds.newscientist.com/",
        #XPath selector to select single node as root of article. Filters (see below) are applied after Select
        Select: "//html",
        #Define filters for html id's and classes. Elements from those classes will be ignored when converting html to text. use '.' prefix for classes and # for id's.
        Filters: ["#main-nav", "#breadcrumbs", ".masthead-container",".signpost", ".entry-meta", ".footer", "#mpu-sidebar", ".leaderboard-container", "#registration-barrier", ".entry-form g50"],
        #Custom title to override default feed title
        Title: "New Scientist - Home Custom",
        #Tags can be used to categorize feeds and articles. Thas can be used in query to filter on
        Tags: ["Science"],
        #If uncommented, feed will be hidden and only accessible via FeedQuery
        #Hidden: true,
        #If set to true, reloads feed automatically
        AutoReload: true,
        #If AutoReload is set to true, this defines number of seconds after which feed will be automatically reloaded. Default is 30.
        ReloadInterval: 30
    }
}

Only FeedUrl is required, other settings are optional. A new feature is Select that selects root node of document. Select makes filters much simpler, as you can first select root, and then "filter" out unwanted content from root node, like page navigation, links, registration forms etc. To use filter, look source of the page that you want to display. Prepend all "class" attributes of html elements you want to filter out with ".", and all "id" attributes of html elements with "#". Any content inside filtered elements will not be rendered. Title can be used to display custom title of feed, instead of the one defined by feed itself.

Dynamic Feeds

Yay! It is now supported to filter articles in online feed by defining FeedQuery, or create dynamic feed by specifying FeedQuery without the FeedUrl. Latter will search all downloaded articles, and crete "virtual" feed from search results.

Example: Dynamic feed

{ 
    #Dynamic feed - find all articles with word 'Mars' in Title or Summary.
    FeedQuery: "(Summary.Contains(\"Mars\") || Title.Contains(\"Mars\"))",
    Title: "Dynamic feed - Mars"
}

Example: Filtered feed

{ 
    #Filtered feed - find all articles in newscientist feed with word 'Mars' in Title or Summary
    FeedUrl: "http://feeds.newscientist.com/",
    FeedQuery: "(Summary.Contains(\"Mars\") || Title.Contains(\"Mars\"))",
    Title: "Online feed - Mars"
}

Example: Using Select

{ 
    FeedUrl: "http://rss.slashdot.org/slashdot/slashdot",
    #Select root node first
    Select: "//div[@id='firehoselist']",
    #Filter out unwanted links
    Filters: [".view_mode", "#newa2footerv2"]
}

FeedQuery syntax

FeedQuery string is interpreted using System.Linq.Dynamic.DynamicQueryable class. Supported entities to use in query are listed in following table:

Name	Type	Meaning
FeedUrl	String	Url of parent rss feed
PublishDate	String	Article publish date/last updated date (whichever is latest)
Summary	String	Short article summary
Title	Strong	Article title
IsNew	Boolean	Read/Unread flag
Hidden	Boolean	Should feed be hidden in list
Index	Integer	Article Index

UI

UI section of config can be used to customize look and feel of application.

TODO: In the future, I plan to change how UI is configured, by providing layout template in for each displayed UI element.

UI.Strings

Formatting for various UI elements. Formatting string must start by % followed by specific identifier, dependant on type of element displayed. To define column width use following format: "%i:3r" is replaced by Index, right aligned and padded to 3 characters width. To align string left, use "l", e.g. "%i:3l".

Following tables defines identifiers for each UI.String element

Setting	Meaning	Default value
ReadStateNew	String to show when feed contains unread items, or article is new.	"N"
ReadStateRead	String to show when all items in feed has been read, or article is not new.	" "
DownloadStateDownloaded	String to show when article content is saved locally	"D"
DownloadStatePending	String to show when article content is not downloaded	" "
DeleteStateDeleted	String to show when article has been marked for deletion	"X",
DeleteStateNotDeleted	String to show when article has not been marked for deletion	" ",
LoadingSuffix	Suffix shown when feed or article are being loaded	" - Loading..."
LoadingPrefix	Prefix shown when feed or article are being loaded	""
FeedListHeaderFormat	Title shown in header when list of feeds is displayed	"╗ cfeed v%V - console feed reader ╔",
FeedListItemFormat	Format of feed list items	"%i:3r %n [%u] %g:16l %t",
FeedListFooterFormat	Format for feed list footer	" Q:Quit ENTER/Space:List articles R:Reload Ctrl+R:Reload all ",
ArticleListHeaderFormat	Format of article list titlw	"╗ cFeed v%V - Articles in '%t' %u ╔",
ArticleListItemFormat	Format of article list item	"%i:3r [%n|%D|%x] %d %t",
ArticleListDateFormat	Date format for dates shown in article list	"MMM dd",
ArticleListFooterFormat	Format for article list footer	" ESC/Backspace:Back M:Mark read U:Mark Unread R:Reload ",
ArticleTitleFormat	Format of article title	"cFeed v%V - Article:%t ",
ArticleFooter	Format for article footer	" ESC/Backspace:Back O:Open N:Next L:Link I:Image",
ArticleTextFeedUrlLabel	Label for feed url in article header	"Feed: ",
ArticleTextTitleLabel	Label for article title in article header	"Title: ",
ArticleTextAuthorsLabel	Label for authors article header	"Author(s): ",
ArticleTextLinkLabel	Label for article url in article header	"Link: ",
ArticleTextPublishDateLabel	Label for publish date in article header	"Date: ",
PromptMarkAll	Prompt to confirm to mark all article in feed as read	"Mark all articles as read [Y/n]:",
PromptDeleteAll	Prompt to confirm to delete all articles in current feed	"Mark all articles for deletion?",
PromptPurge	Prompt to confirm purging of articles marked for deletion	"Purge deleted articles? [Y/n]:",
PromptAnswerYes	Option to display in place of "Yes" option	"Yes",
PromptAnswerNo	Option to display in place of "No" option	"No"

Replacement strings for ApplicationTitleFormat:

String	Meaning
%V	Major.Minor version
%v	Full version, Major.Minor.Revision.Build

Replacement strings for FeedListFormat and FeedTitleFormat:

String	Meaning
%i	Feed index
%l	RSS/ATOM feed url
%n	Read state flag (New/Read)
%u	# of unread / total items
%T	# of total items
%U	# of unread items
%t	CustomTitle ?? Title ?? FeedUrl
%V	Major.Minor version
%v	Full version, Major.Minor.Revision.Build
%g	Feed tags

Replacement strings for ArticleListFormat and ArticleTitleFormat:

String	Meaning
%i	Feed index
%n	Read state flag (New/Read)
%D	Download state flag (Downloaded/Pending)
%x	Deleted flag
%d	Article publish date / Last uppdated date (which one is latest)
%u	Last updated date
%t	Article title
%s	Summary
%l	RSS/ATOM feed url
%V	Major.Minor version
%v	Full version, Major.Minor.Revision.Build

UI.Colors

Colors section can be used to define custom color "theme" for the app. Colors for UI elements are defined in Layout section. For a valid list of color names see this list on MSDN.

Setting	Default value
ArticleHeaderBackground	"DarkCyan",
ArticleHeaderForeground	"Yellow",
ArticleFooterBackground	"DarkCyan",
ArticleFooterForeground	"Yellow",
ArticleTextHighlight	"Yellow",
LinkHighlight	"DarkCyan",
ImageLinkHighlight	"Yellow",
LinkInputForeground	"Black",
LinkInputBackground	"DarkYellow"

UI.Layout

Defines general layout of the application. Layout must containg following items:

Element	Description
FeedList	Defines layout of Feed List view
ArticleList	Defines layout of Article List view
Article	Defines layout of Article view

Each elemant can contain Width, Height, and list of controls that will be generated for view. See default.conf for example.

Shortcuts

Defines keyboard keys and modifiers combination that trigger particular action. For a valid list of keys see this link. For a valid list of modifiers see here. Some key combinations are used by windows itself if you enable advanced console features. Avoid those combinations.

Each Key and Modifiers object can be an array. If you define more than one Key, pressing any of the keys will trigger action. If you define more than one modifier, all modifiers have to be pressed. For example, definiton {Key: ["S,D"], Modifiers: ["Control", "Alt"] } means it will trigger on CTRL+ALT+S or CTRL+ALT+D.

Setting	Key	Action	Scope
QuitApp	{ Key: ["Q"] }	Exits the app	Feed list
Reload	{ Key: ["R"] }	Reloads selected feed or article	Feed list, Article list
ReloadAll	{ Key: ["R"], Modifiers: ["Control"]}	Reolad all feeds	Feed list
OpenArticle	{ Key: ["Enter", "Spacebar"] }	Opens selected article	Article list
OpenBrowser	{ Key: ["O"] }	Opens article or feed in browser	Feed list, Article list, Article
OpenFeed	{ Key: ["Enter", "Spacebar"] }	Lists articles in selected feed	Feed list
RefreshView	{ Key: ["F"] }	Redraws the UI	Feed list
Prev	{ Key: ["OemComma"] }	(<) Previous article	Article
PrevUnread	{ Key: ["Oem4"] }	([) Previous unread article	Article
Next	{ Key: ["OemPeriod"] }	(>) Next Article	Article
NextUnread	{ Key: ["Oem6"] }	(]) Next unread article	Article
Delete	{ Key: ["X"] }	Mark selected article for deletion	Article
DeleteAll	{ Key: ["X"], Modifiers: ["Control","Alt"]	Mark all articles for deletion	Article list
Purge	{ Key: ["D4"], Modifiers: ["Shift"]	Purge deleted articles	Feed list
StepBack	{ Key: ["Escape", "Backspace"]}	Navigates back	Feed list, Article list, Article
SaveArticle	{ Key: ["S"] }	Reolads article from web and saves	Article
Download	{ Key: ["D"] }	Downloads Article	Article list
MarkRead	{ Key: ["M"] }	Mark selected article as read	Article list
MarkAllRead	{ Key: ["A"]	Mark all articles as read	Article list, Feed List (selected item)
MarkUnread	{ Key: ["U"] }	Remove read flag	Article list
OpenLink	{ Key: ["L"] }	Open numbered link in browser	Article
OpenImage	{ Key: ["I"] }	Open numbered image in browser	Article
Search	{ Key: ["Oem2"]	(/) Search feeds (title, description)	Feed list, Article list

Following keys are set by default on picklists and text area. They are not configurable, however they are fairly obvious.

Key	Action	Scope
Up	Up one item	Feed list, Article list
Down	Down one item	Feed list, Article list
PgUp	Scroll up 10 items	Feed list, Article list
PgDown	Scroll down 10 items	Feed list, Article list

Other settings

Setting	Description	Default value
SavedFileName	Format for file name of saved articles	".\saved\%d\%t.txt"
Database	Name of liteDB database used to store metadata	"cfeed.db"
Opml	Path to OPML file to load. Can be also set by command line param -o <path>	<empty>
Refresh	Refresh feeds on load	true
Browser	Custom browser to use to open articles, links and images	<empty>
Debug	Debug level to write to log. Levels are None, Debug, Info, Warning, Error, Critical, in that order. Setting level to "Warning", will log Warning, Error and Critical. SEtting none turns off logging.	"Warning"
ReloadInterval	Default reload interval for feeds set to auto update	30

Replacement strings for SavedFileName. File name will be sanitized. Absolute, relative and network locations are supported, just make sure you have write access to defined location.

String	Meaning
%i	Feed index
%l	RSS/ATOM feed url
%n	Read state flag (New/Read)
%d	Article publish date
%t	Article title

Command Line Arguments

cfeed [-h] [-d <database>] [-r <true|false>] [-o <opml uri/path>]

 -h  Show help.
 -d  Database; Override default db location.
 -r  Refresh; Whether to refresh all feeds on first load.
 -o  Import OPML feed list

OPML support is limited to reading list of feeds from opml file and displaying them. They are not exported or added to .conf file, this has to be done manually. However read state is tracked for articles in those feeds, and they can also be selected using dynamic query.

Acknowledgments

Big thanks to awesome newsbeuter for inspiration. This app is built from scratch, and does not use any portion of newsbeuter code. This is open source project to provide windows users with purely textual Atom and RSS feed reader.

• This app uses JsonConfig to parse configuration files.
• HtmlAgilityPack is used to parse article content.
• LiteDb is used for local storage of article metadata.

Todos

• Write unit tests
• Add more features
• Get some rest

Contributing

1. Fork it!
2. Create your feature branch: git checkout -b my-new-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add some feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin my-new-feature
5. Submit a pull request :D

License

MIT