Add live news & RSS headlines
Flip live headlines onto the board from any RSS or ATOM feed: world news, your own blog, a release feed, a jobs board, anything that publishes one.
News works through a single shortcode. Point #RSS# at any valid RSS or ATOM feed, tell it which article you want, and the board flips the headline in and keeps it current as the feed publishes. It is the easiest way to make a board feel alive between your own messages.
The feed does not have to be news. Any RSS or ATOM address works, so the same shortcode can show your latest blog post, a release note, a podcast episode, an open vacancy, or a status update from a service you depend on. If a site publishes a feed, the board can read it.
Each shortcode shows ONE article, chosen by its position in the feed: 1 is the latest, 2 the one before it, and so on. Put several on consecutive lines and you have a rolling headline list with the newest at the top. Live data is available on the Cockpit plan.
Syntax & shortcodes
Type these into a board's text and they flip in the live value. The #...# markers tell Split-Flap TV what to fetch.
News, general form
#RSS#{RSSURL}#{NUMBER}#{RSSURL} is any valid RSS or ATOM feed address. {NUMBER} is the article position: 1 = latest, 2 = the one before, and so on. Insert the shortcode anywhere in a board's message.
The latest BBC headline
#RSS#http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml#1#Shows the most recently published BBC story. Increase the number for older articles.
The three latest headlines, one per line
#RSS#http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml#1#
#RSS#http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml#2#
#RSS#http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml#3#Same feed, three positions. The board reads like a headline list, newest at the top, and every line moves up as the feed publishes.
Your own latest blog post
#RSS#https://splitflaptv.com/blog/feed/#1#Most blogs publish a feed at /feed/. Swap in your own address to put your newest post on the wall.
A headline wrapped in your own words
TODAY: #RSS#http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml#1#The shortcode is replaced in place, so you can put your own text around it on the same line.
Reference
News shortcode parameters
| Parameter | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {RSSURL} | Address of the RSS or ATOM feed | http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml |
| {NUMBER} | Article sequence number | 1 for the first/latest article, 2 for the second article, etc. |
Where to find a feed address
| Source | Usually at | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A WordPress blog (including your own) | Add /feed/ to the address | https://splitflaptv.com/blog/feed/ |
| A news site | Listed on the site's RSS page | http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml |
| Anything else | Look for the RSS icon or a link tagged application/rss+xml in the page source | /rss, /rss.xml or /atom.xml are common |
| Not sure it works? | Validate it first | https://validator.w3.org/feed |
Step by step
-
01
Find the feed address
Most blogs publish one at /feed/. News sites usually list their feeds on an RSS page.
-
02
Check the feed is valid
Paste the address into validator.w3.org/feed. If the validator can read it, so can the board.
-
03
Add the shortcode
Type #RSS# with the feed address and the article number into a line of your board.
-
04
Add a line per headline (optional)
Repeat with 2, 3, 4 to list several articles down the board, newest first.
-
05
Save
Save the board. Headlines refresh on their own as the feed publishes new articles.
- ·Your own blog feed often beats world news: it puts your latest post in front of everyone who walks past.
- ·Keep sources relevant to the room so the board reads as curated rather than random.
- ·Headlines vary a lot in length. Give them a long line, or they will run off the edge of the board.
- ·A feed that stops publishing leaves the last headline sitting there. If a board looks stale, load the feed URL in a browser and check it still returns articles.
- ·RSS and ATOM both work, so you rarely need to care which one a site publishes.
Keep reading
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