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XML/RSS Feeds Advertise

Quick Tip:
Error message when starting Tristana?  Find the round orange icon with a black T in your system tray (lower right) and click it to start Tristana.

Help forum
To visit our Online Help Forum, click here.

FAQs
General
What is RSS?
What is Atom?

Adding/Deleting Content
How do I find and add new content?
Can I add content from any website to Tristana?
What if the website I want doesn't have an RSS feed?
How do I delete content or unsubscribe?
How will I know when new content arrives?
Can I have topics automatically updated or deleted at certain times?

Importing/Exporting Content
How do I import or export my content and folders?

Managing Folders
How can I better organize content?

Validating/Creating Feeds
How do I check that the RSS feed I want to add works properly?
What if the website I want doesn't have an RSS feed?

Viewing Content
Can I change the way I can view content in Tristana?
How will I know when new content has been updated?
Can I have Tristana load automatically when starting my computer?

 

What is RSS?
RSS is an XML format that stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary" or even "Really Stops Spam", depending on who you talk to. Basically it's really just a standardized format for sharing content over the Internet.

What is Atom?
Atom is both a new standard for developers, as well as a universal XML syndication format or "feed" for your blog or website content. It functions essentially the same way as RSS, but is open-source.

How do I find and add new content?
To add new channel/content feeds;

1. Find a , or Atom icon or link next to the content you want to add or use the "Search web for feeds:" search bar to search for content feeds by keyword.

2. Right click the XML, RSS or RDF icon or link and select "Copy Shortcut", "Copy Link Location" or "Add Content To Tristana".

3. Click on the green "+" icon in the top left of your screen (or File pull-down menu) in your Tristana Reader to "Add a Content Channel", click "Add" and then browse the new content.

Can I add content from any website to Tristana?
Only websites which provide (syndicate) their content in XML format (RSS or Atom) can be added to your Tristana Reader. This is because XML uses a standardized template to organize only content which is different from how web pages are presented in HTML. There are millions of websites that do offer content in RSS format such as Yahoo.com, and Atom format such as Blogger.com and many more being added each day. By using the "Search web for feeds:" search box in Tristana, or using a content aggregator website such as Syndic8.com, you can search to find which websites do offer XML formats for your Reader. You may also quickly create a RSS feed from a website using MyRSS.com.

What if the website I want doesn't have an RSS feed?
To automatically create an RSS feed for a website that doesn't offer one, just copy the URL and go to MyRSS.com to create a new RSS channel from that web page.

How do I delete content or unsubscribe?
To delete content and unsubscribe from a content channel, you simply highlight the channel title in the Folder Panel (left side panel), and click on the red "X" icon in the top menu. If you want to keep the channel but clear all topics within that channel, you can right click your mouse while highlighting the channel you want to clear, and select "Clear Channel". To delete all topics but keep channels intact, right click and select "Clear All Channels".

If you want to delete individual topics from within a content channel, simply highlight the topic in the Channel Panel (top right) and right-click on your mouse to select "Delete A Topic". Under the "View / Preferences" pull-down menu, you can also indicate how often content should be deleted from Tristana (e.g. every 30 days is the default).

How will I know when new content arrives?
When new content arrives, a small pop-up message will appear on your system tray to alert you of fresh content and will then disappear after 5 seconds. This pop-up reminder can be disabled under the "View / Preferences" pull-down menu options.

How can I better organize content?
Tristana enables you to create folders and drag and drop topics and channels into them to help organize your content feeds. Simply click on the "File" pull-down menu and select "Create Folder" to add a folder to the left side Folder Panel. You can also delete or rename folders under the "File" pull-down menu.

How do I import or export my content and folders?
To import content folders, channels and topics from a friend or a second computer, click on the "File / Import Channels" pull-down menu item and select the file name which you would like to import (ends with an .opml extension). Once imported, click on the Refresh icon to load new topics. Import files do not have to originate from Tristana, and can be any .opml file formatted for RSS feeds.

To export your content settings, select "File / Export Channels" and then save your settings to a file stored on your computer for sharing with others (will require an .opml extension).

How do I check that the RSS feed I want to add works properly?
Click here to validate your feed.

Can I change the way I can view content in Tristana?
Yes, you can easily hide folders, channels or topics by selecting from the "View" pull-down menu, and unchecking the Panel which you would like to hide from view.

How will I know when new content has been updated?
When new content has been added or updated to one of your channels, a pop-up window will appear for 5 seconds indicating the channel title which contains new topics. If you do not want this pop-up window to appear at all, simply click on the "View" pull-down menu, select "Preferences" and uncheck this option.

Can I have topics automatically updated or deleted at certain times?
To update or refresh topics at a regular time interval, simply click on the "View" pull-down menu, select "Preferences", check the box next to the option: "Check topics every: X hours/minutes" and select your desired time interval. To delete topics after a set period of time, under this same menu item, check the box next to: "Automatically delete topics after: X days" and modify the number of days before topics will be deleted.

Can I have Tristana load automatically when starting my computer?
Yes, click on the "View/Preferences" pull-down menu option and check the box next to this option.

Still have a question? Visit our Online Help Forum.