What Is a Feed?
A feed is a way to populate your app with content from another website or database. Some examples of feeds are calendar feeds, video feeds or RSS feeds.
Once a feed is added to your app, its content will update every night. You can also manually refresh the feed’s content in the VisitApps Mobile App Studio (MAS). You can do this by selecting the ‘download’ icon below the feed settings.
When Should I Use a Feed?
A feed is a great option for populating your app because it eliminates the need for manual data entry. In the example of a calendar, it is much easier to pull in a feed of your destination’s upcoming events, rather than entering them into your VisitApps MAS manually.
Adding and Removing a Feed
To add a new feed, first navigate to the Container where you want to place the feed. Select onto the Container’s title to open it up. Then, in the Draggables window, select the feed you want to add. Hold and drag it over to your Container.
To remove a feed from your app, simply select the feed’s icon and drag it towards the app preview. As you do so, you will notice the app preview turns into a red trash can icon. If you drop the icon in this section, it will delete the feed from your app.
What Types of Feeds Can I Add to My App?
API Feed
An API Feed allows you to pull in listings, events or coupons from your database. If you have a Simpleview CRM that your data is stored in, the API Feed is free to set up.
If you store your data in a database other than the Simpleview CRM, please contact your VisitApps Client Success Manager. They can help you to explore your options.
RSS Feed
RSS feeds are used by news aggregators and online feed readers to display content from across the web into one location. RSS feeds are .xml files that continuously update with new information when you publish new content on your website. This includes when you publish new blog entries, podcasts, news and videos.
When an RSS feed is enabled within a specific Container, it takes the .xml code from the website that it was hosted on and populates certain pieces of data into your app. This includes things like the title, image (if applicable), description, and links to any video or audio content, or the website itself.
iCal Feed
iCal is a standard calendar format. It can be used by Google Calendar and other platforms that host online calendars. You can use an iCal feed to pull in the events you have listed on a Google Calendar or a CMS that creates an iCal feed.
The iCal feed will be able to pull the following pieces of information for each event:
- Title
- Start & End Time
- Organizer
- Location
- Description
Refer to the "How to Add Events to Your App" article for details about adding an iCal feed
YouTube Feed
A YouTube feed allows you to display a YouTube playlist in your app. It’s a great way to highlight your engaging video content.
To add a YouTube feed, simply drag the ‘YouTube feed’ draggable onto your container. Then replace the "INSERT PLAYLIST ID HERE” text with your YouTube playlist ID. Select the cloud icon below to sync the video feed.
Vimeo Feed
A Vimeo feed allows you to showcase your Vimeo content in your app.
To add a Vimeo feed, simply drag the ‘Vimeo feed’ Draggable onto your container. Then add the URL to your Vimeo playlist in the ‘URL’ field. Select the cloud icon below to sync the video feed.