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Category: Latest News Enhanced
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LatestNewsEnhanced plugin: Newsfeeds

Information
Latest News Enhanced

Pro
Add RSS feeds as data source to the module's pro version and take advantage of its functionality.

Download and install the plugin as any other extension through the Joomla administrator's console. It is enabled by default.

After installation, each module instance gets the newsfeeds data source entry.

Newsfeeds selection

The 'Additional Options' parameter button opens a modal window where you are able to enter feed information.

Feed parameter input

Feed(s) The list of feeds to show (newline separated).
Prior to Newsfeeds v1.2+, only one feed could be shown
Order Pro v4+ Newsfeeds v1.2+
  • Date (most recent first) Mixes all items and orders them by date, showing the most recent first
  • Date (oldest first) Mixes all items and orders them by date, showing the oldest first
  • Date (most recent first) - per feed Applies to each feed individually
  • Date (oldest first) - per feed Applies to each feed individually
Max count per feed Pro v4+ Newsfeeds v1.2+ Applies the max count to each feed, independently

Note Newsfeeds v1.2+ you can now apply the date range parameters in order to restrict the number of items that are shown (for instance, to show items of the last 2 weeks).

You need to select the layout that will be used for the feeds from the Layout tab.

The layout for the news feeds

Additional information details are also available in the Body tab.

Information details

  • Newsfeeds: Feed title the feed title of the RSS feed origin,
  • Newsfeeds: Categories the feed entry categories the entry belongs to (comma separated list),
  • New 5.1 Newsfeeds: Fields the custom fields or K2 extra fields included in a feed created by a Latest News Enhanced Pro blog view (see Tutorial).

Not all other information items are available. Nevertheless, you can select author (when available), date, time, read more and social media share links.

Performance

The plugin can cache the feeds that have been fetched. The default time between retrievals is 60 minutes. This will considerably speed up pages where newsfeeds are shown. Choose a time tailored to your site depending on how critical and how often the source feeds are updated.

The plugin's feeds cache parameter
The plugin's feed cache parameter

The fetched feed items are cached into Joomla's cache folder, under plg_latestnewsenhanced_newsfeeds.

It is imperative to set Reset pictures to 'No' for best performance. Only new images will be created, limiting the time needed to load the module instance.

You may also want to use the module's advanced cache features in conjunction with the Joomla cache to cache the module's output.

You will need to purge images from their temporary folder on a regular basis, especially if the feeds are updated often. In Joomla 3, the fastest way to do that is to choose the option and store the images in the /cache folder and empty the cache from the Joomla administrator console (System -> Clear cache) regularly. In Joomla 4, this option is no longer available because images stored in the cache are stored in the media cache folder media/cache/mod_latestnewsenhanced, which is not accessible from the administrator console.

In Joomla 3, the Joomla cache uses the module's internal name mod_latestnewsenhancedextended to cache the module instances, and the module caches stylesheets and images under mod_latestnewsenhancedpro. Therefore, you may find both names in the Joomla cache.

Additional information and restrictions

To easily delete thumbnails regularly (images will accumulate relatively fast because a new image is created every time a new entry is shown), use the /cache folder as picture cache. Go to System -> Clear Cache to clear the module picture cache.

Images are searched first through entry links then through the entries content (if no image link exists). Server restrictions apply for external URLs. If the feed's URL starts with

  • https, the module cannot fetch images unless the PHP extension openssl is 'on' and the PHP setting allow_url_fopen is 'on'.
  • http, the module can fetch images if the PHP setting allow_url_fopen is 'on'. 
  • https feeds are still fetched if both openssl and url_fopen are 'off' (but thumbnails of images cannot be created in this case).
  • Animated gifs are not supported at this time.
  • When linking, choose item to open the link internally. When using item in modal window, the item actually opens into a popup window in order to prevent issues that can arise when loading a page into an iframe (for instance, the service YouTube does not allow it). Any other option will open the feed in a new window.

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Find the version that corresponds to your version of Latest News Enhanced Pro.

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