iSiloX 4.2, need help with RSS conversion settings.

[Pride Of Lions]

Good Evening All.

I just downloaded the newest version of iSilo and I'm trying to get it to convert an RSS feed. Do I make the setup as I would any other URL? I tried to do that and I got this error message:

Failed[-37] to install to user: [my name]

I'm wondering if anyone might help me out with this. the RSS link I'm trying to convert is: http://www.mobileread.com/feeds/full_rss20.xml

Currently I'm using NewsMac to gather my RSS feeds and convert them to iSilo format using iSiloXC, but it's kind of an unwieldy process and I'm hoping that I can schedule these conversion to happen right before I get up so that I can HotSync and go in the morning.

I hope you're all having a great New Year, and thanks iSilo-man (person?) for giving us another update to this great program. I would be bored to tears all the time without it.
POL9A

[iSilo]

Yes, the setup is just the same for RSS feeds as for URLs that point to regular HTML pages.

It sounds like you would get that error if the user name is somehow invalid. Are you able to successfully convert other entries, such as non-RSS entries, to the same user name?

[Voltage Spike]

I just downloaded the newest version of iSilo and I'm trying to get it to convert an RSS feed. Do I make the setup as I would any other URL? I tried to do that and I got this error message:

Failed[-37] to install to user: [my name]

Yes, you pass in the .rss file just as you would a .html file. The problem appears to be at the installation stage; have you attempted to use a different destination? In particular, converting into a plain .pdb file is probably the least complicated.

Which program, iSiloX or HotSync, gives that error message?

[Pride Of Lions]

Attached, please find the ZIP of the .IXL file in question. I no longer get the original error message, but now I get a puny file (2K) from iSiloX on my desktop [Mac OS 10.3.7, iMac 400GHz G3, 512MB RAM], but my laptop [PowerBook 1.5GHz, Mac OS 10.3.7, 1 GB RAM] converts the .IXL just fine and gives a file size of around 1037KB.

Is there a difference to how iSiloX acts on these different systems, even though they are both running the same OS?

Thanks for your suggestions, and I look forward to retiring NewsMac from my daily repetoire.
POL9A

[Pride Of Lions]

So, I've now tried to convert the RSS feed (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/external.php?type=rss2) by sending the file to a different destination (desktop) than my usual path (to my HotSync name) and it appears to be working. It's really strange because my normal .IXL channel conversions go to my HotSync name just fine.

It could be that because I'm using a different RSS feed (an older address for the same RSS 2.0 news), or it could be that the RSS channels don't like something about my HotSync name, or I could be crazy. When this channel is done converting, I'll try the more recent RSS feed to the desktop and see if that works.

What could be wrong with my HotSync name with RSS feeds that isn't wrong with my normal HTML feeds? Do y'all think something is corrupted somewhere and that I should re-assign my channels to my Hot Sync name to fix it? I cannot afford to buy a new faster computer (G5 iMac would be the next computer if I could) so we just have to get this old workhorse up and running with this new version of iSiloX.

Thanks again in advance for your input and suggestions. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this.
POL9A

[Pride Of Lions]

...with MobileRead RSS settings, iSiloX likes the older address and not the newer address.

With the other RSS channels I try, none of then are happy and just give me the premature "Conversion Successful" message with a 2K file. Should I be trying to convert only RSS 0.91 channels and not RSS 2.0 files? Is it the responsibility of the site's creator's to make a convertible RSS channel? Is iSiloX 4.2 fully happy with RSS feeds? Or is it my computer somehow?

Trying to make it work.
POL9A

[iSilo]

In your .ixl file, you have the option set to only follow links that are sub-folders of the root source paths. With that setting, conversion gives a 2K file. With the setting unchecked, the conversion gives a 387K file. So right now, that looks like the culprit for the 2K issue you are seeing.

Also, have you tried opening those 2K files to see whether they have any content, such as having only the index page for the RSS feed? That is what the conversion gave for the one entry in the .ixl file you posted.

[Pride Of Lions]

Also, have you tried opening those 2K files to see whether they have any content, such as having only the index page for the RSS feed? That is what the conversion gave for the one entry in the .ixl file you posted.

No, I did not, although I admit noew that I should've tried that first before I came to the forums. It might have led me to the answer on my own. Thanks for helping me out. I've just added 56 RSS channels to my regular iSiloX file and they appear to be crunching away just fine in the test. I have their default scheduling set at 4am, so tomorrow's HotSync will be quite juicy.

I ddn't bother to check out the 2K files because I just assumed that they'd be a buncha ?'s and such. Next time I'll look into every crevice for the hidden answer.

Thanks again. When you're done saving the world, take yourself a vacation sometime.
POL9A

[Pride Of Lions]

I have another question re: the RSS wonderfulness of iSilo 4.2. Some of my channels give me a puny 2-5K file after conversion and when I open them, I see all of the HTML tags (which might be kinda fun to read if I knew HTML, but I don't, so it's not.)

I'm wondering if there's some setting somewhere that will let these channels convert as wonderfully as the rest of my 70+ daily RSS conversions.

Attached, please find the .ZIPped .IXL file containing the RSS channels in question. Also, the original "Failed to install[37]..." error message, and I'm wondering what exactly that means when my user name works just dandily with most of my other channels.

Thanks again for your help.
POL9A

[Voltage Spike]

The problem is due to misconfigured servers. More specifically, the server marks the Content-Type of the file as "text/plain", and iSilo treats it as such.

I'm not exactly sure what you can do about it at this point, but I'm sure the iSilo support team can suggest something. :smile:

[Pride Of Lions]

The problem is due to misconfigured servers. More specifically, the server marks the Content-Type of the file as "text/plain", and iSilo treats it as such.

Thanks for saying that, I knew that I wasn't crazy and that it was "their" fault. When will they learn?

I hope you guys are having a great weekend.
POL9A

[iSilo]

There is no workaround that you can do directly, but recognition of text/plain RSS content will be worked into the next update to iSiloX.

[Pride Of Lions]

I tried to do that and I got this error message:

Failed[-37] to install to user: [my name]

I think I found out why the certain channels would convert, but wouldn't become .PDB's and sync over to my PDA. I noticed on the problem channels that the names were longer than the ones that synced over naturally, and that if I shorten their names then they'd become .PDB's and become sync-able.

I am attaching the problem channels in question for your perusal. Maybe this is intentional in iSiloX, to prevent something bad from happening (or something).

Thanks for all of your suggestions.
POL9A