Add Feeds

Rodel Reader supports multiple ways to add RSS subscriptions, from manually entering URLs to batch importing OPML files.

Add by URL

The most direct way is to enter the subscription feed URL.

Steps

Click the Add Feed button in the RSS module sidebar
Enter the RSS/Atom feed URL
Press Enter or click the fetch button
Wait for parsing to complete, feed information will auto-fill
Select target group (optional)
Customize name and description (optional)
Click OK to complete

Supported Formats

Format	Description
RSS 2.0	The most common feed format
Atom 1.0	Modern feed format

Tip

The system automatically detects whether the URL points to RSS or Atom format, no manual specification needed.

Auto-parsed Information

After successful parsing, the system automatically extracts the following:

Info	Description
Title	Feed name
Description	Feed summary
Website Link	Source site URL
Icon	Feed icon (if available)
Author	Content author (if available)
Language	Feed language

You can modify the name and description before adding to customize display content.

Import from OPML

OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is a universal subscription list exchange format for RSS readers, allowing batch import of many subscriptions at once.

Import Steps

Click the More menu in the RSS module title bar
Select Import OPML
Choose a local OPML file
Select import mode
Confirm import

Import Modes

Mode	Description	Use Cases
Merge	Keep existing subscriptions, only add new feeds and groups	Incremental import, multi-source integration
Replace	Clear existing data, completely replace with OPML content	Fresh start, backup restoration

Warning

Replace mode will delete all subscriptions and groups in the current service. Use with caution.

OPML Format

Standard OPML file structure example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<opml version="2.0">
  <head>
    <title>My Subscriptions</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <outline text="Tech" title="Tech">
      <outline type="rss" text="Blog A" xmlUrl="https://..." htmlUrl="https://..."/>
      <outline type="rss" text="Blog B" xmlUrl="https://..." htmlUrl="https://..."/>
    </outline>
    <outline type="rss" text="News C" xmlUrl="https://..."/>
  </body>
</opml>

The system parses the following attributes:

Attribute	Description
`xmlUrl`	Feed URL (required)
`htmlUrl`	Website link
`text` / `title`	Display name
`description`	Description

Nested <outline> elements are automatically recognized as groups.

Group Management

Groups help you organize feeds by category.

Creating Groups

Click the + button next to the Groups area in sidebar
Enter group name
Choose an icon (optional)
Click OK

Group Operations

Right-click a group to perform the following:

Operation	Description
Edit	Modify group name and icon
Move Up/Down	Adjust group order
Delete	Delete group

Deleting Groups

When deleting a group, you can choose:

Delete group only: Feeds in the group move to root level
Delete feeds too: Delete the group and all feeds within it

Moving Feeds to Groups

Select when adding: Choose target group when adding a feed
Edit feed: Right-click feed → Edit → Change group
Drag and drop: Drag feed to target group

Post-Addition Processing

After successfully adding a feed, the system automatically performs:

Step	Description
Save to database	Store feed information
Update sidebar	Display newly added feed
Sync articles in background	Fetch latest content from feed
Show unread count	Count and display unread article count

Tip

Syncing happens in the background and won't block UI operations. Article list and unread count will auto-update when sync completes.

URL Validation

The system validates entered URLs:

Check	Description
Format validation	Must be a valid URL format
Protocol check	Only `http://` and `https://` supported
Connection test	Attempt to fetch feed content
Format parsing	Verify it's valid RSS/Atom

Common Errors

Error	Possible Cause
Invalid URL format	Check if protocol prefix is included (http:// or https://)
Cannot connect	Network issue or URL inaccessible
Parse failed	URL doesn't return valid RSS/Atom content
Timeout	Server response too slow, default timeout is 30 seconds

Adding Feeds with Sync Services

If you use an online sync service (like Inoreader, Miniflux, etc.), the process of adding feeds may differ slightly.

Local RSS vs Sync Services

Feature	Local RSS	Sync Service
Add feeds	Direct addition	Add via service API
OPML import	Parse and import locally	Send to server for processing
Group management	Local management	Sync to server
Data sync	One-way fetch	Two-way sync

Tip

When using sync services, subscription changes sync to the cloud and can be shared across multiple devices. See Sync Services documentation.

FAQ

How to find a website's RSS address?

Look for RSS icon: Websites usually have an RSS icon link on the page
View page source: Search for <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">
Try common paths: Such as /feed, /rss, /atom.xml
Use RSS discovery tools: Browser extensions or online services

No articles after adding a feed?

Check if the feed has content
Wait for background sync to complete
Verify the feed URL is correct
Try manually refreshing the feed

Feeds have no name after OPML import?

The OPML file may be missing text or title attributes. You can manually edit feed names after import.

How to export subscription list?

OPML export is not currently supported. It will be added in future versions.

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