I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.

Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.

Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to
be processed?

--
Ottavio Caruso

On 1/17/2024 7:41 AM, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>
> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>
> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to be processed?
>

Why not test the RSS setup in a browser first.

Once proven not to be messed up in the Firefox test,
then try in your email/news client.

https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/email/add-rss-feed-thunderbird/

You need to test that this particular feed, works somewhere, first.
Then once it is a proven stimulus, try it in Thunderbird.

Paul

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> Wrote in message:
> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>
> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
> Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>
> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to
> be processed?
>

Are you adding a single feed to Liferea then exporting an opml of
all the Liferea feeds into TB? Have you already got those feeds
in TB - apart from that one?

What does "completely messed up" mean? What does it do - duplicate
them all apart from that one? I don't use TB for
RSS.

You could edit the opml file (it's xml text) to remove all except
the new feed. Careful with the commas at the end of each fee
except the last.
--
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Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> Wrote in message:
>
> You could edit the opml file (it's xml text) to remove all except
> the new feed. Careful with the commas at the end of each fee
> except the last.

I had a look at an opml file from Liferea. I was wrong about the
commas - there aren't any after each <outline section. Just
delete all outline sections you already have.
--
Remove numerics from my email address.

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>
> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
> Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>
> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to
> be processed?

Is your method the same as mentioned below?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-subscribe-news-feeds-and-blogs

I don't do feeds, and I have no idea what "messed up" means other than
to you. You describe trying to import a file to define a feed. Why not
just specify the URL to the feed account in Tbird?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPML

XML files are text files, and often are easy to decipher. Look at the
example at:

https://gist.github.com/jamesstout/a4050fdfda4f1fad5d5637ff35293549

You sure Liferea provides a valid .opml file listing all the URLs to the
feeds? The .opml files are just XML files using tags for hierarchy.
Have you looked inside the .opml file using a text editor to see if the
URLs have valid syntax?

https://www.lifewire.com/opml-file-2622105

Guess the XML hierarchy is too hard for some users to understand. The
article mentions OPML Viewer (https://codebeautify.org/opmlviewer).
It's an online tool.

I found an OPML viewer extension for Chrome at:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/opml-viewer/fkoodikpncbcppigbekhhdanpkelckfi

but didn't find anything applicable when searching on "opml" at
addons.thunderbird.net.

Liferea is a news aggregator. They really don't have much of a web
site. I went to their Github page (https://github.com/lwindolf/liferea)
to find an OPML file. Several are listed at:

https://github.com/lwindolf/liferea/tree/master/opml

When I looked at the feedlist_en.opml (English version), it's just an
XML file. If you pick one, the page loads to show the XML content in
the .opml file. That shows several sections (outlines), title and URL
for each feed.

From where did you get Liferea' OPML file?

Am 17/01/2024 um 18:02 schrieb Paul:
> On 1/17/2024 7:41 AM, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
>> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>>
>> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>>
>> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to be processed?
>>
>
> Why not test the RSS setup in a browser first.
>
> Once proven not to be messed up in the Firefox test,
> then try in your email/news client.
>
> https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/email/add-rss-feed-thunderbird/
>
> You need to test that this particular feed, works somewhere, first.
> Then once it is a proven stimulus, try it in Thunderbird.
>
> Paul
>

How does that link explain how to test the RSS setup in a browser?

--
Ottavio Caruso

Am 18/01/2024 um 01:52 schrieb VanguardLH:
> Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>>
>> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
>> Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>>
>> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to
>> be processed?
>
> Is your method the same as mentioned below?
>
> https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-subscribe-news-feeds-and-blogs

Yes.

>
> I don't do feeds, and I have no idea what "messed up" means other than
> to you. You describe trying to import a file to define a feed. Why not
> just specify the URL to the feed account in Tbird?
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPML

Because I have 100s of feeds.

>
> XML files are text files, and often are easy to decipher. Look at the
> example at:
>
> https://gist.github.com/jamesstout/a4050fdfda4f1fad5d5637ff35293549
>
> You sure Liferea provides a valid .opml file listing all the URLs to the
> feeds?

This was one of my questions.

--
Ottavio Caruso

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> Wrote in message:
>
> I don't do feeds, and I have no idea what "messed up" means other than
> to you. You describe trying to import a file to define a feed. Why not
> just specify the URL to the feed account in Tbird?
>
I like RSS feeds. I follow articles on specific topics in Slashdot
or The Register. I follow blogs via Planet Mozilla. I use them
where possible to monitor new topics or posts in web forums, eg
music forums, so I don't have to visit the forums themselves. I
use them to monitor articles in journals; in some cases (eg The
Atlantic) I can read articles in RSS that I don't have an account
to read. A quick look at the subject or digest and I can see if
it's worth reading.

I only use opml files as backups or to set up a new reader. My
'master' feed collection is on Android. I transferred that to
Liferea on SuSE a whike ago (Liferea is so old I had to compile
it because it wasn't in the standard repo) and I've also
transferred it to Owl RSS on Windows. After that I'd just add new
ones one by one. I don't know what a reader might do if you
re-import a feed - if that's what the OP is doing.

I wouldn't even consider using TB for RSS - not while there are
proper feed readers. (Same with newsgroups.)
--
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Am 18/01/2024 um 15:00 schrieb Dave Royal:
> My
> 'master' feed collection is on Android.

I'm listening. More details?

--
Ottavio Caruso

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> Wrote in message:
> Am 18/01/2024 um 15:00 schrieb Dave Royal:
>> My
>> 'master' feed collection is on Android.
>
> I'm listening. More details?
>
We don't know what you're trying to do, what you did, what you
expected, or what happened.

Please stop 'listening' and write some words. In German if you
prefer, with a Google translation below.
--
Remove numerics from my email address.

Am 18/01/2024 um 16:51 schrieb Dave Royal:
> My
> 'master' feed collection is on Android

That means nothing. Why don't you expand that instead of calling other
poster stupid?

--
Ottavio Caruso

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> wrote:

> VanguardLH:
>
>> Why not just specify the URL to the feed account in Tbird?
>
> Because I have 100s of feeds.

You have hundreds of feeds from just Liferea? That's the one you report
having a problem. Have you tried creating a feed account for just them?

>> You sure Liferea provides a valid .opml file listing all the URLs to
>> the feeds?
>
> This was one of my questions.

Did you try viewing the .opml file using the online tool mentioned in
the Lifewire article I mentioned? If there is corruption or improper
hierarchy in the XML file, maybe the viewer would show that.

Am 22/01/2024 um 02:19 schrieb VanguardLH:
> Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> VanguardLH:
>>
>>> Why not just specify the URL to the feed account in Tbird?
>>
>> Because I have 100s of feeds.
>
> You have hundreds of feeds from just Liferea? That's the one you report
> having a problem. Have you tried creating a feed account for just them?

Yes.

>
>>> You sure Liferea provides a valid .opml file listing all the URLs to
>>> the feeds?
>>
>> This was one of my questions.
>
> Did you try viewing the .opml file using the online tool mentioned in
> the Lifewire article I mentioned? If there is corruption or improper
> hierarchy in the XML file, maybe the viewer would show that.

I may have missed something here, but:

https://codebeautify.org/opmlviewer

If I load the .opml it gives me "Failed to load data=error".

If I manually copy the content of the .opml into the text box and press
"Beautify" and then copy it into a new .opml file and import it into
Betterbird, then I end up with the same problem, that, is:

1) some feeds appear as folders, not as individual feeds.
2) Majority of feeds don't even appear:

Screenshots:

- How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
- How the appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png

--
Ottavio Caruso

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> wrote:

> VanguardLH:
>
>> Did you try viewing the .opml file using the online tool mentioned in
>> the Lifewire article I mentioned? If there is corruption or improper
>> hierarchy in the XML file, maybe the viewer would show that.
>
> I may have missed something here, but:
>
> https://codebeautify.org/opmlviewer
>
> If I load the .opml it gives me "Failed to load data=error".
>
> If I manually copy the content of the .opml into the text box and press
> "Beautify" and then copy it into a new .opml file and import it into
> Betterbird, then I end up with the same problem, that, is:
>
> 1) some feeds appear as folders, not as individual feeds.
> 2) Majority of feeds don't even appear:
>
> Screenshots:
>
> - How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
> - How the appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png

Maybe they wrote their .opml file specifically for use their own FRee
LInux REAder (Liferea) tool. Just because the .opml file is a text XML
file doesn't mean it uses tags known to all RSS readers. The file spec
is open which means it can be purposed for many intentions. They may
also been sloppy with OPML by not structuring correctly or lack of
proper identifiers. Try running the .opml file through a validator.

http://validator.opml.org/
https://rssweblog.com/?guid=20041030111147
https://validator.w3.org/feed/

The one I gave at codebeautify.org is also a validator. Since you said
the .opml file fails there, the OPML inside is invalid. The slop might
pass okay with their own Liferea feed reader app, but not with others.
For example, the Liferea tool might smash flat the hierachy instead of
retain the outline structure.

Apparently there are different and perhaps incompatible versions of
OPML. I didn't bother trying to find a matrix of differences between
versions of the OPML specification.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPML
The XML elements in an OPML document are:
<opml version="1.0">
This is the root element. It must contain the version attribute and
one head and one body element.

https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/error/InvalidOPMLVersion.html
That mentions the versions supported.

When I go to http://opml.org/, and click on the spec link, version 2.0
is described.

http://opml.org/compatibleApps.opml
(Last update: Thursday June 9, 2022)

Thunderbird is not in the list of compatible OPML apps. However,
Liferea is also not listed, but apparently that list is of OPML editors.

Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> Wrote in message:
>
> 1) some feeds appear as folders, not as individual feeds.
> 2) Majority of feeds don't even appear:
>
> Screenshots:
>
> - How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
> - How the appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png

Where it imports a feed into its own folder does that folder
contain only that one feed?

Have you compared the feed URLs, or the opml item formats, between
the feeds which imported and those that didn't?

If there's a particular opml field that TB objects to you could
use sed to remove or edit it.

My current Android RSS Reader (Sparese rss Mod by
Android.Makes.Fun - beware of clones) does not do folders so the
opml is flat. I used to use knode and that did but I don't think
I used opml except for backup. RSSOwl is still going. I
recommended it to someone on Windows a year or so back after
trying it first with my feeds: ISTR it put all the feeds in a new
folder.

<https://apps.kde.org/en-gb/knode/>
<https://www.rssowl.org/>

LiFeRea is very old. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's a TB bug.
I doubt if RSS is a much-used feature.
--
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Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> Wrote in message:
> Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> Wrote in message:
>>
>> 1) some feeds appear as folders, not as individual feeds.
>> 2) Majority of feeds don't even appear:
>>
>> Screenshots:
>>
>> - How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
>> - How the appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png
>
> Where it imports a feed into its own folder does that folder
> contain only that one feed?
>
> Have you compared the feed URLs, or the opml item formats, between
> the feeds which imported and those that didn't?
>
> If there's a particular opml field that TB objects to you could
> use sed to remove or edit it.
>
> My current Android RSS Reader (Sparese rss Mod by
> Android.Makes.Fun - beware of clones) does not do folders so the
> opml is flat. I used to use knode and that did but I don't think
> I used opml except for backup. RSSOwl is still going. I
> recommended it to someone on Windows a year or so back after
> trying it first with my feeds: ISTR it put all the feeds in a new
> folder.
>
> <https://apps.kde.org/en-gb/knode/>
> <https://www.rssowl.org/>
>
> LiFeRea is very old. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's a TB bug.
> I doubt if RSS is a much-used feature.

<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1773451>
--
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Am 23/01/2024 um 18:58 schrieb Dave Royal:
> Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> Wrote in message:
>> Ottavio Caruso <ottavio2006-usenet2012@yahoo.com> Wrote in message:
>>>
>>> 1) some feeds appear as folders, not as individual feeds.
>>> 2) Majority of feeds don't even appear:
>>>
>>> Screenshots:
>>>
>>> - How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
>>> - How the appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png
>>
>> Where it imports a feed into its own folder does that folder
>> contain only that one feed?
>>
>> Have you compared the feed URLs, or the opml item formats, between
>> the feeds which imported and those that didn't?
>>
>> If there's a particular opml field that TB objects to you could
>> use sed to remove or edit it.
>>
>> My current Android RSS Reader (Sparese rss Mod by
>> Android.Makes.Fun - beware of clones) does not do folders so the
>> opml is flat. I used to use knode and that did but I don't think
>> I used opml except for backup. RSSOwl is still going. I
>> recommended it to someone on Windows a year or so back after
>> trying it first with my feeds: ISTR it put all the feeds in a new
>> folder.
>>
>> <https://apps.kde.org/en-gb/knode/>
>> <https://www.rssowl.org/>
>>
>> LiFeRea is very old. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's a TB bug.
>> I doubt if RSS is a much-used feature.
>
> <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1773451>

Good find. It means TB is screwed up.

--
Ottavio Caruso

On 17 Jan 2024 13:41, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>
> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
> Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>
> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need to
> be processed?

Hi,

to take this further, can you make the OPML file available. We have a
support e-mail.

"Completely messed up" according to the pictures you posted is that the
structure isn't right:

Screenshots:
- How they appear on Liferea > https://i.imgur.com/2T9iHKe.png
- How they appear on Betterbird > https://i.imgur.com/uY84Soh.png

If the import works, you can create a second "Blogs & News Feeds"
account and drag them over there in the order you want.

--
Viele Grüße, Jörg
Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
funktioniert's!

Am 24/01/2024 um 16:24 schrieb Jörg Knobloch:
> On 17 Jan 2024 13:41, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
>> I now use Betterbird but I had the same problem with plain Thunderbird.
>>
>> Every time I create a new feed account and I import an .opml from
>> Liferea, the import works but all feeds are completely messed up.
>>
>> Is it just me? Is it a problem with Liferea or TB? Does the opml need
>> to be processed?
>
> Hi,
>
> to take this further, can you make the OPML file available. We have a
> support e-mail.

Thanks. I have uploaded the file to termbin, you have to save it as .opml.

https://termbin.com/rkdj

--
Ottavio Caruso

On 24 Jan 2024 17:35, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
> Thanks. I have uploaded the file to termbin, you have to save it as .opml.
>
> https://termbin.com/rkdj

We'll look into it, it won't be super fast.

--
Viele Grüße, Jörg
Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
funktioniert's!

On 24 Jan 2024 17:56, Jörg Knobloch wrote:
> On 24 Jan 2024 17:35, Ottavio Caruso wrote:
>> Thanks. I have uploaded the file to termbin, you have to save it as
>> .opml.
>>
>> https://termbin.com/rkdj
>
> We'll look into it, it won't be super fast.

So, in its current form, it doesn't import correctly. What you can do it
this:

1. Remove the groups, see https://paste.mozilla.org/cbUOATQW, and import.
2. Create a second feed account.
3. Create folders MISC, DE, FR, etc.
4. Moved the feeds to the folders. You may consider using TB/BB 102 for
that since you can multi-select folders there.

--
Viele Grüße, Jörg
Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
funktioniert's!

On 30 Jan 2024 17:57, Jörg Knobloch wrote:
>
> So, in its current form, it doesn't import correctly. What you can do it
> this:
>
> 1. Remove the groups, see https://paste.mozilla.org/cbUOATQW, and import.
> 2. Create a second feed account.
> 3. Create folders MISC, DE, FR, etc.
> 4. Moved the feeds to the folders. You may consider using TB/BB 102 for
> that since you can multi-select folders there.

Sorry, you need to edit this some more: There was NL inside FR. So
basically make the input flat.

Also, a few feeds had type="atom". That's not supported. Change it to
type="rss".

--
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Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
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On 30 Jan 2024 20:46, Jörg Knobloch wrote:
> Sorry, you need to edit this some more: There was NL inside FR. So
> basically make the input flat.
>
> Also, a few feeds had type="atom". That's not supported. Change it to
> type="rss".

The pastebin is already dead, here a new one with the NL/FR issue fixed:
https://paste.opensuse.org/pastes/9bd8f6437823
You still need to change type="atom" to type="rss".

Import this into feed account one, then create feed account two with the
required folders and move accordingly.

Alternatively, process the OPML file and precede each feed with a
folder, otherwise all the feeds in, for example, the DE folder end up in
the DE folder, not in individual feed folders.

So instead of:
<outline title="DE">
<outline title="Fragen Sie Dr. Bopp!" type="rss" ...

you need
<outline title="DE">
<outline title="Fragen Sie Dr. Bopp!">
<outline title="Fragen Sie Dr. Bopp!" type="rss" ...

Try exporting a "good" structure from TB/BB to see how it looks.

--
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Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
funktioniert's!

There seem to be other problems - or maybe it's the same one
<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1860982>
--
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On 30 Jan 2024 21:17, Jörg Knobloch wrote:
> Alternatively, process the OPML file and precede each feed with a
> folder, otherwise all the feeds in, for example, the DE folder end up in
> the DE folder, not in individual feed folders.

I processed the file for you. Here it is:

https://paste.opensuse.org/pastes/3c19dc9126ed

This imports the way you expect.

--
Viele Grüße, Jörg
Sent with Betterbird. Simply better.
www.betterbird.eu - www.betterbird.eu/#featuretable
Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich: Kaum macht man's richtig, schon
funktioniert's!