subscribe to OPML files

[aronatkins]

Support subscribing to an OPML file, which would automatically track the RSS feeds referenced by the OPML. Feeds are added/removed and automatically tracked.

Inspiration: http://scripting.com/2023/11/27.html#a213710
Example: https://daverupert.com/rss-club/ / https://daverupert.com/rss-club/feeds.xml

NewsBlur supports importing / exporting OPML, but does not appear to track them as a way to subscribe to a dynamic collection of feeds.

[aronatkins]

Some more thoughts about tracking OPML files:

The entire set of subscribed feeds for a user

I publicize an OPML file somewhere (published from a Git repository to GitHub Pages, for example) and point NewsBlur at that OMPL file. The OPML file tracks all of my subscribed feeds and their containing hierarchy. The OPML file can directly reference feeds or act as a directory and reference other OPML files. How I produce and manage my OPML subscription file is up to me.

NewsBlur tracks this OPML file for change and adjusts my subscriptions automatically.

A sub-hierarchy of feeds

I publicize an OPML file somewhere and tell NewsBlur to consume that OPML file as my "artwork" subscriptions. Any hierarchy within the OPML file is constructed beneath the "artwork" folder.

NewsBlur tracks this OPML file for change and adjusts my subscriptions automatically.

Open question: overlapping subscriptions

When I have configured NewsBlur to track an OPML file, it is not clear how NewsBlur should handle new UI-based subscriptions which target a hierarchy that is managed by an OPML file. The simplest option would be to reject this type of addition -- prohibit additional feeds when the configuration is driven by an OPML file. Alternatively, the UI-based additions could be merged with the OPML-file subscriptions.