FeedAPI - better feed aggregation in Drupal

FeedAPI entered the packed Drupal aggregation scene as a Google summer of code project by Aron Novak last year. The high mark set for this module was to come up with a solution fit for replacing or unifying Drupal’s core aggregator and most of the existing contributed aggregation modules.

We are not there yet, but we got closer.

Since DrupalCon in Barcelona, where we first presented FeedAPI to the wider Drupal community, FeedAPI has matured, important features have been added, a version 1.0 has been released and it is being used in production sites.

This session will be about the latest developments in the FeedAPI module family, explain its architecture, show some nifty things you can use it for and then give an outlook on future plans.

Consider attending, if:

• you are working/have worked/will work as a developer or decision maker on an aggregation related project
• you are maintaining or developing an aggregation module in Drupal
• you are interested in the future of Drupal’s core aggregator

Agenda

Recent developments

• what has happened since last Drupalcon? What’s the status quo.
• new FeedAPI features.
• a look into the wider Drupal Aggregation landscape.

Show case - some cool things you can do with FeedAPI

• ease of use
• aggregate tags and authors with Feed Element Mapper

Performance

• how does FeedAPI perform under heavy load?
• experience with SimplePie parser and the SimpleXML based common syndication parser

The guts - write your own FeedAPI parser or processor

• a quick introduction to the architecture of FeedAPI
• an example on how simple it is to write your own add on module

Future plans

• better monitoring of performance over time with graphs
• aggregating iCal feeds to nodes with CCK date fields
• what’s missing to get a new aggregator for core