RSS Blog Categorizer

A Visual Studio Code extension that fetches RSS feeds from developer blogs, automatically categorizes posts by technology topics, and provides export functionality in HTML and Markdown formats for blog publishing.

Features

• 📡 RSS Feed Parsing - Fetches and parses RSS/Atom feeds with robust error handling
• 🏷️ Smart Categorization - Automatically categorizes posts by technology (JavaScript, Python, DevOps, etc.)
• 🌳 Tree View Integration - Displays categorized posts in VS Code sidebar with expandable categories
• 📄 Export Functionality - Generates HTML and Markdown files with professional templates
• ⚙️ Configurable Settings - Customizable RSS feed URLs, refresh intervals, and date filtering
• 🔄 Auto-refresh - Configurable automatic feed updates
• 📚 Book Recommendations - Includes "The Geek Shelf" section with rotating book recommendations

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "RSS Blog Categorizer"
4. Click Install

From VSIX Package

1. Download the .vsix file from the releases
2. Open VS Code
3. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click the three dots menu and select "Install from VSIX..."
5. Select the downloaded .vsix file

Usage

Getting Started

1. After installation, the "Dev Blog Posts" view will appear in the Explorer panel sidebar
2. If you don't see the view, try opening the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and running "RSS Blog Categorizer: Refresh" to activate the extension
3. The extension comes pre-configured with a default RSS feed
4. Click the refresh button in the view header to load the latest posts
5. Posts are automatically categorized and displayed in a tree structure

Setting Up Your RSS Feed

Via Explorer Panel:

1. Click the edit icon (pencil) in the "Dev Blog Posts" view header
2. Enter your RSS feed URL when prompted

Via Command Palette:

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Run "RSS Blog Categorizer: Set RSS Feed"
3. Enter your RSS feed URL when prompted

The feed will automatically refresh with new content after updating.

Exporting Posts

Via Explorer Panel:

1. Click "Export as Markdown" or "Export as HTML" from the "Dev Blog Posts" view menu

Via Command Palette:

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Run "RSS Blog Categorizer: Export as Markdown" or "RSS Blog Categorizer: Export as HTML"

Export Process:

1. Choose your save location
2. The exported file will include:
   • Auto-generated "Dew Drop" title with incremental numbering
   • Categorized posts with author attribution
   • "The Geek Shelf" section with book recommendations

Configuration

Access settings via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "RSS Blog Categorizer":

• Feed URL: Single RSS feed URL to monitor
• Record Count: Number of records to retrieve (10-500)
• Minimum DateTime: Filter posts by publication date (UTC format)
• Refresh Interval: Auto-refresh interval in minutes

Smart Date Filtering

The extension uses intelligent date filtering:

1. Automatic Mode (default): Uses the publication date of the latest "Dew Drop" post from alvinashcraft.com
2. Fallback: If unavailable, filters to posts from the last 24 hours (UTC)
3. Manual Override: Set a custom UTC datetime in settings

Example UTC formats:

• 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z (midnight UTC)
• 2025-09-27T12:00:00.000Z (with milliseconds)

Category Customization

You can customize how posts are categorized by editing the categories.json file in your extension directory. Posts are automatically sorted into categories based on keywords in their titles.

See CATEGORIES.md for detailed configuration instructions.

Available Commands

All commands are accessible through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) or the extension's tree view interface.

Development

Interested in contributing or building from source? See DEVELOPMENT.md for detailed development setup, building instructions, testing guidelines, and contribution information.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Alvin Ashcraft

• Website: alvinashcraft.com
• GitHub: @alvinashcraft

Built for the developer community to streamline blog content curation and designed to work seamlessly with the "Dew Drop" series workflow.