Troubleshooting
This guide provides solutions to common issues encountered when using html2rss
.
Essential Tools
Your browser’s developer tools are essential for troubleshooting. Use them to inspect the HTML structure of a webpage and find the correct CSS selectors.
- To open: Right-click an element on a webpage and select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element.”
Common Issues
Empty Feeds
If your feed is empty, check the following:
-
URL: Ensure the
url
in your configuration is correct and accessible. -
items.selector
: Verify that theitems.selector
matches the elements on the page. - Website Changes: Websites change their HTML structure frequently. Your selectors may be outdated.
Missing Item Parts
If parts of your items (e.g., title, link) are missing, check the following:
-
Selector: Ensure the selector for the missing part is correct and relative to the
items.selector
. -
Extractor: Verify that you are using the correct
extractor
(e.g.,text
,href
,attribute
). -
Dynamic Content:
html2rss
does not execute JavaScript. If the content is loaded dynamically,html2rss
may not be able to see it.
Date/Time Parsing Errors
If you are having issues with date/time parsing, check the following:
-
time_format
: Ensure thetime_format
in your configuration matches the date string on the website. -
time_zone
: Specify the correcttime_zone
if the website uses a specific time zone.
html2rss
Command Not Found
If you are getting a “command not found” error, try the following:
-
Re-install: Re-install
html2rss
to ensure it is installed correctly:gem install html2rss
. -
Check
PATH
: Ensure that the directory where Ruby gems are installed is in your system’sPATH
.
Tips & Tricks
- Mobile Redirects: Check that the channel URL does not redirect to a mobile page with a different markup structure.
-
curl
andpup
: For static sites, usecurl
andpup
to quickly find selectors:curl URL | pup
. - CSS Selectors: For a comprehensive overview of CSS selectors, see the W3C documentation.
Still Stuck?
If you are still having issues, please open an issue on GitHub.