Integrated RSS on your desktop

Jul 9th, 2007 // Blogging, Xhtml+CSS
3 comments →

Classic Windows Desktop

I’m really exciting about introducing you guys an alternative way to get rid of classic windows desktop - such a boring wallpaper, instead with a fully RSS integrated capability by use Windows Active desktop features.

Sometime I’ve replaced my desktop image with a solid color (mostly black) but I still feel a kinda wastes of screen space, especially if you have a kick-ass wide screen. Someone would like to put many shortcuts of apps on the desktop, someone using apple-styled dock to quick launch apps, I’m turning my desktop to a feed desktop. let me show you how to make this works.

1. Create a HTML document

In this sample, I’m using TABLES in this HTML document to positioning each module by rows and columns, why tables? I don’t need this file to be standard-complianted, I’m not trying to design some fancy CSS mockups, and most important issue is that active desktop is fully supported tables better than divs does.

Add meta in your HTML document

Set to refreshing your feeds every 15 minutes by simply place this between your <head></head> tags:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="900">.

It’s that simple. The “900″ is the number of seconds. If you want to increase the time to 20 minutes, you simply make it to “1200″ and so on.

2. Feed2JS to create your feeds

Now the tricky part is by using Feed2JS services to generate your feed to a Javascript file, so you can put it into your html document.
Place the url of the your feed (example:http://feeds.feedburner.com/vikiworks) and customize it with options such as full-text summary without images, how many items you want to display, channels and timezone etc. (I’m sure that it will easy-to-understand for anyone). You can preview it at anytime until you have it the way you want it be.
Once you’re done with it, simply click on Generate JavaScript button, copy & paste the code it generates into your html for the individual cells in your table if you’re generate a lots feeds.

3. Save the document, and active it on Active desktop

Be sure of put the saved HTML document somewhere on your computer. Right click on your desktop and select properties. Click on the Desktop Tab, then the Customize Desktop button. Then, click the Web tab and press the New Button. Browse to your saved HTML file and press Ok. Place a check mark next to your files directory listing and remove the one next to “My Current home Page” and click Ok.

You may wanna do some customize & styles on your HTML, like background color and font size, anything you want it have by depending on your screen resolution and your personal need.

Now enjoy your brand new RSS desktop

Vikiworks™ Studio

Totally obsessed...