---
title: Better RSS and Hell
summary: HELL
category: 💻
publishedAt: 1641466800000 
---

I think I've reached the limits of
`bash`. I just wrote the grossest
script to embed my posts into RSS
`<description>` tags. This is so
people can read my posts *in* their
reader without coming to my site.

Behold. Filth:

```sh
RSS_ITEMS=()
echo "Creating RSS feed..."
cd "$BLOG_LOCATION"
for file in $BLOG_LOCATION/*.md; do
  NAME="$(basename "$file")"
  TITLE="$(grep "^title:" "$file" | sed 's/[^ ]* //')"
  EDIT_TIME="$(git log -1 --pretty="format:%ci" "$file" | cut -d" "  -f2)"
  PUB_DATE="$(date -d"${NAME%$FILE_PREFIX.md}" +"%a, %d %b %Y ${EDIT_TIME:-$RSS_TIME} $TIMEZONE")"
  DRAFT="$(grep "^draft:" "$file" | sed 's/[^ ]* //')"
  GUID="$(echo "$FILENAME $PUB_DATE" | md5sum | cut -f1 -d" ")"

  FILE_CONTENT=$(cat "${PARENT_PATH}out/blog/${NAME%$FILE_PREFIX.md}.html")
  FIXED_IMAGES=$(echo "$FILE_CONTENT" | sed "s/<img src=\"\./<img src=\"https:\/\/pfy\.ch\/blog/g" )
  FIXED_QUOTES=$(echo "$FIXED_IMAGES" | sed "s/\“/\"/g" | sed "s/\”/\"/g" | sed "s/\’/\'/g")
  FIXED_FILE="${FIXED_QUOTES#*</h1>}"

  if [ ! "$DRAFT" ]; then
    RSS_ITEMS+=("
      <item>
        <guid isPermaLink='false'>${GUID}</guid>
        <title>${TITLE}</title>
        <link>https://${DOMAIN_NAME}/blog/${NAME%$FILE_PREFIX.md}.html</link>
        <description><![CDATA[${FIXED_FILE%<\hr />*}]]></description>
        <pubDate>${PUB_DATE}</pubDate>
      </item>
    ")
  fi
done
cd "$PARENT_PATH"
RSS_STRING=$(printf '%s' "${RSS_ITEMS[@]}" | tr -d '\n')
RSS_OUTPUT="<?xml version='1.0' encoding='ISO-8859-1' ?>
<rss version='2.0' xmlns:atom='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom'>
  <channel>
    <title>pfy.ch</title>
    <link>https://pfy.ch</link>
    <description>pfych blogs</description>
    <atom:link href='https://pfy.ch/rss.xml' rel='self' type='application/rss+xml' />
    $RSS_STRING
  </channel>
</rss>"
echo "$RSS_OUTPUT" > ./out/rss.xml
```

I hate it.

I will probably rewrite this script
in something else now tbh. Idk what
language though.

However! Now at least my site is
more RSS friendly. Genuinely think
more sites should use RSS.