====== RSS in Mozilla Firefox ======

//[[http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/|Mozilla Firefox]]// is the most commonly-used browser of visitors to this site, but sadly it doesn't have the best RSS support (see [[tutorials:rss:opera|Opera]]). By default, Firefox treats RSS feeds as [[#live bookmarks]] (discussed next), which are useful in some instances, but generally aren't as good as a normal RSS viewer. However, you can fix this by installing [[#Sage (RSS extension for Firefox)|Sage]], which is a fully functional RSS reader in a Firefox extension. I use it, and like quite a lot, but the installation and setup is a little more complicated than it is for [[[[tutorials:rss:opera|Opera]], so if you want the easy way out, I recommend you switch to that browser (it's very nice).

If you're still here, I'll assume you want to keep using Firefox, in which case I'll resume my discourse on RSS in Firefox:

===== Live bookmarks =====

When you visit pages in Firefox that have RSS feeds associated with them, such as the L3DT //[[http://www.bundysoft.com/L3DT/|home page]]//, //[[http://www.bundysoft.com/phpBB2/|forums]]//, or //[[http://www.bundysoft.com/coppermine/|users' gallery]]//, you will see a nice little {{tutorials:rss:rss2.png|RSS}} icon in the address bar, such as that shown below:

{{ tutorials:rss:ff1.jpg }}

If you click on this icon, the feed will be added to a 'live bookmark' on the toolbar (see below). These bookmark lists are updated automatically, and when you click on one you will be taken directly to the relevant page.

{{ tutorials:rss:ff2.jpg }}

However, I have a few gripes with this way of viewing RSS feeds:

  * When a new item appears in the bookmark, Firefox doesn't tell you so. You have to check the list yourself. 
  * There is no preview or description; you have to go to the page-proper to see what the item is about (potentially wastes bandwidth and time).
  * The list doesn't show which items you have and haven't read.

In these regards, Firefox's like bookmarks don't function like 'normal' RSS feed viewers (e.g. [[tutorials:rss:Opera]], [[tutorials:rss:FeedReader]]). Now, this isn't a problem for feeds like //[[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/|BBC News]]// or //[[http://www.digg.com|digg]]//, with lots and lots of items, most of which you're quite happy to ignore, and none of which are //really// important. Live bookmarks work very well in these cases.

However, for something that is updated infrequently, but usually with important items you don't want to miss (such as the L3DT news feed), you probably want to be notified when something comes in, and live bookmarks just can't do this. All is not lost though; there are a number of free Firefox extensions that provide full (and normal) RSS support - I personally recommend [[#Sage (RSS extension for Firefox)|Sage]].

===== Sage (RSS extension for Firefox) =====

Sage is just one of many RSS extensions for Firefox, but it's the one I like the best. As with most other Firefox extensions, it can be installed from [[https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=77&application=firefox|addons.mozilla.org]].  After you click on the install button(s), you will need to re-start Firefox (i.e. close and re-open) for the extension to be loaded. To help you get back here((
Assuming you don't have an extension like [[reviews:firefox_themes_and_extensions#SessionSaver]] installed, of course.)), right-click [[#Sage (RSS extension for Firefox)|on this link]], select 'Copy link location', and after you re-start Firefox, paste the address into address bar (CTRL+V, then enter). 

Done? Excellent. 

Sage should now appear as a pane in the left-hand-side of your browser window, as shown below. If it does not, select '//Tools->Sage//' or hit ALT+S on the keyboard.

{{ tutorials:rss:sage1.png?450 }}

Sage reads its list of RSS feeds from the bookmarks folder. This is good, because it means you can create sub-folders in your feed folder (as you do with bookmarks) that sort your feeds into neat categories. [[tutorials:rss:opera|Opera]] //doesn't// do this, and it irks me no end. By default, Sage will keep it's feeds in the 'Sage Feeds' bookmarks folder, but you can change this using the 'Select feed folder’ option in the '//Options->Settings//' dialog in Sage. 

==== Adding or importing feeds ====

If you already saved the L3DT feeds as [[#live bookmarks]], you can use the bookmark manager to move them into Sage's feed folder. Otherwise, go to the L3DT home page ([[http://www.bundysoft.com/L3DT/|link here]]) and click on the 'discover feeds' button in Sage (it looks like a big magnifying glass). This should display a dialog with all the L3DT feeds, to which you can subscribe using the 'add feed' button:

{{ tutorials:rss:sage3.png }}

This feed discovery button is rather useful because it means you don't have to search a page to find its RSS feeds, which are very will hidden in some cases.

==== Reading feeds ====

Okie dokie. When you click on a feed in the list (upper-left panel, in image below), Sage will render a pretty display of all the items in the feed in the main window (see below).

{{ tutorials:rss:sage4.png?450 }}

I actually find this distracting, so I prefer to have it turned off. It is disabled by un-checking the 'render feeds in contents area' option in the 'Options->Settings' dialog in in Sage. 

Anyway, with the 'render feeds in contents area' option disabled, you can still see all the feed items in the lower right panel (see below), and you can read the item summaries by hovering the mouse over each item:

{{ tutorials:rss:sage2.png?450 }}

Anyway, that's Sage. It's not as easy to install or set up as [[tutorials:rss:opera|Opera]], but I think it's worth the effort.