Joomla Articles Filtering through URL - JoomRSS

Content Integration plugin of JoomRSS now supports dynamic article filtering through URL parameters, allowing you to filter articles and control the output directly from the feed URL. This feature works alongside your existing feed configuration settings.

URL Structure

The basic URL structure is:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed

Where:

• yourwebsite.com: Your website's domain name
• {your_feed_id}: The numeric ID of your feed
• {your_feed_alias}: The alias of your feed
• Additional parameters are appended with &

Available URL Parameters

1. Tag Filtering

Filter articles based on their tags:

&tag=news|technology

• Parameter: tag
• Values: Tag slugs (aliases)
• Delimiters: Use either | (pipe) or , (comma)
• Examples:
  • Single tag: &tag=news
  • Multiple tags: &tag=news|technology or &tag=news,technology

2. Tag Condition

Specify how multiple tags should be handled:

&condition=and

• Parameter: condition
• Values:
  • and: Articles must have ALL specified tags
  • or: Articles must have AT LEAST ONE of the specified tags (default)

3. Results Limit

Control the number of articles in your feed:

&limit=10

• Parameter: limit
• Value: Any positive integer
• Example: &limit=10 returns only 10 articles
• Default: Uses the value configured in feed settings

Usage Examples

Basic Filtering

1. Limit results:

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&limit=10
   

2. Filter by single tag:

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&tag=news
   

3. Filter by multiple tags (OR condition):

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&tag=news|technology
   

4. Filter by multiple tags (AND condition):

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&tag=breaking|important&condition=and
   

Combined Filtering

1. Tags with limit:

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&tag=news|tech&condition=or&limit=5
   

2. Multiple conditions using commas:

   https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&tag=news,technology,updates&limit=10
   

Common Use Cases

News Feed

https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:news-feed&format=feed&tag=breaking|urgent&limit=5

Latest breaking or urgent news articles, limited to 5 items.

Tutorial Feed

https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:tutorial-feed&format=feed&tag=tutorial|guide&condition=or&limit=10

Latest 10 educational articles tagged as tutorials or guides.

Product Updates

https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:updates-feed&format=feed&tag=update&tag=security&condition=and&limit=15

Latest 15 security-related update articles.

Important Notes

Priority Rules

• URL parameters take precedence over feed configuration settings
• When no URL parameters are specified, feed configuration settings are used

Tag Filtering Notes

• Use tag slugs (aliases) in the URL, not tag titles
• Tag slugs are case-sensitive
• Tag filtering works with existing feed configuration options
• Special characters in tag slugs should be URL-encoded

Performance Considerations

• Using condition=and may return fewer results
• The limit parameter is applied after all filtering
• Large tag sets might impact performance

Troubleshooting

No Results Returned

Check these common issues:

• Tag slugs exist and are spelled correctly
• Articles with these tags are published
• Articles are within configured date ranges
• Access levels are appropriate
• Feed ID and alias are correct
• Website URL is correct including https/http

Unexpected Results

Verify:

• Correct condition value (and/or)
• Proper delimiter usage (| or ,)
• Exact tag slug matches
• URL encoding of special characters
• Feed configuration settings
• SSL certificate if using https

Limit Issues

Ensure:

• Using positive integer values
• URL is properly encoded
• No conflicting limit settings in configuration

Common URL Issues

• Check for proper URL encoding of special characters
• Verify all required parameters are present
• Ensure the feed ID and alias match your configuration
• Confirm your website domain is correct
• Check for https/http protocol issues

Best Practices

URL Construction

• Always include the full website URL with correct protocol (https/http)
• URL-encode special characters
• Use consistent delimiters
• Keep URLs under 2000 characters
• Document used parameters
• Always include the required base URL parameters

Feed Performance

• Use reasonable limits (recommended: 10-50 items)
• Prefer OR condition when possible
• Consider caching for frequently accessed feeds
• Monitor server response times with different parameter combinations

Tag Management

• Use simple, URL-friendly tag aliases
• Maintain consistent tag naming conventions
• Document tag aliases used in feeds
• Regularly review and clean up unused tags

Future Capabilities

The URL filtering system is designed to be extensible. Future versions of JoomRSS will introduce additional filtering parameters such as:

• Date range filtering
• Category filtering
• Author filtering
• Custom field filtering
• Advanced sorting options

All new parameters will follow the same pattern:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/index.php?option=com_joomrss&task=feed&id={your_feed_id}:{your_feed_alias}&format=feed&parameter=value