How to Include an RSS Feed in an Email Message using AMPscript

How to Include an RSS Feed in an Email Message

1. Create a content area that uses the HTML Only orientation in your account.
2. Include the following content syndication link in that content area: %%before; httpget; 1 "INSERT URL HERE"%%
3. Note the name of the content area containing the content syndication link. In this case, the content area is named RSSParse, and you can find it in my contents\RSSParse\RSSParse. This is a separate content area from the content area you will include in the email message - the AMPscript pulls the content from the RSSParse content area and puts it in the content area contained in the email message.
4. In the email message's content area, include the AMPscript shown below:

   %%[Var @xml, @titles, @title, @descs, @desc, @links, @link, @cnt
   Set @xml = ContentAreaByName("my contents\RSSParse\RSSParse") //This line specifies the content area from which the RSS content will be pulled for the email message. 
   Set @titles = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/title",1)
   Set @descs = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/description",1)
   Set @links = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/link",1)
   
   If RowCount(@titles) > 5 THEN
   SET @rows = 5
   ELSE
   SET @rows = RowCount(@titles)
   ENDIF
   
   IF @rows >= 1 THEN
   for @cnt = 1 to 5 do
   Set @title = Field(Row(@titles,@cnt),"Value")
   Set @desc = Field(Row(@descs,@cnt), "Value")
   Set @link = Field(Row(@links,@cnt), "Value") ]%%
   
   <div style="border: 1px solid #444; background-color: #F7F7F7; margin: 0.76em 0; padding: 0.76em;">
   <h1 style="font: bold normal 1.0em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="%%=RedirectTo(@link)=%%" alias="%%=v(@title)="%%" title="%%=v(@title)=%% style="color: #000;">%%=v(@title)=%%</a></h1>
   <span style="font: normal normal 0.76em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #444;">%%=v(@desc)=%%</span>
   </div>
   %%[ 
   NEXT @cnt 
   ENDIF
   ]%%

5. Test the email before sending to make sure the message pulls the correct content.

In the AMPscript listed above, the AMPscript takes the most recent 5 entries from the feed and includes them in the email. The @xml variable pull in the content area with the content syndication, while the other variables pull information from the feed to include in the email. The For loop in the email counts how many times articles have been pulled from the feed and stops the message at 5.

You can modify the HTML markup included in the example to better fit the formatting of your email message.

NOTE: If the RSS Feed pulled into the email contains HTML formatting, be sure to clear the text version of any AMPscript and provide the VAWP URL as a mechanism to view the email. If you do not do this, the email send will fail.

If you reference a node that includes a colon, the parser will not accept that colon and cause the operation to error out. Use the sample code below as an example to get around the colon and successfully add your RSS feed:

%%[Var @xml, @xml1, @titles, @title, @descs, @desc, @links, @link, @cnt
Set @xml1 = ContentAreaByName("my contents\RSSParse\RSSParse") //This line specifies the content area from which the RSS content will be pulled for the email message. 
Set @xml = Replace(@xml1,'content:encoded','contentencoded')
Set @titles = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/title",1)
Set @descs = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/contentencoded",1)
Set @links = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"//item/link",1)

If RowCount(@titles) > 5 THEN
SET @rows = 5
ELSE
SET @rows = RowCount(@titles)
ENDIF

IF @rows >= 1 THEN
for @cnt = 1 to 5 do
Set @title = Field(Row(@titles,@cnt),"Value")
Set @desc = Field(Row(@descs,@cnt), "Value")
Set @link = Field(Row(@links,@cnt), "Value") ]%%

<div style="border: 1px solid #444; background-color: #F7F7F7; margin: 0.76em 0; padding: 0.76em;">
<h1 style="font: bold normal 1.0em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="%%=RedirectTo(@link)=%%" alias="%%=v(@title)="%%" title="%%=v(@title)=%% style="color: #000;">%%=v(@title)=%%</a></h1>
<span style="font: normal normal 0.76em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #444;">%%=v(@desc)=%%</span>
</div>
%%[ 
NEXT @cnt 
ENDIF
]%%