Universal Functions

Universal functions that work across all feed formats.

Functions

parseFeed()

Universal parser that automatically detects feed format and parses accordingly.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
content	string	The feed content to parse (XML or JSON)
options	object	Optional parsing settings

Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
maxItems	number	-	Limit the number of items/entries parsed. Use 0 to skip items entirely, useful when only feed metadata is needed

Returns

object - Object containing:

• format: 'rss' | 'atom' | 'rdf' | 'json' - Detected feed format
• feed: object - Parsed feed with all fields optional and dates as strings

Example

import { parseFeed } from 'feedsmith'

const { format, feed } = parseFeed(feedContent)

// Limit number of items parsed
const { format, feed } = parseFeed(feedContent, { maxItems: 5 })

// Parse only feed metadata (skip all items)
const { format, feed } = parseFeed(feedContent, { maxItems: 0 })

IMPORTANT

The universal parser uses detection functions to identify feed formats. For maximum reliability when you know the format in advance, use format-specific parsers.

detectFeed()

Detects the format of the provided content without parsing it.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
content	string | object	The content to check (XML, JSON string or parsed JSON)

Returns

'rss' | 'atom' | 'rdf' | 'json' | undefined - The detected format, or undefined if the content is not a feed

Example

import { detectFeed } from 'feedsmith'

const format = detectFeed(feedContent)