Develop > Presentation layer > Work with Web service feeds > Create a custom feed from a Web service


Test, exposing, and deploying the Atom feed

When you have completed the customization steps, test the Atom feed URL you defined to ensure it displays the feed content as expected. Then implement the means to expose the Atom feed URL to customers so that they can subscribe to the feed in a feed reader or view the content in a Web widget. Finally, deploy the customized code to the production environment.


Procedure

  1. Open a browser that supports the display of Atom feeds.

  2. Paste the RESTful URL you defined for the custom Atom feed into a browser. For example, the URL might be: 

    http://host/wcs/resources/stores/10101/MarketingSpotData/HomePageFeaturedProducts?responseFormat=atom

  3. View the result to ensure it displays a valid Atom feed output that contains the text and images you specified in the custom feed formatting JSP file. The feed might look different in different feed readers, so consider using several feed readers to view and test the results.

  4. When you are satisfied with the results, expose the Atom feed URL so that customers can subscribe to the feed. For example:

    • On a relevant store page, add a Subscribe link that points to the feed URL.

    • Create a store page that lists all the available feed URLs from your store.

      For both of these options, customers can subscribe to the feed by pasting the feed URL into their favorite feed reader.

    Another alternative is to create a remote widget to display the feed content to the customers. You can then embed the widget on sites external to WebSphere Commerce to extend the brand reach. You can also let customers share the widget from the site to a personal Web page or social network. To create the widget, consider using a widget service provider on the Internet that supports the display of a feed, such as KickApps. Your site might already have an affiliate account with KickApps to create remote widgets. If so, you can access the KickApps App Studio widget editor and paste in the feed URL from this customization into a widget. You can then create a portable Flash widget that displays your feed.

  5. Subscribe to the feed as a customer would to ensure you get the result you expect.

  6. Deploy your customized code.


Previous topic: Create the Atom feed representation of the service


Related concepts

Remote widgets


Related tasks

Work with remote widgets


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