View source for Duplicate Feeds

Duplicate feeds (i.e., multiple feeds pointing to the same URL) get created. This is A Sad Time. We like it better when they don't exist. [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/see_request?id=21432&auth=5wfr This is an example support request. It is not ideal, but it's better than nothing.]

To purge them, what needs to happen is:
* go to [http://www.dreamwidth.org/feeds/list View Popular Feeds] (get there via Read-->Feeds, or via visiting example_feed.dreamwidth.org and clicking "View Popular Feeds" in your top bar.
* run through them. All ten pages. You will need to do this at least twice: once to get a feel for what's there, and once to catch the duplicates. How I did this: on first run-through, on spotting something I could've sworn I'd already seen, I made a note of it - and then picked up duplicate URLs on subsequent passes.
* eventually you will have a document of some description including SITE NAME, and AT LEAST TWO URLs. Rah will like you better if you link to profiles, rather than the journal view.
* OPTIONAL: if you are feeling extremely enthusiastic, run through and double-check that apparent duplicates are ''actually'' duplicates: e.g. both Penny Arcade and Irregular Comic have two feeds: in each cases, one contains the strips and one contains ''links'' to the strips.
* it's now time to [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/submit submit a support request]. Use the '''Category''' "General/Unknown"; the '''Summary''' "Duplicate feeds" (or anything else that tickles your fancy while being clear"; and then fill in the '''Question or problem'''. There are two ways to do this: (1) copy-paste in the text-only list of site names & URLs you have generated. (2) Actually provide the script so the support worker who addresses the request has less work to do in making the merge happen: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash">syn_merge duplicateaccountname to primaryaccountname using http://correct-url</syntaxhighlight> Obviously you then have to use your skill & judgment to determine which should be primaryaccountname and which should be duplicateaccountname; hopefully the other parameters to be replaced are clear.
* submit the support request, and bask in the glow of A Job Well Done.

Obviously if you have the relevant privs, you'll actually need to run the commands. Thankfully, this is not something with which I personally need to concern myself - and for the sake of argument I'm going to assume that if you've got the privs, you don't need this guide.

[[Category: Feeds]]
[[Category: Support]]