https://github.com/relikd/baRSS
Menu Bar RSS reader for macOS
https://github.com/relikd/baRSS
atom feed macos menu-bar rss rss-reader
Last synced: 6 months ago
JSON representation
Menu Bar RSS reader for macOS
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/relikd/baRSS
- Owner: relikd
- License: mit
- Created: 2018-09-26T12:10:44.000Z (about 7 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2023-10-12T23:16:33.000Z (about 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-15T03:49:10.295Z (7 months ago)
- Topics: atom, feed, macos, menu-bar, rss, rss-reader
- Language: Objective-C
- Homepage:
- Size: 878 KB
- Stars: 136
- Watchers: 5
- Forks: 5
- Open Issues: 6
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
- Mac-Menubar-Megalist - baRSS
README
[](#download--install)
[](https://github.com/relikd/baRSS/releases)
[](https://github.com/relikd/baRSS/releases)
[](LICENSE)
baRSS – *Menu Bar RSS Reader*
=============================
What is it?
-----------
A RSS & Atom feed reader that lives in the system status bar.
Very much inspired by [RSS Menu](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rss-menu/id423069534); go ahead and check that out.
*baRSS* will automatically update feeds for you, and inform you when new content is available.
The new articles are just a menu away.
### Features
*baRSS* is unobtrusive, fast, and built from scratch with minimal footprint in mind.
The application uses less than 30 Mb memory and has a ridiculous file size of 1 Mb.
Speaking of reducing web traffic.
In contrast to other applications, *baRSS* does not save any cached web sessions or cookies as a matter of fact.
But it will reuse `ETag` and `Last-Modified` headers to avoid unnecessary transmissions.
Further, tuning the update frequently will decrease the traffic even more.
Download & Install
------------------
Requires macOS Sierra (10.12) or higher.
### Easy way
Go to [releases](https://github.com/relikd/baRSS/releases) and downloaded the latest version.
Searching for the App Store release? Read this [notice](#app-store-notice).
### Build from source
You'll need Xcode, [RSXML2] \(required), and [QLOPML] \(optional).
```sh
git clone https://github.com/relikd/baRSS
git clone https://github.com/relikd/RSXML2
git clone https://github.com/relikd/QLOPML
```
Alternatively, you can simply delete the `QLOPML` project reference without much harm.
`QLOPML` is a Quick Look plugin for `.opml` files.
It will display the file contents whenever you hit spacebar.
That's it.
Open `baRSS/baRSS.xcodeproj` and build the project.
Note, there are some compiler flags that append 'beta' to the development release.
If you prefer the optimized release version go to `Product > Archive`.
Hidden options
--------------
### Launch on start / reboot
baRSS has no option to launch it on start.
However, you can still add the application to auto boot by adding it to the system login items:
`System Preferences > User > Login Items`
### CLI options
The following options have no UI equivalent and must be configured in Terminal.
Most likely, you will never stumble upon these if not reading this chapter.
**Note:** To reset an option run `defaults delete de.relikd.baRSS {KEY}`, where `{KEY}` is an option from below.
1. If you hold down the option key and click on an article item, you can mark a single item (un-)read without opening it.
2. When holding down the option key, the menu will show an item to open only a few unread items at a time.
This number can be changed with the following Terminal command (default: 10):
```
defaults write de.relikd.baRSS openFewLinksLimit -int 10
```
3. In preferences you can choose to show 'Short article names'.
This will limit the number of displayed characters to 60 (default).
With this Terminal command you can customize this limit:
```
defaults write de.relikd.baRSS shortArticleNamesLimit -int 50
```
4. Limit the number of displayed articles per feed menu.
**Note:** displayed unread count may be different than the unread items inside. 'Open all unread' will open hidden items too.
```
defaults write de.relikd.baRSS articlesInMenuLimit -int 40
```
5. You can change the appearance of colors throughout the application.
E.g., The tint color of the menu bar icon and the color of the blue unread articles dot.
```
defaults write de.relikd.baRSS colorStatusIconTint -string "#37F"
defaults write de.relikd.baRSS colorUnreadIndicator -string "#FBA33A"
```
6. To backup your list of subscribed feeds, here is a one-liner:
```
open barss:backup && cp "$HOME/Library/Containers/de.relikd.baRSS/Data/Library/Application Support/baRSS/backup/feeds_latest.opml" "$HOME/Desktop/baRSS_backup_$(date "+%Y-%m-%d").opml"
```
ToDo
----
The following list is a collection of ideas that may be added if people request it.
- [ ] Localizations
- [ ] Feed generator for websites without feeds
- [ ] Automatically choose best update interval (e.g., avg)
- [ ] Sync with online services
- [ ] Feeds with authentication
- [ ] Notification Center
- [ ] Distraction Mode
- [ ] Distract less: Sleep timer. (e.g., disable updates during working hours)
- [ ] Distract more: Automatically open feed items
- [ ] Add support for media types
- [ ] music / video? (open media player)
- [ ] Pure image feed? (show images directly in menu)
- [ ] Per feed / group settings
- [ ] select launch application (e.g., for podcasts)
- [ ] exclude unread count from menu bar (e.g., unimportant feeds)
- [ ] ~~Infinite storage. (load more button)~~
FAQ / Q&A
---------
### App Store Notice
If you find this app somewhere on the App Store, you can be sure that it is a counterfeit.
As long as you can read this very notice, I am not responsible for the publication.
Further, I can't guarantee the App Store version wasn't modified by a malicious actor to spy on you.
### Why create something that already existed?
First, open source is awesome!
Second, RSS Menu made some design decisions I didn't like.
For example, the new integrated browser window.
One thing I liked most, was the fact that feeds were opened in the default browser.
Not like 99% of the other feed readers on the market that show a separate HTML viewer window.
No rendering issues, no broken links, no content that is different from the actual news article.
I know, the whole purpose of RSS is to deliver content without the need of opening a webpage.
But for me RSS is more about being informed whenever a blog or news feed has updated content.
E.g, subscribing to video channels without having to have an account.
### Why is this project not written in Swift?!
Actually, I started this project with Swift.
Even without adding much functionality, the app was exceeding the 10 Mb file size.
The working alpha version, written in Objective-C, had only 500 Kb.
The reason being that Swift frameworks are always packed into the final application.
Sadly, this was before Swift 5 and ABI stability.
Had I only started the project a year later…
But on the other hand, now it is macOS 10.12 compatible.
### 3rd Party Libraries
This project uses a modified version of Brent Simmons' [RSXML] for feed parsing.
[RSXML2] is licensed under a MIT license (same as this project).
##### Trivia
- Start of project: __July 19, 2018__
- Estimated development time: __1970h+__
- First prototype used __feedparser python__ library
[QLOPML]: https://github.com/relikd/QLOPML
[RSXML2]: https://github.com/relikd/RSXML2
[RSXML]: https://github.com/brentsimmons/RSXML