Headlines Plugin

Show headline news in TWiki pages based on RSS and ATOM news feeds from external sites

Description

This plugin displays RSS and ATOM feeds from news sites. Use it to build news portals that show headline news.

Note: Syndic8.com ( http://www.syndic8.com/ ) lists many RSS feeds.

Syntax Rules

%HEADLINES{"..."}%

Parameter Explanation Default
"..." source of RSS feed; this can be an url (starting with http) or a web.topic location for internal feeds None; is required
href="..." (Alternative to above) N/A
refresh="60" Refresh rate in minutes for caching feed; "0" for no caching Global REFRESH setting
limit="12" Maximum number of items shown Global LIMIT setting
touch="..." Touch (edit/save) topics if the feed has updates. Specify a comma-space delimited list of TopicNames or Web.TopicNames, such as "%TOPIC%, NewsLetter". Useful to send out newsletter using MailerContrib, showing new feeds since last newsletter. To update feeds, visit topics with feeds in regular intervals (using cron with wget or the like). N/A
header Header. Can include these variables: - $channeltitle, $title: title of channel (channel.title) - $channellink, $link: link of channel (channel.link) - $channeldescription, $description: description (channel.description) - $channeldate, $date: publication date of the channel (channel.pubDate) - $rights: copyrights of the channel (channel.copyright) - $imagetitle: title text for site (image.title) - $imagelink: link for site (image.link) - $imageurl: URL of image (image.url) - $imagedescription: description of image (image.description) Global HEADER setting
format Format of one item. Can include these variables: - $title: news item title (item.title) - $link: news item link (item.link) - $description: news item description (item.description) - $date: the publication date (item.pubDate, item.date) - $category: the article category (item.category) Global FORMAT setting

The header and format parameters might also use variables rendering the dc, image and content namespace information. Note, that only bits of interest have been implemented so far and those namespaces might not be implemented fully yet.

Rendering the dc namespace

The following variables are extracting the dc namespace info, that could be used in header and format. Nnote, that some of the variables are already used above. This is done by purpose to use different feeds with the same formating parameters. If there's a conflict the non-dc tags have higher precedence, i.e. a <title> content </title> is prefered over <dc:title> content </dc:title> .

  • $title: channel/article title (dc:title)
  • $creator: channel creator (dc:creator)
  • $subject: subject text; this will also add an image according to the subject hash list, see above (dc:subject)
  • $description: ... (dc:description)
  • $publisher: the channel/article publisher (dc:publisher)
  • $contributor: ... (dc:contributor)
  • $date: ... (dc:date)
  • $type: ... (dc:type)
  • $format: ... (dc:format)
  • $identifier: ... (dc:identifier)
  • $source: ... (dc:source)
  • $language: ... (dc:language)
  • $relation: ... (dc:relation)
  • $coverage: ... (dc: coverage)
  • $rights: ... (dc: rights)

Rendering the image namespace

An image:item is converted into an <img> tag using the following mappings:

  • src: image url (rdf:about attribute of the image.item tag)
  • alt: image title (title)
  • width: image width (image:width)
  • height: image height image:height)

Rendering the content namespace

The variable $content is refering to the <content:encoding> content </content:encoding>.

Examples

Slashdot News

Write

%HEADLINES{ "http://slashdot.org/slashdot.rdf" 
  header="*[[$link][$title]]:* $description" 
  format="$t* [[$link][$title]]"
  limit="4"
}%
to get the latest Slashdot news as a bullet list format:

Business Opportunities Weblog

Write

%HEADLINES{ "http://www.business-opportunities.biz/feed" limit="2" }%

to get the latest postings on the "Business Opportunities" weblog:

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:47:53 +0000
The original blog about business opportunities and business ideas for small business entrepreneurs
Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:47:52 +0000 Carrol Strain

Cleaning an entire office building is exhausting, and most don’t know the effort that goes into office maintenance. One has to focus on everything, including disinfecting surfaces, clearing out all the trash and dirt.

The more careful you are, the better. After all, a clean work environment is a need of every employee. Therefore, keeping the office premises clean and sanitized should be your priority. Sadly, not every organization can provide the best working conditions. 

Here is a list of office maintenance mistakes you might be making without realizing it but which you should try to fix as soon as possible.

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 REASONS TO HIRE PROFESSIONAL CLEANERS FOR YOUR AUTO DEALERSHIP

1. Office Maintenance That Fails to Meet Cleaning Needs 

You need someone to maintain the building’s cleanliness and ensure that every corner of the premises is germ-free.

According to cleaning experts at Compass Cleaning Solutions (https://www.compassphoenix.com/), “Cleaning office premises maximizes the company’s productivity, profitability, and performance, providing a safe atmosphere in the process.''

Some individuals only focus on vacuuming or basic cleaning, but that’s not enough. There should be a detailed cleaning session, which involves washing, drying, and disinfecting.

Most importantly, the cleaning should be carried out using high-grade cleaning chemicals and by the hands of professionals. Experienced people are much better at handling the job than inexperienced ones.

Through proper services, you can secure your office building and the people working in it.

2. Office Maintenance and a Roofing Crisis 

Extreme weather doesn’t only cause structural damage to your building’s walls and exteriors but also hurts the roof. The roof of your office sustains the most. From harsh sunlight to massive hailstorms, a roof has to face it all, and due to these conditions, it starts to lose its strength.

Yet, employers fail to pay attention to roof maintenance, which becomes an issue in the long term. Neglecting the needs of your roof could cause it to become weak and unstable.

3. Broken or Faulty HVAC Systems 

Heating and cooling systems are present in almost every office building to keep the temperature under control. However, these devices are only useful if they are cared for properly. Without maintenance, these systems lose efficiency and might cause more damage to human health.

Despite working perfectly, there might be internal problems in the HVAC system. Being constantly in use, these systems can develop problems, including clogged filters, leakages, or other inconsistencies.

There is a chance that dust particles might have entered the system, which could spread throughout the building through the HVAC supply lines.

To allow HVAC systems to run non-stop throughout the year without affecting human health, opt for a routine cleaning schedule. Get your systems inspected and cleaned to avoid discomfort. 

4. Electrical Issues as a Part of Office Maintenance

Keeping your facility clean and dirt-free isn’t the only need of the building. One has to ensure that all the electrical wiring is in place and isn’t damaged. Most of the buildings that have faced mishaps over the years had one thing in common: faulty wires.

Thus, have the electrical wiring system inspected on a monthly basis. Of course, you will need a professional and qualified electrician to examine the entire setup. They can guide you about all potential threats.

For example, if the wiring in your office is outdated, loose, or damaged in any way, these guys will inform you and fix it. Similarly, they could also guide you about overloaded circuits and save you from falling prey to a mishap.

As minor as it might seem, having neat, organized, and fully insulated wires could make all the difference.

5. Plumbing Issues

It’s good to keep cleanliness and electrical wiring in check, but don’t leave out plumbing issues. Fixing plumbing-related problems is another aspect of office maintenance. No matter what quality pipes you use in construction, they will corrode over time, resulting in leakages.

When these leakages are left unattended, they result in structural damage and health issues, including mold growth. In such conditions, your team will need to relocate, or you will have to pay heavily for renovations.

Instead of paying millions, you could save yourself by frequent plumbing inspections. Hire experts to examine the condition of pipes in the building. These individuals could suggest economical solutions for the existing defects.

Moreover, educate your employees and staff members about proper water disposal practices to mitigate issues.

6. Pest Infestations

You might have heard about offices being infested with pests, insects, and termites. Well, your office building could experience something similar when your maintenance crew does not clean the space properly.

These creatures, as insignificant as they might look, have the potential to turn your office building upside down. In fact, these pests can cause substantial damage to the building and employee health.

Rodents can harm the wiring in your building, whereas insects or termites might feed on the structural components of the place. Also, having pests within a building is in itself an extreme health risk.

Letting the issue slide for a longer time leads to extensive damage and could become irrecoverable. Therefore, the minute you see a rodent or insect, call an extermination team.

Pest control is the best way to overcome the crisis. These professionals seal every entry, exit point, and remove every unwanted pest from your office building. The longer you let these pests roam around, the higher the chances of experiencing losses.

7. Poorly Maintained Security Systems

Office security is another thing to be careful about when it comes to office maintenance. You are responsible for hundreds of people, which means your premises must be safe from all dangers. Try to ensure the building and its occupants are safe from threats.

It includes hiring the right security officers, keeping an eye on unrecognized individuals, and securing all points of entry into the building. Through strong security, your company employees feel safe, and it will ultimately positively reflect on the company’s growth.

Your security is part of your building maintenance and should never be ignored. Try to take measures that address your company’s present and future security concerns.

8. Out-of-Order Elevators

If you own a multi-story building, having fully functional lifts is mandatory. Often, elevators tend to break down, causing disruptions. So, have each elevator in your building thoroughly checked.

From ensuring their operational efficiency to checking for malfunctions, have everything reviewed. It’s much better to have these checks every month. That way, it’s easier to detect all possible technical glitches in time.

Once your building’s elevators run smoothly, your employees face zero disruptions.

RELATED ARTICLE: A SHORT GUIDE ON CLEANING YOUR RESTAURANT

Conclusion

Like homes, offices also require a thorough cleaning session. Without timely cleaning, your employees’ hygiene suffers the most. Thus, following these tips is crucial as it saves workers from health risks and keeps the place in check.

Make sure your building hires a reputable cleaning team and takes all safety measures. A slight miscalculation could cost you and your employees a lot.

RELATED ARTICLE: GENERAL CLEANING TO DO BEFORE OPENING A HOME BUSINESS

The post Office Maintenance Mistakes and How to Avoid Them  appeared first on BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 22:46:46 +0000 Carrol Strain

If you’re considering starting a personal injury law firm, you have plenty of competition but also opportunity. There are currently over 431,000 law firm businesses in the United States. However, this number has declined slightly in recent years, dropping 0.1% between 2020 and 2025. This indicates there is room in the market for new firms to enter and establish their brand.

Launching a successful personal injury firm still takes diligence and preparation though. You’ll need to assemble the right team, tools, and strategies to attract clients and profitability from day one. While every new firm is unique, there are several key elements you’ll want to have in place from the beginning to set your business up for growth. Here are the top five things you’ll need to set up your own personal injury law firm.

Office Space and Equipment for a Personal Injury Law Firm

First and foremost, you’ll need office space to meet with clients and work from on a daily basis. The average size of a small law firm in the US is 800-850 square feet per lawyer so make sure you look at buildings of the right size. Also, consider your location carefully, as you’ll want somewhere accessible to your target clientele. Then, outfit your office with the latest technology and equipment for efficiency. This includes computers, printers, phones, and any specialty software your practice will require. Make sure you have a professional reception area, conference room for meetings, and amenities such as Wi-Fi and coffee for clients.

RELATED ARTICLE: 9 TIPS FOR STARTING A BUSINESS

As the founder and lead personal injury attorney of the firm, you’ll need to hire legal support staff with experience in personal injury law specifically. Consider bringing on paralegals, legal assistants, case managers, and junior associates or partners. Vet each carefully to ensure they have the right expertise and credentials to support your clients. Depending on the size of your firm, you may need anywhere from two to fifty supporting attorneys and legal professionals on your team. Large law firms can employ up to a thousand people.

Client Intake and Tracking System for a Personal Injury Law Firm

An organized system for bringing in new clients and keeping track of existing cases is essential. This starts with your website, SEO, and marketing to get clients in the door. Once you have a prospect, implement an intelligent intake process and case management software. Features such as document storage, calendars, billing, and communication portals will help you stay on top of client matters from start to finish. Leverage technology to keep your caseload running smoothly.

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 PRODUCTIVITY TIPS FOR PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRMS

Marketing Plan and Budget

Marketing is crucial for establishing your brand, getting found by potential clients, and growing your personal injury law firm. You’ll need a robust online presence including your website, profiles and engagement on social media, and targeted advertising. Offline tactics such as TV, radio, print ads, billboards, networking events, and community sponsorships should be in the mix, too. Set aside at least 2-10% of your annual budget for marketing initiatives to build a steady pipeline. When you grow, this will likely increase to 5-15%.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO MASTER LAW FIRM MARKETING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Insurance Coverage

Don’t open your doors without the proper insurance in place! Be sure you have ample malpractice and errors and omissions insurance to protect you from any claims. Also, get general liability insurance for your office space and any firm assets. Consult an insurance broker to make sure you have complete, tailored coverage right from the start.

With these core elements covered, you’ll be off to a great start in establishing your personal injury firm. As you build your caseload and team, continue refining your systems and operations for lasting success. Don’t hesitate to adapt and invest in new solutions along the way.

Featured image by William Cho via Pixabay

The post Top 5 Things You’ll Need to Set Up a Personal Injury Law Firm appeared first on BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.

Plugin Settings

Plugin settings are stored as preferences variables. To reference a plugin setting write %<plugin>_<setting>%, for example, %HEADLINESPLUGIN_SHORTDESCRIPTION%. Note: Don't modify the settings here; copy and customize the settings in Main.TWikiPreferences. For example, to customize the USERAGENTNAME setting, create a HEADLINESPLUGIN_USERAGENTNAME setting in Main.TWikiPreferences.

  • One line description, shown in the TextFormattingRules topic:
    • Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Show headline news in TWiki pages based on RSS and ATOM news feeds from external sites

  • Refresh rate in minutes for cached feeds. Disable caching: 0, default: 60
    • Set REFRESH = 60

  • Maximum number of items shown. Default: 100
    • Set LIMIT = 100

  • Use LWP::UserAgent, or fallback to TWiki's internal getUrl() method. Default: yes
    • Set USELWPUSERAGENT = yes

  • Timeout fetching a feed using the LWP::UserAgent. Default: 20
    • Set USERAGENTTIMEOUT = 20

  • Name of user agent. Default: TWikiHeadlinesPlugin/2.21
      * Set USERAGENTNAME = TWikiHeadlinesPlugin/2.21

  • Default header: (variables are explained in the syntax rules)
      * Set HEADER = <div class="headlinesChannel"><div class="headlinesLogo"><img src="$imageurl" alt="$imagetitle" border="0" />%BR%</div><div class="headlinesTitle">$n---+!! <a href="$link">$title</a></div><div class="headlinesDate">$date</div><div class="headlinesDescription">$description</div><div class="headlinesRight">$rights</div></div>

  • Default format of one item: (variables are explained in the syntax rules)
      * Set FORMAT = <div class="headlinesArticle"><div class="headlinesTitle"><a href="$link">$title</a></div>$n<span class="headlinesDate">$date</span> <span class="headlinesCreator"> $creator</span> <span class="headlinesSubject"> $subject </span>$n<div class="headlinesText"> $description</div></div>

  • Values taken from configure: (only supported if CPAN:LWP is installed)
    • $TWiki::cfg{PROXY}{HOST} - proxy host, such as "proxy.example.com";
    • $TWiki::cfg{PROXY}{PORT} - proxy port, such as "8080";
    • $TWiki::cfg{PROXY}{SkipProxyForDomains} - domains excluded from proxy, such as "intra.example.com, bugs.example.com";

Style Sheets

The default HEADER and FORMAT settings use the following styles. See the style.css file defining the default CSS properties (indentation illustrates enclosure).

  • headlinesRss: output of the HeadlinesPlugin (div)
    • headlinesChannel: channel header (div)
      • headlinesLogo: channel logo (div)
      • headlinesTitle: channel title (div)
      • headlinesDate: channel date (div)
      • headlinesDescription: channel description (div)
      • headlinesRight: channel copyright (div)
    • headlinesArticle: one news item (div)
      • headlinesTitle: article title (div)
      • headlinesDate: article date (span)
      • headlinesCreator: author of article (span)
      • headlinesSubject: subect category of the article (span)
      • headlinesText: article text (div)

Plugin Installation Instructions

  • Download the ZIP file.
  • Unzip it in your twiki installation directory. Content:
    File: Description:
    data/TWiki/HeadlinesPlugin.txt plugin topic
    pub/TWiki/HeadlinesPlugin/style.css default css
    lib/TWiki/HeadlinesPlugin.pm plugin perl module
    lib/TWiki/HeadlinesPlugin/Core.pm plugin core
    Check if above examples show a news feed instead of variable.
  • Optionally, run HeadlinesPlugin_installer.pl to automatically check and install other TWiki modules that this module depends on. You can also do this step manually.
  • Alternatively, manually make sure the dependencies listed in the table below are resolved.
    NameVersionDescription
    Digest::MD5>=2.33Required. Download from CPAN:Digest::MD5
    LWP::UserAgent>=5.803Optional. Download from CPAN:LWP::UserAgent

Plugin Info

Plugin Author: TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny, TWiki:Main.MichaelDaum
Copyright: © 2002-2010, Peter Thoeny, Twiki, Inc.; 2005-2007, Michael Daum http://wikiring.de
License: GPL (GNU General Public License)
Plugin Version: v2.6 - 2010-05-16
Change History:  
2010-05-16: TWikibug:Item6433 - more doc improvements
2010-04-25: TWikibug:Item6433 - doc fix: Changing TWIKIWEB to SYSTEMWEB
2010-02-27: TWikibug:Item6313 - fixed bug in ATOM feed with <link ...></link> instead of <link ... /> -- Peter Thoeny
2009-09-30: fixed bug in lastBuildDate of feeds affecting touch parameter functionality -- Peter Thoeny
2009-08-29: added touch parameter -- Peter Thoeny
12 Feb 2009: {PROXY}{HOST} supports domain with and without protocol -- Peter Thoeny
06 Feb 2009: added {PROXY}{SkipProxyForDomains} configure setting, added USERAGENTNAME plugin setting -- Peter Thoeny
11 Dec 2008: added {PROXY}{HOST} and {PROXY}{PORT} configure settings -- Peter Thoeny
13 Sep 2007: fixed parsing of content:encoded
23 Jul 2006: improved atom parser; if a posting has no title default to 'Untitled'
26 Apr 2006: added lazy compilation
10 Feb 2006: packaged using the TWiki:Plugins/BuildContrib; minor fixes
03 Feb 2006: off-by-one: limit="n" returned n+1 articles; make FORMAT and HEADER format strings more robust
23 Jan 2006: released v2.00
05 Dec 2005: internal feed urls must be absolute
02 Dec 2005: added web.topic shorthand for internal feeds
29 Nov 2005: fixed CDATA handling
21 Nov 2005: added ATOM support; extended RSS support; added dublin core support; added content support; optionally using LWP to fetch feeds to follow redirections; corrected CPAN dependencies ; recoding special chars from html integer to entity encoding to increase browser compatibility; added css support; use getWorkArea() if available
11 May 2005: TWiki:Main.WillNorris: added DevelopBranch compatability
31 Oct 2004: Fixed taint issue by TWiki:Main.AdrianWeiler; small performance improvement
29 Oct 2004: Fixed issue of external caching if mod_perl or SpeedyCGI is used
02 Aug 2002: Implemented caching of feeds, thanks to TWiki:Main/RobDuarte
11 Jun 2002: Initial version (V1.000)
Perl Version: 5.8
TWiki:Plugins/Benchmark: GoodStyle 100%, FormattedSearch 99.5%, HeadlinesPlugin 94%
Plugin Home: http://TWiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Plugins/HeadlinesPlugin
Feedback: http://TWiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Plugins/HeadlinesPluginDev
Appraisal: http://TWiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Plugins/HeadlinesPluginAppraisal

Related Topics: TWikiPlugins, AdminDocumentationCategory, TWikiPreferences

Topic revision: r1 - 2010-05-17 - TWikiContributor
 
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