Managed Feeds (PRO)

This document explains the PRO “Managed Feeds” feature: how to configure where imported items are saved, what each destination means, and practical examples showing how to present imported items on your site.

Overview

Managed Feeds lets you save import settings per feed instead of using only global options. For each managed feed you set:

  • Feed URL — the RSS/Atom source.
  • Post Type — where imported items are stored (Posts, Pages, Media, Import posts, or Feed Group).
  • Author — the post author used when creating items.
  • Import Interval — schedule for automatic imports (Every 15 minutes, Hourly, Every 6 hours, Daily).

You can run an immediate import with the Import Now action on each Managed Feed.

Post Type choices — what they mean and when to use them

Posts

  • What it does: saves each imported item as a regular WordPress post.
  • When to use: when you want imports to appear in your main blog, be indexed, use categories/tags and integrate with your theme’s post lists.
  • After saving/import: check WP Admin → Posts for created items.

Pages

  • What it does: saves items as WordPress pages (static content).
  • When to use: for content that should be a standalone page rather than a blog entry (guides, reference pages).
  • After saving/import: check WP Admin → Pages.

Media

  • What it does: imports files/images into the Media Library instead of creating textual posts. Useful when a feed primarily delivers images or downloadable assets.
  • When to use: feeds with images or files you want in Media Library.
  • After saving/import: check WP Admin → Media.

Import posts (recommended: separate CPT)

  • What it does: saves items to a dedicated custom post type (e.g. Import posts) so imported content is kept separate from editorial posts.
  • When to use: automatic imports that you want to review/moderate, or to avoid polluting your main blog. Makes it easy to bulk-delete, moderate, or apply different defaults (noindex, draft status).
  • After saving/import: check the dedicated list (for example WP Admin → Import Posts).

Feed Group (organization)

  • What it does: assigns the feed (and its imported items) to a logical group (for example: Sports, Tech, Local). Implemented as a grouping mechanism (taxonomy or metadata) to filter/display by group.
  • When to use: you manage many feeds and want to show or hide whole collections easily, or tag all items from a set of feeds with the same group.

How to choose (quick guidance)

  • Use Posts when imports are part of your editorial workflow and should appear in the site feed.
  • Use Import posts (separate CPT) when you need moderation, or to keep imported items isolated.
  • Use Media if you only want assets saved.
  • Use Pages only for very specific, standalone content.
  • Use Feed Group to organize and filter multiple feeds by topic.

What happens when you click “Import Now”

  1. The system validates the action (security checks).
  2. It fetches items from the configured feed URL.
  3. Each item is processed through PRO filters (content cleaning, date/regex filters, limits).
  4. Duplicate detection runs (existing items with the same original URL are skipped).
  5. Posts/media are created using the Managed Feed settings (post type, author, status).
  6. Each created item is linked to its Managed Feed (meta) so you can trace origin and avoid duplicates.

If debug/logging is active, you can inspect the PRO log for details about the import.

Showing imported items on the site (examples for non‑developers)

Option A — Use the plugin shortcode (if available)

  • Some shortcodes accept a post_type or source attribute. Example (replace with actual post type name used for imports):
[newssync post_type="newssync_import" posts_per_page="5"]

This will list the five most recent imported items saved to the newssync_import post type.

Option B — Use WordPress editor blocks (no code)

  • In the block editor insert a Query Loop / Latest Posts block.
  • Configure the block’s settings: set “Post Type” to the import post type (for example “Import posts”) and choose number of items and layout.
  • This requires no code and works in any page or post where you want to embed imported items.

Option C — Use the plugin’s source attribute (if present)

  • If the plugin supports source="feed_id" or similar, you can filter items by their managed feed ID. Example:
[newssync source="123" posts_per_page="10"]

This shows the 10 most recent items from Managed Feed ID 123.

Option D — Create a custom WordPress query (for theme developers)

  • Use WP_Query with the import post type and meta query to filter by managed feed:
<?php
$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'newssync_import', // Replace with your import CPT
    'posts_per_page' => 5,
    'meta_key' => '_newssync_managed_feed_id',
    'meta_value' => '123' // The managed feed ID
);
$query = new WP_Query( $args );

if ( $query->have_posts() ) :
    while ( $query->have_posts() ) : $query->the_post();
        the_title( '<h2>', '</h2>' );
        the_excerpt();
    endwhile;
    wp_reset_postdata();
endif;
?>

Option E — Filter by Feed Group (if using groups)

  • If you’ve assigned feeds to groups (Sports, Tech, etc.), filter imported items by group taxonomy or meta:
<?php
$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'newssync_import',
    'tax_query' => array(
        array(
            'taxonomy' => 'newssync_feed_group',
            'field' => 'slug',
            'terms' => 'tech'
        )
    ),
    'posts_per_page' => 10
);
$query = new WP_Query( $args );
// Display loop here
?>

Practical Workflows

Scenario 1: News aggregator with moderation

Goal: Import 5 tech news feeds, review each item before publishing.

Setup:

  1. Create 5 Managed Feeds (TechCrunch, Wired, The Verge, etc.)
  2. Post Type: Import posts (separate CPT)
  3. Status: Draft (default for new items)
  4. Import Interval: Hourly

Workflow:

  • Items import automatically every hour as drafts
  • Editor checks WP Admin → Import Posts
  • Review, edit, then click Publish on approved items
  • Trash spam/duplicates

Scenario 2: Multi-client WordPress (different authors)

Goal: 3 clients, each has their own feeds, items appear as different authors.

Setup:

  1. Create Managed Feed for Client A → set Author to “Client A User”
  2. Create Managed Feed for Client B → set Author to “Client B User”
  3. Post Type: Posts (or separate CPT per client)

Result:

  • Client A’s items appear under their author name
  • Use author archives (/author/client-a/) to show their items

Scenario 3: Sports scores (instant updates)

Goal: Import sports RSS feeds every 15 minutes, display on homepage.

Setup:

  1. Create Managed Feed for sports RSS
  2. Post Type: Import posts or Sports (custom CPT)
  3. Import Interval: Every 15 minutes

Display:

Troubleshooting

“Import Now” button does nothing

Causes:

  • JavaScript error (check browser console)
  • Permissions issue (only Admins can trigger imports)
  • AJAX endpoint blocked by security plugin

Fixes:

  • Check browser console for errors
  • Verify user has Administrator role
  • Temporarily disable security plugins (Wordfence, iThemes)

Duplicate items keep appearing

Causes:

  • Feed doesn’t provide unique GUIDs
  • Item URL changed at source
  • Duplicate detection disabled

Fixes:

  • Check PRO Settings → Import → Duplicate Detection
  • Enable “Check by original URL” if available
  • Manually trash duplicates and re-import

Items not appearing on site

Causes:

  • Wrong post type configured
  • Post status is “Draft” (not published)
  • Items filtered out by date/regex filters

Fixes:

  • Check WP Admin → [Post Type] for new items
  • Verify post status in Managed Feed settings
  • Disable PRO filters temporarily to test

Import errors in log

Causes:

  • Invalid feed URL (404, SSL error)
  • Feed format not recognized (malformed XML)
  • Rate limiting by feed provider

Fixes:

  • Test feed URL in browser (should show XML)
  • Use feed validator: W3C Feed Validator
  • Add delay between imports (increase interval)

Import takes too long / times out

Causes:

  • Large feed (500+ items)
  • Slow feed server
  • Too many PRO features enabled (AI, fulltext extraction)

Fixes:

  • Enable Per-request cap in PRO Settings (limit to 25-50 items)
  • Disable AI summaries for high-volume feeds
  • Increase PHP max_execution_time in hosting settings

Best Practices

✅ Start with one test feed — configure, import, verify before adding more

✅ Use separate CPT for imports — keeps editorial content separate from automated imports

✅ Enable duplicate detection — saves database space and avoids spam

✅ Set reasonable import intervals — balance freshness vs server load

  • News/breaking: Every 15 minutes
  • Blogs: Hourly
  • Low-priority: Daily

✅ Monitor first few imports — check PRO log for errors, adjust filters

✅ Use Feed Groups — organize 10+ feeds by topic/client for easier management

❌ Don’t import to main Posts without moderation — risk of publishing spam/ads

❌ Don’t set all feeds to “Every 15 minutes” — can overload shared hosting

❌ Don’t mix personal content with automated imports — use separate post types

Support

If you encounter issues not covered here:

  1. Check PRO Log: Settings → PRO → Tools → View Import Log
  2. Enable WordPress Debug: Add to wp-config.php:define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
  3. Contact Support: Include feed URL, error messages, PHP version
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