RSS Reader General
What is RSS Reader? A SharePoint Framework web part from Vitextra that shows the items of one or more RSS feeds on a modern SharePoint Online page or in Microsoft Teams: merged into one list, with source tabs, category filters, search, three layouts and automatic refresh. Overview: KB10366. RSS Reader. Solution Overview.
Why is there no RSS web part in modern SharePoint? Modern web parts run in the browser, and browsers may not download feeds from other websites unless those websites allow it — which feed publishers almost never do. Microsoft did not build a server-side proxy into SharePoint Online, so the modern toolbox has no RSS web part; the classic RSS Viewer exists on classic pages only. The options are compared in KB10368. RSS in Modern SharePoint Online: Why There Is No Built-in Web Part and What to Use Instead.
Does it work on SharePoint Server or on classic pages? No. RSS Reader is for modern pages in SharePoint Online and for Microsoft Teams.
Feeds and sources
Which feed formats are supported? RSS and Atom, including the common extensions: Media RSS images, Dublin Core authors, iTunes podcast artwork and categories.
How many feeds can one web part show? There is no fixed limit. Every feed is downloaded on each load and refresh, so three to six per web part is a practical range; use several web parts for more.
Can I show a feed from our intranet or from behind a VPN? No. The feeds are downloaded by the Vitextra feed service from the internet, so the feed must be publicly reachable. For internal content, publish it as SharePoint news or copy it into a list with Power Automate.
Can I show a feed that needs a login, or one with a personal token in the address? No. The feed service downloads feeds anonymously, and an address with a personal token would be visible to everyone who can read the page.
A source I added does not appear. Why? Its feed could not be downloaded or parsed — most often because the address is the website rather than the feed. The web part leaves such sources out silently. See KB10373. Why Doesn't My RSS Feed Load? Troubleshooting RSS Reader.
Where do I find the feed address of a website? Look for the RSS icon or an "RSS" / "Feed" link, usually in the footer; many sites also use /feed, /rss or /rss.xml after the site address. The address returns XML when opened in a browser.
Items and display
How often do the items refresh? On every page load, and — with Auto Refresh on — every 1 to 7 minutes while the page is open. Loaded items are also cached in the browser for up to 30 minutes so that the web part opens instantly. Details: KB10371. Feed Sources, Sorting, Automatic Refresh and Caching in RSS Reader.
How many items are shown? Up to the Items Shown value (1–40), applied after the reader's source, category and search filters.
Which layouts are there? Compact (one line per item), Newsletter (thumbnail, title, description, tags, date, author) and Cards (tiles with a large image). See KB10370. RSS Reader Layouts: Compact, Newsletter and Cards.
Where do the images come from? From the feed item: Media RSS elements, podcast artwork, or the first picture in the description. Items without a picture in the feed are shown without one; pictures served over HTTP are blocked by the browser on HTTPS pages.
Can readers filter the list? Yes, when the editor turns the controls on: source tabs (Filters), clickable category tags (Category) and a Search box. The filters work on the loaded items and change nothing for other readers. Guide: KB10369. RSS Reader: A Quick Guide for End Users.
Can items be sorted by source? Yes: Sort order offers Newest first, Oldest first and By source (grouped by feed, newest first in each group).
Why are some titles dimmed? Those articles have already been opened in this browser. The web part uses the browser's visited-links memory; it does not record what anybody reads.
Does the web part show the full article? No. It shows the title, the description from the feed, the date, the author and the picture; the title links to the full article on the publisher's site, which opens in a new tab.
Does it follow our site theme and dark mode? Yes — colors, section backgrounds, the site font, full-width sections and the light and dark themes of Teams.
Microsoft Teams
Can I use RSS Reader in Teams? Yes, as a tab in a channel (with its own feeds) and as a personal app in the left rail (with one configuration for the whole organization). Setup: KB10372. How to Add RSS Reader to Microsoft Teams.
Why does the personal app show the sample feeds? No default configuration has been saved yet. Configure the web part on a page and click Save Settings in the Personal app (Microsoft Teams) group.
Can every user choose their own feeds in the personal app? No. The personal app uses the configuration saved by the administrator for the tenant. Users switch sources, filter and search within it.
Permissions, security and data
Which permissions does the package request? None. Nothing appears on the API access page, and the web part reads nothing from SharePoint or Microsoft Graph.
What is sent to Vitextra? The addresses of the configured feeds and the technical identifiers of every Vitextra web part — Tenant ID, the object ID of the user, the site address, the product and version — for the feed service, the license check and usage telemetry. No content of your tenant. Details: KB10374. Privacy and Security in RSS Reader: How Feeds Are Loaded and What Is Sent.
Is the HTML of the feeds safe? The web part never inserts feed HTML into the page. Descriptions are reduced to plain text with an inert parser, tracking pixels are skipped, and links lead to the publisher.
What is stored where? The configuration is in the web part properties on the page; the Teams personal-app configuration is stored by the Vitextra service for your tenant; the last loaded items are cached in the browser tab session for up to 30 minutes.
Which hosts must our firewall allow? vitextra.com, static.vitextra.com and vitextra-storage.azureedge.net, plus the publishers' hosts for the images.
Licensing
Is there a trial? Yes — 14 days with all features, starting automatically when the web part is first used in the tenant. Afterwards the web part shows a license message until a subscription is assigned; see KB10364. What Happens When Your Vitextra Trial or Subscription Expires.
How is RSS Reader licensed? Per Microsoft 365 tenant, regardless of the number of users, sites, pages or feeds, for SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams together. Purchase and activation: KB10206. Vitextra Licensing and Account: How to Buy and Activate a License.
Where do I see the version and the license status? In the About group at the bottom of the property pane: product version, status (Trial version, Active, Expired) and the Tenant ID.
