Configuration

RCA FeedFactory configuration splits three ways that administrators confuse when they want one magic toggle: Import2Content rules per feed, scheduled fetch through Joomla or cron, and which plugins you enable. Administrator UI lives under Components, RCA FeedFactory. Version-specific field help also ships in media/com_rca_feedfactory/docs/ on your site after install; read that file set when CLI paths or field labels differ from this product-level manual.

Import2Content per feed

Import2Content is the mapping layer that turns each RSS or Atom item into a Joomla article row. Open a feed record in Components, RCA FeedFactory, then open Import2Content for that feed. Save after meaningful changes and run manual fetch before you trust cron, because cron will happily repeat a bad map on schedule.

Target category, publish state, and author

Set the category where new articles should land and choose whether imports publish immediately or stay unpublished for editor review. Assign an author that matches who owns syndicated content legally and practically on your site. Wrong category or publish state is the most common why nothing appeared on the homepage complaint when articles actually landed elsewhere or unpublished.

Title and body field maps

Map remote title and description or content fields into com_content title and body. Feeds vary widely: some ship title and link only, and body will stay thin unless the remote item actually carries HTML or description text. Inspect raw feed items in administrator when body is empty before you blame Fetch Factory for inventing content that never existed upstream.

Images, enclosures, and media

Map enclosure URLs or embedded images when feeds carry them. Image localization downloads remote hero images when rules allow. Some hosts block hotlinking or return HTML error pages as image bytes. Enclosure-related options cover image MIME galleries and audio or podcast enclosures with player markup where your version documents them. Fix Import2Content map first, then network reachability, then RCA Helix Compat Media Bridge if Helix and core images disagree on layout.

Read more, introtext, and fulltext (Import2Content)

When Add “Read more” after is enabled under Import2Content (global configuration), Feed Factory splits each imported story into Joomla introtext (category/blog teaser) and fulltext (remainder on the article view). The limit is a target visible character count (50, 100, 250, or 500 globally; optional per-feed override). Markup does not count; inline <a> link text does not count; anchors are never split across fields. Prepend, append, and the optional source link are assembled outside the character budget (source link at the end of fulltext when a remainder exists).

After upgrading from builds before 6.0.62, run Configuration → Re-split Read More until every batch reports 0 of N updated so articles that previously had empty introtext or a leading read-more marker are repaired. New imports and re-fetches use the same splitter automatically.

Duplicates and noisy sources

Feeds republish and bump guids. Understand how your rules treat existing items before you schedule hourly fetch on a noisy source. Test duplicate behavior with manual fetch and article counts instead of assuming the first run represents steady state.

Helix Format fieldset with Helix Compat

When RCA Helix Compat is installed with Helix Format On and RCA FeedFactory is 6.0.18 or newer, Import2Content feed edit loads the Helix Format Bridge fieldset, including at the top of the right column in 6.0.18 and later. Use Apply Helix blog format for video, gallery, or audio posts. That switch is format mapping, not image sync. RCA FeedFactory 6.0.17 or newer exposes extracted media events companions use for image sync; do not conflate format problems with missing featured images.

Cron and scheduled fetch

Automatic import needs something to call fetch on an interval. Manual administrator fetch remains for testing and recovery only.

Joomla scheduled tasks

On Joomla 4 and later, prefer scheduled tasks when your host supports them. Create a task that runs RCA FeedFactory fetch on the interval you need, hourly or daily for most news sources. Enable the task, confirm site timezone, and check last run time after changes. After task edits, run one manual fetch and compare log output or article counts so you know the task and manual path behave the same.

Server cron and CLI PHP

Traditional cron can invoke the documented fetch entry point with CLI PHP that matches site PHP 8.1 or newer. Wrong CLI PHP version produces silent failures or fatals in cron mail nobody reads. Point cron at the real fetch flow documented in media/com_rca_feedfactory/docs/ for your installed version. Remove cron lines on uninstall or your server will log failures forever.

Scheduled refresh batches (Pro)

When you run many feeds on one site, one cron URL that refreshes every published feed can hit PHP time or memory limits. On Pro (licensed or active Pro trial), open Components → RCA FeedFactory → Scheduled refresh. Create batches, assign feeds, set minimum interval and stagger minute (0–59), and an optional feeds-per-run cap so each cron hit rotates through the stalest feeds in that batch. Copy each batch cron URL (refresh.php with batch= and your refresh password) into your server crontab or an external cron service at that batch interval. Only one batch runs site-wide at a time; the list warns when two batches share a feed or the same stagger minute. Turn off pseudo-cron when real batch cron is in place—pseudo-cron still refreshes all feeds and ignores batches. Community edition after the Pro trial is not a substitute for production batch scheduling; register a Pro license or stay on manual administrator fetch.

Production habits

Stagger schedules when you run many large feeds. Watch memory and HTTP timeouts during the first production week. Cron that runs but imports zero articles usually means wrong path, blocked HTTP from server, duplicate skip, or empty remote feed—not supernatural cron gremlins.

Plugins shipped in the package

Enable only what your workflow needs. All plugins ship inside pkg_rca_feedfactory.

System - RCA FeedFactory

Element plg_system_rca_feedfactory handles scheduled fetch hooks and integration behavior tied to system events. Leave it enabled for normal automatic import workflows unless you intentionally run fetch only by manual administrator action and accept that schedule.

Content - RCA FeedFactory

Element plg_content_rca_feedfactory handles content-related import behavior documented for your version. Enable it when your import workflow depends on content plugin events during create or update.

Finder - RCA FeedFactory

Element plg_finder_rca_feedfactory lets Smart Search index imported articles when enabled and indexed. Re-index after large batch imports if search looks empty despite published articles.

Search - RCA FeedFactory

Element plg_search_rca_feedfactory supports classic Search indexing when you still use that subsystem instead of or alongside Finder.

Pro update feed registration

RCA FeedFactory 6.0.x updates arrive only through RCA’s private Pro feed. After install, confirm Extensions manager update channel for the package points at Pro feed, not free public feed. Wrong channel means you think you are current while fixes never reach your site.

Post-install docs on disk

Read media/com_rca_feedfactory/docs/ on the live site plus component README and CREDITS in the package for version-accurate fetch URLs and field names. This manual article stays product-level; package docs stay authoritative for CLI strings and version-specific behavior.