Install and Updates

Install and upgrade work for pkg_rca_feedfactory is Pro-tier: backups, private update feed, and staged testing on RSS Factory Pro migrations are not optional niceties.

Fresh install on a new site

Backup filesystem and database even on new installs if production already has content you care about. Upload pkg_rca_feedfactory through System, Install Extensions. Enable required plugins under System, Plugins. Read media/com_rca_feedfactory/docs/ and package CREDITS on the site after install. Add one feed, map Import2Content, manual fetch once, then schedule automatic fetch.

Upgrade within RCA FeedFactory 6.0.x

Backup first. Install the newer Pro ZIP over the existing package or accept the private Pro update feed. Re-enable plugins if Joomla disabled any during upgrade. Read CREDITS and in-package docs for the version you installed. Re-test one feed with manual fetch before you trust cron. Re-check scheduled task paths and PHP CLI version. Confirm the site still points at the private Pro feed, not the free public feed.

From 6.0.58 onward, read-more splitting is HTML-aware. From 6.0.62 onward, inline links are excluded from the character budget and empty introtext from older splits can be repaired. After any upgrade that touches read-more behavior, open Components → RCA FeedFactory → Configuration and click Re-split Read More until every batch line shows 0 of N updated (for example 0 of 25). Spot-check a category blog and one full article. Manual edits in Content → Articles are unchanged by re-split unless you run re-split again after those edits.

Upgrade from RSS Factory Pro

Use a staging clone and full backup before production. Install RCA pkg_rca_feedfactory, read UPGRADE and CREDITS in the ZIP and under media/com_rca_feedfactory/docs/, verify feeds and Import2Content rules, run manual fetch, and compare article counts and content quality to the old site. Magpie customizations do not survive; rebuild assumptions against SimplePie and current Import2Content options. Point the updater at RCA’s private Pro feed before cutover.

Uninstall RCA FeedFactory

Decide what happens to imported com_content articles because uninstall does not delete them automatically. Disable RCA FeedFactory plugins and unpublish related modules. Remove scheduled tasks or cron lines that call fetch or they will fail noisily. Uninstall through System, Manage, Extensions. Helix Compat may remain installed but stops receiving RCA FeedFactory media events for format and image companions. Clear Joomla cache after uninstall.