Width & Height
The width and height of the applet are set in the HTML code you add to the web page. Be sure to change the dimensions in the <object> and the <embed> tags.

FeedMe will make use of all the width you assign it. The width of the Feeds list will be whatever you specify in the FeedWidth parameter, and the remaining width will be used by the Channel window.

FeedMe will usually use a little less height than you assign. This is because it resizes the height of the Feeds list to avoid displaying just the top part of an item: Its height will always be an exact multiple of the height of the items. The Channel window is then set to the same height. As a result, there may be an unused strip of BgColor below the two windows.

To avoid the trial-and-error of finding the best size, set the Testmode parameter to 'yes' and click anywhere inside the applet: this will display the required FeedWidth. It will also show the amount of height actually being used by the windows; you can set the applet's height to this figure to avoid the wasted space below the windows. Remember to set Testmode back to 'no' when you're done.

Parameters
The parameters below should be added to your datafile in the form NAME=VALUE (for instance, BgColor=FF0000). Each parameter should be on a separate line. You can leave blank lines in the list to organize the parameters into groups if you want to. The parameter names are not case-sensitive, and neither are the values, so BgColor=FF0000 is the same as bgcolor=ff0000. You can add the parameters to your file in any order. Most parameters have a default value which we show in bold text below: if you don't include the parameter in your datafile, the default value will be used automatically.

BgColor
Sets the background color of the applet, used between the Feeds list and the Channels window, and in any unused space below the windows. The default value is FFFFFF (white). (Note that FeedMe can only change the background color after it has loaded. To have the same background color shown before the browser starts loading the applet, change the BgColor setting in the HTML code too.)

FeedWidth
A number which sets the width (in pixels) of the Feeds list. The default is 200. It must be sufficient to display the widest Feed item plus the width of the scrollbar (if displayed). After adding all required feeds, you can use the Testmode parameter to determine this, as explained in Width & Height.

FeedFillColor
Sets the fill (background) color of the Feeds list, with a default of FFFFFF (white).

FeedFillFocusColor
Sets the 'selector' color of a Feed list item when the mouse moves over it. The default is EFF3FF (vary pale blue).

FeedFillSelectColor
Sets the 'selector' color of the currently-selected item in the Feeds list. The default is 799FE5 (mid-blue).

FeedBorderColor
Sets the color of the border around the Feeds list, with a default of EAEAEA (pale gray). If no border is wanted, set this to match your BgColor.

FeedFont
Sets the name, size and style of font to use for items in the Feeds list, with each part separated by commas. The default is Sans,8,plain.

• Name: You can include any number of font names, separated by pipe symbols (|), and the applet will use the first font available on the user's system. To ensure compatibility, finish with one of these generic names: sans, serif or typewriter.
  
• Size: The size of the font in points.
  
• Style: The style can be plain, bold, italic or bold-italic.

FeedColor
Sets the text color of the items in the Feeds list when neither focused nor selected. The default is 000000 (black).

FeedFocusColor
Sets the text color of an item in the Feeds list when the mouse moves over it, with a default of 000000 (black).

FeedSelectColor
Sets the text color of the selected item in the Feeds list, with a default of FFFFFF (white).

FeedScrollBgColor
Sets the background ('track') color of the scrollbar shown in the Feeds list. (The scrollbar, and thus its bgcolor, is shown only if the list contains more items than can be displayed.) The default is FFFFFF (white).

ChannelScrollBgColor
Sets the background ('track') color of the scrollbar shown in the Channel window. (The scrollbar will be shown only if the content of the window is long enough to need scrolling.) The default is FFFFFF (white).

ScrollOutlineColor
Sets the color of the outlines around the scroll arrows and box. The default is C0C0C0 (light gray).

ScrollFillColor
Sets the fill (internal) color of the scroll arrows and box. The default is FFFFFF (white).

ScrollOutlineFocusColor
Sets the color of the outlines around the scroll arrows and box when the mouse moves over them. The default is 0D4FBD (blue).

ScrollFillFocusColor
Sets the fill (internal) color of the scroll arrows and box when the mouse moves over them. The default is BCCFF1 (mid-blue).

ScrollFillPressColor
Sets the fill (internal) color of the scroll arrows and box when clicked and/or dragged. The default is 799FE5 (blue).

ProgressText
Specifies the text to be displayed in the Channel window while an RSS feed is being loaded. (This must be short enough to fit into a single line.) The default is Loading feed, please wait...

ErrorText
If the selected feed cannot be loaded, a short message is displayed in the Channel window to notify the user. This parameter lets you specify the message to show, and will auto-wrap onto multiple lines as needed. The default text is Sorry, this feed is not currently available.

ProgressFont
Sets the name, size and style of font to use for the ProgressText and ErrorText. This parameter is constructed in the same way as the FeedFont.

ProgressTextColor
Sets the color of the text used for the ProgressText and ErrorText, with a default of 000000 (black).

ProgressBorderColor
Sets the color of the border around the progress bar, shown while loading a feed. The default is CCCCCC (light gray).

ProgressFillColor
Sets the fill color of the progress bar, with a default of FFFFFF (white).

ProgressIndicatorColor
Sets the color of the animated indicator in the progress bar. The default is 799FE5 (blue). Note: this color is used for the central segment in the indicator, and outer segments are semi-transparent.

ChannelFillColor
Sets the fill (background) color of the Channel window, with a default of FFFFFF (white).

ChannelBorderColor
Sets the color of the border around the Channel window, with a default of EAEAEA (pale gray). If no border is wanted, set this to match your BgColor.

ChannelTitleFont
Sets the name, size and style of font to use for the Title element of items in the current feed. This parameter is constructed in the same way as the FeedFont.

ChannelDescriptionFont
Sets the name, size and style of font to use for the Description element of items in the current feed. This parameter is constructed in the same way as the FeedFont.

ChannelLinkFont
Sets the name, size and style of font to use for the Link element of items in the current feed, as well as Source and Enclosure elements if they exist. This parameter is constructed in the same way as the FeedFont.

ChannelTitleColor
Sets the text color of the Title element of items in the current feed. The default is 000000 (black).

ChannelDescriptionColor
Sets the text color of the Description element of items in the current feed. The default is 000000 (black).

ChannelLinkColor
Sets the text color of the Link element of items in the current feed. The default is 808080 (gray). The same color is also used for any inline links within the Description element, and for any Source or Enclosure elements included in the item.

ChannelLinkFocusColor
Sets the text color of the Link element of items when the mouse moves over them. The default is 0D4FBD (blue). This color is also used for any Source or Enclosure elements, but not for inline links within the Description element, which are non-reactive.

ChannelLinkPressColor
Sets the text color of the Link element of items when clicked. The default is 799FE5 (blue). This color is also used for any Source or Enclosure elements, but not for inline links within the Description element, which are non-reactive.

ChannelLinkText
Sets optional text to be shown for the Link element of an item. If blank, the URL of the Link element will be shown. You can use this parameter to enter text (such as "Click here for the full story") which will be shown for every link.

ChannelLinkUnderline
A choice of yes or no according to whether the Link element of an item should be underlined when unfocused. The default is No.

ChannelLinkFocusUnderline
A choice of yes or no according to whether the Link element of an item should be underlined when the mouse moves over it. The default is Yes. Using the default values for this parameter and the one above, links gain an underline only when the mouse moves over them. You can adjust these two parameters to make links always underlined (both 'yes'), never underlined (both 'no'), or underlined until the mouse moves over them (by reversing the values).

ChannelSeparatorColor
Sets the color of the optional horizontal-line separators between each item in the Channel window. The default is BCCFF1 (pale blue).

ShowChannelSeparators
A choice of yes or no according to whether you want to display horizontal-line separators between items in the Channel window. The default is Yes.

ScriptURL
This parameter is vital for FeedMe to retrieve RSS feeds. It must contain the absolute or relative URL of a script file which can receive the URL sent by Mailman, retrieve the XML file it refers to, and return its contents to FeedMe. Two scripts are provided with FeedMe: feedme.asp (for use on Windows-based servers) and feedme.php (for UNIX-based servers). We recommend that you place the script file in the same directory as FeedMe.swf and your datafile. This parameter then needs to contain just the name of the script file. If you place the script in a different directory (or if you write your own script) you must ensure that this parameter contains the correct URL. If you use a relative URL for this parameter, it must be determined in relation to the location to the web page containing FeedMe.

NOTE: The ScriptURL parameter is required due to a security 'feature' in the Flash plug-in which limits the servers from which files can be retrieved. When you run FeedMe from your hard disk (viewing the examples in this documentation, for example, or working in Design Studio), this security isn't applied and the script isn't required or used. For all online use, FeedMe uses the script URL specified in this parameter.

SelectedFeed
If you specify more than 1 feed in the Feeds list, you can optionally have one of those feeds loaded into the Channel window automatically when FeedMe starts. Set this parameter to the index number of the feed to load (for example, 2 to load Feed2). If no feed should be auto-loaded, set this parameter 0 which is its default value.

Note: If only one feed is specified in your datafile, FeedMe will always load it automatically and will not display the Feeds list.

DefaultTarget
All RSS feeds contain links, either as Link elements leading to a web page containing the story referred to in the Description element, or as inline links within the description, or both. This parameter lets you choose the frame or window those links should be opened into. You can use the HTML names _self, _top, _parent, _blank or _new. If you leave this parameter out of your datafile, links will open into _blank (a new window for every link).

ShowVersion
A yes or no value. This parameter is included in all Cool Focus Flash applets, and its default is no. If set to 'yes', the version number of the applet (and other details) will be shown when the applet starts. This is included only for troubleshooting purposes, to help you determine which version of an applet you're using. It should be set to 'no' (or removed from your datafile) before you publish your page.

Note: If the applet is not registered, this information will always be shown when the applet starts, regardless of the ShowVersion parameter's setting.

Testmode
A yes or no value, with a default of 'no'. This parameter is included in most Cool Focus Flash applets, and is used to help you determine the best width and height for the applet. (Because of this, it's best to use this parameter when you've got everything in the applet the way you want it.) The way to use this parameter is explained in Width & Height.

Feeds
The three parameters below add RSS feeds to FeedMe's Feeds list. You must include at least one Feed parameter or FeedMe will display nothing at all. Every Feed parameter must have a matching URL parameter containing the absolute (http://) URL of the RSS feed to be loaded.

• If your datafile contains only 1 Feed parameter, FeedMe will load that feed automatically as it starts and will not display the Feeds list. The Channel window will therefore fill the applet.

• If you datafile contains 2 or more Feed parameters, they will be added to the Feeds list (in numerical order). A scrollbar will be added to the Feeds list automatically if needed.

Feed1, Feed2, ..., Feed_n
These parameters specify the text you want FeedMe to display for in the Feeds list for each feed. The feeds will displayed in numerical order, starting from 1, and you can include as many as you like.

URL1, URL2, ..., URL_n
The full URL of the RSS feed to which the Feed with the same number should link when clicked. This parameter is required, and must link to a valid XML RSS feed. It must be an absolute URL, beginning http://.

BoldText1, BoldText2, ..., BoldText_n
This parameter is optional, and takes a value of yes or no. If set to 'yes', the Feed item will be shown in the Feeds list in bold text (assuming your FeedFont's style isn't already set to bold.) The default for each item is No, so you only need to include this parameter when you explicitly want to set a particular item to bold.