Feeds Image Grabber (FIG) was released on 3rd March 2010, to support the Feeds module.

Introduction FeedAPI Imagegrabber is a add-on module for FeedAPI. It consists of a parser which visits the original URL of a new feed item, and retrieves the main image from the post. Once the main image has been retrieved, it is then converted into a thumbnail using the ImageCache module, and stored in the node created by FeedAPI, inside a CCK field.

The purpose of FeedAPI Imagegrabber is to make the feed more informative as well as interesting for the user. As, we all know that “comics are much better than novels”, this module appends the feed-item with an appropriate image from its content URL. The goal of the module is to mimic the thumbnail display of websites such as digg.com. This goal is acheived by using FeedAPI to turn RSS feed-items into nodes, and then using FeedAPI Imagegrabber to append these nodes with an appropriate image from the feed-item’s webpage.

How it works

A classic method of mimicking the behavior of FeedAPI Imagegrabber will be to do the same thing manually. Let us go through the procedure if you were to do it manually:

  1. Refresh the feed.
  2. For each feed-item, go to their respective original URL and save the image to display.
  3. Crop the image, convert it into a thumbnail and then upload it in an CCK Image field.

FeedAPI Imagegrabber automates the last 2 steps of the three step process described. It uses cURL to download the images and then crop them using Imagecache. Then the image is stored into the CCK Imagefield. The most difficult part which only humans can do is to select the image,  for which I am constantly improving on the heuristics.

Download and Install

Visit the project page : FeedAPI Imagegrabber Features and Future Releases

Visit the project page : FeedAPI Imagegrabber History

I understand history is boring, but it is only for those who think the other way round. I started working on this module during December 2008.  At the time, when I started working on this module, I had a little or say no idea about Drupal or its API. It took me quite some time to get used to it and start working on the module. In the Initial release, I thought of very simple heuristics and decided to select the largest image available on the web-page. I completed the module in about 1 month and was very happy with my performance, and then a big blow came which delayed the release of FeedAPI Imagegrabber by 2 months. I had to include an external BSD licensed script for converting relative URL’s to absolute URL’s but Drupal denied to accept this. They said they allow only GPL licensed code and I started to convince them that both licenses are compatible. Unfortunately, I was unable to convince them and I had to create an external link to that BSD script on sourceforge. And now, the module is released with the hope to enhance the visitor-experience on several websites around the globe.

You may find these posts useful:

Tutorial for FeedAPI ImageGrabber PHP: Relative URL to Absolute URL Open Source Software and Licenses

Do Leave your comments to let me know what you think.

Note: Support queries and requests should be made through the FeedAPI Imagegrabber Forum. I may not be able to answer them here. :-)

Updates:

  • The first stable version of the module was released on 7th April, 2009. Check it out now here!!
  • RC1 release for Imagegrabber is now available for download on Project page. It is compatible with the RC1 release of Imagefield. (17 Apr, 2009)
  • Demonstration Website is up, and is available here. (20 Aug, 2009)
  • FeedAPI ImageGrabber v1.8 released. Download it from the project website here. (20 September 2009)
  • Tutorial for FeedAPI ImageGrabber published. (20 September 2009)
  • FeedAPI ImageGrabber v1.9 released. Download it from the project website here. (26 October 2009)
  • FeedAPI ImageGrabber now supports Filefield Paths module. Download the development snapshot, its stable for use on production site.
  • As of 02 Dec 2009, Development of FeedAPI ImageGrabber has been halted. You can look out for the Feeds Image Grabber module which supports Feeds module, successor of FeedAPI, with the same functionality.