iTunes uses RSS 2.0 plus additional iTunes and iTunes U tags. This section covers the additional iTunes U tags needed to create a properly configured RSS feed for iTunes U.
When creating an RSS feed for use with iTunes U, begin by following the guidelines outlined in Making a Podcast at http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html and keep the following in mind:
If you create a feed using port numbers other than the default port 80 (for example, in the feed URL, or in image or enclosure URLs), use port 8080.
Be sure every track has a globally unique identifier (GUID) that never changes. When you add tracks to an RSS feed, iTunes U compares GUIDs to determine which tracks are new and updates course data with the new information from the RSS feed as needed. If the GUID for a track is not unique, iTunes U returns an error for the RSS feed. If you omit the GUID for a track, iTunes U uses the RSS feed title. If you omit the GUID for a track, and there is no RSS feed title, iTunes U returns an error for the RSS feed. iTunes U does not keep a GUID history. If you change the GUID for a track, even if you change it back, information such as track rank is lost.
In addition, you'll need the following iTunes U - specific tags:
<itunes:order>
The order tag allows you to specify the display order of tracks in your course.
You can use this element to override the default ordering. Specify the number value in which you want the track to appear. For example, if you want the <item> to appear as the first track in the course, you specify “1” in the <itunes:order> element.
For example:
<item> |
... |
<itunes:order>2</itunes:order> |
... |
</item> |
Notes:
If iTunes U does not find an <itunes: order> tag, it displays tracks based on the most recent publication date (newest at top). If iTunes U does not find a publication date, it displays tracks by the date the tracks were added to your iTunes U site (newest at top).
Ordering within a course is based on the current page track list sort order. To see the tracks in a page in the same order specified in the feed, users must sort the track list in the page in ascending order using the Track Number column.
<itunes:isClosedCaptioned>
The closed captioned tag allows you to specify whether or not a track contains closed captioning information.
You can specify the following values: YES, NO. If you specify YES, iTunes U displays the Closed Captioning icon throughout the user interface and the iTunes Store. If you do not specify a value, or do not include the closed captioned tag, iTunes U cannot determine if your track contains closed captioning information and does not display the Closed Captioning icon.
For example:
<item> |
... |
<itunes:isClosedCaptioned>YES</itunes:isClosedCaptioned> |
... |
</item> |
<enclosure url=" " type=" ">
The enclosure element allows you to include a Portable Document Format (PDF) or electronic publication (ePub) file in an RSS feed.
For example:
<item> |
... |
<enclosure url="enclosure url="http://example.com/podcasts/RSS-Basic.epub" type="application/epub+zip" length="220869"/> |
... |
</item> |
For example:
<item> |
... |
<enclosure url="enclosure url="http://example.com/podcasts/RSS-Basic.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="220869"/> |
... |
</item> |
© 2011 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2011-11-03)