tormy

@zahardoc the 2.24.0 is not working properly neither. I see on GitHub I pushed the solution, but my Pull Request is totally ignored. It’s the number #779 …

here the screenshot https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/Castos_FAULT.png

here my ignored pull request: https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/Castos_FAULT_2.png

Immediate roll back to my modified 2.23.0.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Correction

it’s the whole day today I got:

503 Service UnavailableNo server is available to handle this request.

When the validator site will be back I wil test it. I already in backup the database and the 2.23.0 modified by me.

NOTE: for decades that validator have worked … today we needed : 503 … ………..

Good news: Google restarted the crawling of ALL the RSS feeds that have been modified following what I described above. All podcasts are back in the list.
The same podcasts are still fully functional (and even more rapid in uploading episodes, in all the other platforms).

Update:

@keleigh824 Goggle never answered about their Namespace. Not matter. With my mods, the issue is solved and the RSS are validated. Google also agreed on the validation.

But the Cast Feed validator you suggested and linked to me, is fully unreliable.

– It didn’t detect the blatant issues with the code and, consequently, into the RSS formatted feed.
– It returns false warnings like this: WARNING:?The SSL certificate at https://www.radiobluitalia.net might not be trusted by Apple Podcasts.
It’s false because I engaged the service provider (Aruba.it) and they verified the SSL Certificate IS compliant and supported by apple https://support.apple.com/it-it/HT213917?

Screenshot from the validator:
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/CasteFeedValidator.png

However I see that nothing is moving forward with Castos Plugin, and it seems no one is working to implement the solution, so far.

If this is the trend and/or the case, I will work with all customers to rewrite the plugin and changing/removing any legacy/references with Castos, so that there is not any danger it’s wrongly updated, wiping out all the implemented mods.

Just for your information and because you told me it’s an “open source” project, i see there is CastosHQ on GitHub.
I provided to fork the project, to apply the mods and to pull them (#799) 3 days ago:

https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/Castos_SSP_Screenshot-2023-10-09-104108.jpg

But it sitll there almost died https://github.com/CastosHQ/Seriously-Simple-Podcasting/pull/779

Hence I have not clue if ever this will be implemented. I blocked all the servers of all my customers from the automatic updates of this plugin, till the moment these mods will be effectively implemented into the SSP code.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added Screenshot

Hello @keleigh824 an official answer from Google is not yet arrived.
meanwhile I posted the solution on StackOveflow:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/77242573/solution-for-wordpress-plugin-for-castos-seriously-simple-podcasting-ssp-rss

With those mods, the RSS is validated, and it doesn’t disrupt any podcast on any platform.
It does respect the readability of the podcasts’ episodes

As soon as (and IF) I receive formal corrections for the Google’s Namespace, I will post it by updating my thread.

Meanwhile I’m waiting for Castos SSP 2.30.1 with he implementation of all the mods I suggested.
In case of they are ignored, I just stop any update to this plugin on all my Clients’ platforms due blatant reasons.

@jdembowski ok I thought user = customer. About the “open source” of this package: I’m not aware it’s an open source since it is released by Castos
I thought it was developed and maintained by them.
As Open Source i have not even clue how to push these improvements that are solving the issues . indeed if you search, you will see that there issues are not new. I spotted messages from about 2 years ago claiming the same issues.

However here a further solution

@keleigh824 I have here a solution for the tag <image>.
In fact that tag is not forecast on any RSS by itunes nor Google.
Hence the error

In the 2.23.0 you need to edit the file:
/wp-content/plugins/seriously-simple-podcasting/templates/feed/feed-item.php

And remove the lines: 70, 71, 72 and 73 . THe ones here in this screenshot.
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/TAG_IMAGE_TO_BE_REMOVED.png

And here the validation from W3 Validator
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/VALIDATION_OK.png

It is successfully validated also by Cast Feed Validator

Please release ASAP 2.23.1 with all these mods implemented.

NOTE 1: just the Google Namespace is out, but it’s something I submitted to Google Support.
In case of any reasonable feedback by them, I will post it here.

NOTE 2: the <image> tags are used to make appear the images of the single episodes inside the human readable webpage 30 minuti con Anna RSS Feed (radiobluitalia.net). But these are considered bad things from the validator.

Solution for the IMAGES of the single episode:

To make it more human readable, and do not violate W3 Validator, just edit the file
/wp-content/plugins/seriously-simple-podcasting/templates/feed/feed-item.php

And the line 36 is the following:

<description><![CDATA[<img src="<?php echo $description; ?&>></description>

inside the description you can add the link to the picture of the single episode, if you so desire.

I have made in this way:

<description><![CDATA[ <?php echo '<img src="' . esc_url( $episode_image ) . '" />'; ?> <?php echo $description; ?>]]></description>

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added a note
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Corrected XLS into XSL
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added solution also for the human readability
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: corrected mistypings
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added the working solution code for the image

@jdembowski good morning. Thank you for the clarification.
Yes I edited several times the comment, to add details that can be useful to @keleigh824 since I notice that the 2.23.0 contained some “correction” but int the wrong place. This lead to a 2.23.0 without any effectiveness in terms of issue solution.

I’m working hard to solve all the issues and to propose the correct code, although I expect that official Devs are engaged in this, rather than to leave us (as customer) to fight against these issues.

I can’t figure out how to solve the last 2 errors.
* One is the missing <link></link> tag into every <image></image> (except the very first, and you see my corrected code).
This has to do with the class-feed-controller.php. Hence Castos have to figure it out and really quickly, since several podcasts are impacted (on Google).

* The other one is the unknown namespace. In this case I already answered to Google Support telling them that their namespace is not recognized. I’m waiting for their answer (it takes always long). I hope they will pop-up with a solution.

Google is removing the podcasts that are not fully compliant with W3. the only one way is to have the RSS fully aligned

Ok again my answer is in hold by an administrator …

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy.

@keleigh824 please here the solution it works:
I modified the code on the files feed-podcast.ph and class-feed-controller.php as in these screenshots

https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/FEED-PODCAST.PHP.png
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/CLASS-FEED-CONTROLLER.PHP.png
https://podba.se/validate/?url=https://www.radiobluitalia.net/feed/podcast/30-minuti
And the result IS positive as I stated several times:

Here the screenshot from W3 Validator:
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/W3_VALIDATOR.png

Here from YOUR validator:
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/CASTOS_VALIDATOR.png

In few words: I was fully right and I did suggest you there mods since my comment #1.

IT’S NOW UP TO YOU (CASTOS)
to find out to correct the remaining 2 issues:
* Undefined item element: image (since there are all the images on every single episode and on the podcast itself)
* Use of unknown namespace: https://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0

IMMEDIATE STOP AUTO-UPDATE CASTOS
To avoid that the modifications I have made are removed by an update, I stopped the automated updates on WordPress.

WILLING TO TEST
In case of you need to test a future release: please feel free to contact me, and I will report any error should occur.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy.

@keleigh824 you stated “Version 2.23 of SSP updates the explicit tag to True or False.”

and when I reported to you that it didn’t work, you added “I am checking your RSS feed now and the value says “False”.
Please do a hard refresh of your browser as you may be seeing a cached version.“

Now, because I’m a bit tired to be the “ping-pong ball” between the 2 players (You and Google), I went to check the source code of the version 2.23.0 installed on the server (automatically updated)

And indeed I am right. The code on /php/classes/controllers/class-feed-controller.php DIDN’T change at all

Please here below I highlighted the wrong lines. In 2.23.0 STILL WITH WRONG CODE

        if ( $ep_explicit && $ep_explicit == 'on' ) {
            $itunes_explicit_flag     = 'yes';
            $googleplay_explicit_flag = 'Yes'; <<< THIS IS WRONG: it must be "true"
        } else {
            $itunes_explicit_flag     = 'clean';
            $googleplay_explicit_flag = 'No'; <<< THIS IS WRONG. It must be "false"
        }

here the screenshot where you can see the installed version:

https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/RADIOBLU_0.png

here the screenshot of the code. Still wrong. I have not clue what you delivered. but it’s not any version with ethese (alla) issues solved at all.

https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/RADIOBLU_1.png

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added links with screenshots
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: separated paragraph for better readability
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: Corrected paragraphs

@keleigh824 Ok let e me see the points you listed

1. for the name space: it’s a problem with the lines inside that tag rss the url is: ?https://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0 but if you check it, the URL is dead together with the URL of wellformedweb.org (which doesn’t exist any longer. Also the domain is on selling) and purl.archive.org (only that group of pages is not any longer existing)
NOTE: i edited because when I tested it, a error 404 was found. Now is back. So I deleted that sentence.

2. Google is NOT asking to remove any url. Google requires that the TAG (line 34) includes the URL of the podcast together with the domain. but what I get is ONLy the domain name and not the full URL that address to the podcast itself. Indeed there i sony https://radiobluitalia.net/ instead of https://www.radiobluitalia.net/rss/podcasts/30-minuti

3. I didn’t say to remove the stylesheet. I just wrote what I noticed. yes I know very wel the XLS is made for human readable content. But (there is a BUT), inside that code there is something is not working as it should.

4.The image tag is missing (it is required BUT you missed it completely) si the tag <link>...</link> I clearly said that. the LINK.
Indeed at line 63 there is the <url> the <title> but NOT the <link> which is REQUIRED by the page you linked. You need to add that tag as well with the same identical content of the tag <url>. It’s the very last <image> tag into the code.

EDIT: from the page you have linked: When using an RSS?<image>?tag, you must include a nested?<link>?element that points to the?podcast homepage, and a nested?<title>?tag that matches the?<title>?element in the homepage.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: corrected details, well formed links
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: Added an Edit reporting the important content from the linked page
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: added also which kind of tag I'm referring to
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: Strokethrough

hello @keleigh824 I did check. Not really it tells “Clean”.
I tried with 2 different browsers as well. And one of them I never used with Validator before.
Plese the screenshot here
https://www.radiobluitalia.net/issues/RADIOBLU.png

as you see, there are 4 issues never solved yet and one of them is the itunes explicit. but ALL 4 ones of them must be corrected. And above in my comments I wrote also the lines and how to correct them.

However 3 days an half ago I posted ALL the solutions (except one due the big problem with the name spaces) here:

https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/google-refused-th-rss-generated-with-this-plugin/#post-17089969

But I see your team didn’t pay any attention to it. While implementing that code: solves everything (but the namespace), and I tested it as well.
Should I get the salary Devs? ??

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: added details

hello @keleigh824 please consider that Google is not using at all https://www.castfeedvalidator.com/  but they are using the W3 Validator. This is from th email the Support of Google sent to us. They clearly told the RSS must comply the W3

So the outcome from your validator has not any effectiveness/validity when the Company that should distribute the RSS uses another reference.

Hence ALL what is highlighted by the W3 must be corrected (so they say)

On top of this: I checked this morning. the version of SSP is updated (auto-update is active) to 2.23.0, but the itunes tag is not FALSE or TRUE .. .still CLEAN … hence the issue is not solved

I can’t copy and paste the screenshot but you can test the link to the W3 validator:

https://www.radiobluitalia.net/feed/podcast/30-minuti

Please here the email form Google:

“Thank you for contacting us regarding your Google Podcasts issue.

Please understand that Google Podcasts is a Search feature that scans the open web to surface podcast content on various?Google Podcasts platforms, whereas?Google Podcasts Manager?is an analytics tool which helps podcast publishers view and analyze user listening data for their podcasts.?

While reviewing your issue, we observed that your podcast feed (https://www.radiobluitalia.net/feed/podcast/30-minuti), doesn’t meet the requirements to be compliant for Google Podcasts. We’ve attached a screenshot for reference. This is also the reason why your show is not yet available on Google Podcasts. For more information, you may refer to this Help Center article on?RSS feed guidelines for Google Podcasts.

We’d recommend you to rectify the issues in your RSS feed. After the changes are done, please speed up the indexing process by registering your podcast feed with?PubSubHubbub’s Publish tool. Please wait at least 72 hours (and up to 6 days) for Google Podcasts to make updates based on your changes.?

Once your feed is compliant, Google Podcasts should start serving your show. If you run into any issues, please reply to this email with any relevant screenshots and we’ll be happy to help you resolve it. For additional queries or concerns, please refer to the?Podcasts Manager Help Center.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding.Case Number [00692577]

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy. Reason: added details

Hello @zahardoc here the same https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/google-refused-th-rss-generated-with-this-plugin/ and it means that till now nothing is solved … I have made a kind of debug on my post … please an urgent update is needed. Google blocked not only the podcast I show but several other ones for the same identical issues

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by tormy.