Specifications

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 PC MAGAZINE 105
3
ADD SOURCES
Now we’ll bring in multiple fi lters and
sources to enhance the value of this
mashup. In this case we’ve combined RSS
feeds from two sources, one from PC
Magazine and another from Yahoo!. We’ve
plugged each into the Union module,
which is the fi lter that enables multiple
sources. Then we’ve run the results
through a multilevel fi lter seeking several
prominent brands: Nokia, BlackBerry,
Sony, and Nintendo. The Union module
wasn’t actually necessary in this case—
you can stack multiple feeds in a single
Fetch Feed module, but the Union module
comes in handy when you’re trying to test
the contents of each feed separately by
connecting only one at a time.
4
CHECK IT OUT!
After saving your Pipes project, click the View
Results button to see the information your
project delivers. From the results screen you
can click any individual item to view its con-
tents, or you can click Edit Source to go back
and tweak your project.
5
BACK TO RSS
Pipes serves up its output through RSS, which allows you to view
results in any RSS-enabled program, including most popular RSS
readers, as well as Microsoft Outlook 2007.
EDITOR’S TIP
OTHER TOOLS Y
ahoo! Pipes is a great
place to get started if you’re interested in
creating mashups, but there are also other
toolsets that might give you more of what
you need. Some popular choices include
Proto, Tequlo, and Open Kapow, along
with dozens of others. Microsoft’s Popfl y
service is still an invitation-only alpha
product, but it’s already developing some
buzz. Google has announced a similar
service, as has IBM. We’re a long way
from knowing whose mashup tools will
dominate the fi eld, but there’s never been
a better time to learn how to make your
Web experience your own.