Online-Witness

ROFX - Public Press Releases Open Format XML

Added by Andy Gaadhart at 2007-03-05


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Greetings to everybody who reached the web site of the new ROFX files format.

We are sure this word ROFX (or jokingly rofix) is something new you never heard of before. So, if you have a smallest relation

to press or news releases writing we hope this site will help you very much.

So what is ROFX? It is an abbreviation for Public Press Releases Open Format XML.

What is the purpose of ROFX? To make press or news releases creation comfortable and simple.

In fact, ROFX files are one part of the system intended to make releases posting more progressive. What this means? ROFX - is an XML based file format that helps to organize release information - release content and author's information. It organizes files, the ROFX system is a very comfortable helper to hold them as project. There is a system for ROFX posting, moderation, API for releases sharing with web sites. This API is realized in different languages, so you can use it in your web site engine developed with PHP, Perl or Python.

Another important part of the ROFX system is the ROFX Composer - a Windows desktop application that is used for ROFX releases files composing. This is not only ROFX files editor - the program helps to organize publisher's information and releases themselves. This program is possible to get from the Downloads section. ROFX Composer really works, but there might be some bugs - we very much appreciate all your bug reports. This helps us to improve this program.

All releases in ROFX format are stored in ROFX categories - anyone may surf through this web site and read the releases posted there.

We invite press and news releases authors and web site owners to spread the ROFX format as a comfortable and useful technology.

The first step of API (application program interface) is developed. It is the Easy Javascript Export. This feature allows to export press releases summary to the external web site.

Format description

This files format was developed by TM Servises developers team to unify the press releases and news (let's name press release and news as PRL later in this text) posting to corresponding web sites.

ROFX abbreviation is simple to pronounce as "rofix". This has an "rfx" extension but internally these files are simply XML-formed with specific tags set - therefore rofix files format is a regular XML acronym.

The main goal of this innovation is:

- simplifying of PRLs composing and posting for publishers using our appropriate software (desktop and server side distributed as free of charge);

- help to spread the authors PRLs to more news web sites.

Rofix is very simple to understand and use. Especially we've developed appropriate software to make the work with this format more convenient.

Let's observe all tags with comments.

This is an empty rofix file without any useful content:

1.00

Public Press Releases Open Format XML (short as ROFX), is a data set that is used by press releases authors to share an information for corresponding web sites. To find out more go to http://www.rofx.org/

English,German,Norwegian

- information about XML version used in rofix. Encoding attribute is used to make multilingual documents.

The main section-container is . This doesn't do anything and only appears as main container.

- common information about rofix. Most of them are filled automatically by ROFX files creation software.

- current ROFX version

- software used to create ROFX file

- short ROFX description

- unique ID for ROFX file; generated automatically by ROFX editor you prefer

- if the ROFX file contains a press release or a news release information.

(to provide press release author's information):

- web site URL of PRL author

- Author's contact information:

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- name of PRL author

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- comments needless tags.

The next big section is . This tag contains the main subsections and tags describing the main PRL content.

- the date of PRL creation

- corresponding category where PRL should be placed (categories are listed in cats file).

- Many of PRLs could be placed as in one as in few categories. In this tag possibly to describe additional categories (by comma) where concrete release should be placed additionally.

- Very important tag describing copyright and policy information.

- description of languages used for concrete PRL. Possible to use any of the languages listed in the file "langs". All languages should be enumerated by only comma without spaces!

- main PRL content section.

- PRL language. Could be any language from file "langs". So if you'd like to post PRL in more than one language just copy this container and change to another.

- PRL title

- PRL keywords; a set of main keywords which could pe posted with PRL together.

- small PRL portion which will be shown with a PRL title in PRLs listing.

- full PRL content.

- URL of icon file (favorite icon of the web site for example) if this exists.

- If PRL contains some pictures there is possible to post URLs pointing to this pictures. , - URLs to another pictures.

- URL of PRL on the original web site (for example, author's web site) if exists.

- Yes or No. Intended to specify if PRL is related to some local event. For example, a concert in Norway King Opera is local because it happens at the local place - Oslo, Norway; virus attack spread via Internet is not local because attacks computers through the whole world Internet users.

- If has value "yes" the section describes location detailes. Section's tags are obviously.

- This is a large section. It could be used if a PRL is event related. What this means? If PRL describes some event having some time limiting it is possible to describe such details, and event place as well.

- If PRL has some multimedia part like podcast or something like that, it is possible to point an URL to such media files separated by format (audio or video).

ROFX - Format Specification

1. ROFX information

ROFX version

Rofix specification version

Path: XML_INFO/ROFX_INFO/ROFX_VERSION

Value: Decimal major and minor version numbers with separator (.)

ROFX editor

Desktop program or web server script for making of rofix files

Path: XML_INFO/ROFX_INFO/ROFX_EDITOR

Value: Text string 0-100 characters

ROFX comment

Rofix file short common description

Path: XML_INFO/ROFX_INFO/ROFX_DESCR

Value: Text string 0-1000 characters

ROFX serial ID

Path: XML_INFO/ROFX_INFO/ROFX_ID

Value: string containing 2 digits hyphen separated

PRL type

Path: XML_INFO/ROFX_INFO/ROFX_TYPE

Value: Press release | News release

2. PRL publisher's information

Publisher's name details

Paths: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/First_Name, XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Last_Name

Value: Text strings

Publisher's contact info

Publisher's workplace

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Company_Name

Text string

Publisher's address details (home or work)

Paths: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Street_Address1, XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Street_Address2

Values: Text strings

Publisher's location city or town

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/City

Value: Text string

Publisher's location state or province

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/State

Value: Text string

Publisher's location postal code

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Postal_Code

Value: Text-digital or digital string

Publisher's location country

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Country

Value: Text string

Publisher's e-mail addressPRL author's e-mail address

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Email

Value: Email address

Publisher's website

Path: XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/WebSite_URL

Value: URL http:// + 2-70 characters

Publisher's phone and fax

Path's

XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Phone

XML_INFO/Publisher_Info/Contact_Info/Fax

Values: phone and fax numbers

3. PRL information

PRL creation date

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Creation/Month

Value: 1-2 digits

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Creation/Day

Value: 1-2 digits

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Creation/Year

Value: 4 digits

PRL's primary category

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Primary_Category

Value: should be chosen from "cats" file

PRL's altenative categories

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Alternative_Category

Value: should be chosen from "cats" file and pointed by comma without spaces

PRL's copyrights and private policy

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Distribution_Permissions

Value: Text information

Languages of PRL content (possible to have more than one)

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/Languages

Value: Text string comma separated and chosen from "langs" file

4. Language specific PRL presentation

XML_INFO/Info/Content/~Language~ (for concreate language ~Language~ variable should be replaced by English for example)

PRL headline

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/~Language~/Title

Value: Text

PRL main keywords

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/~Language~/Keywords

Value: Short word-combination (1-3 words) comma separated

Short description of PRL

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/~Language~/Summary

Value: Text

Main PRL content

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/~Language~/Body

Value: Text

If more than one language is chosen, the section <~Language~>... should be repeated for each language.

PRL icon URL

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/Icon_URL

Value: URL string

PRL pictures URLs

Path: XML_INFO/Info/Content/Picture_URL1, XML_INFO/Info/Content/Picture_URL2, XML_INFO/Info/Content/Picture_URL3

Value: graphic file URLs

PRL original web site URL

Path: XML_INFO/Info/URL

Value: URL string

5. If PRL is related to some local event

Is PRL related to some local event

Path: XML_INFO/Info/IsLocal

Value: Y|N

Location of local event

Local event's country

Paths: XML_INFO/Info/Location/Country, XML_INFO/Info/Location/State, XML_INFO/Info/Location/City

Values: country, state/province, city/town describing strings

6. Any event's related information

Start date of an event

Paths:

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Start/Month

Value: 1-12 digit

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Start/Day

Value: 1-31 digit

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Start/Year

Value: year digits

End of an event

Paths:

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Close/Month

Value: 1-12 digit

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Close/Day

Value: 1-31 digit

XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Close/Year

Value: year digits

Location of an event

Paths: XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Location/Event_Country, XML_INFO/Event_Info/Event_Location/Event_Place

Values: text strings describing event's country and place

7. If PRL has some related media files (ie podcasts) it is possible to point them

Paths: XML_INFO/Multimedia/Audio_File_Url, XML_INFO/Multimedia/Video_File_Url

Values: URLs pointing to audio or video files

Category: Newspapers, Publications, News and Media

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