For Platforms

Overview

Platform integration involves three parts:

1. 1. Data Model: Store Byline fields for users and content
2. 2. Admin UI: Let users configure their Byline data
3. 3. Feed Generation: Include Byline elements in output feeds

Data Model

User/Author Fields

Extend your user or author model with:

Post/Item Fields

Admin UI

User Profile Settings

Add a "Feed Identity" or "Byline" section to user settings:

• • Context: Textarea with character counter (280 max recommended)
• • Profile Links: Repeatable URL + platform dropdown
• • /now URL: URL input with description
• • /uses URL: URL input with description
• • Theme Colors: Color pickers for brand and accent

Post Editor

Add to post metadata or sidebar:

• • Perspective: Dropdown with common options
• • Affiliation: Optional disclosure section

// Example React component for perspective selector
function PerspectiveSelector({ value, onChange }) {
  const options = [
    { value: '', label: 'None / Default' },
    { value: 'personal', label: 'Personal Opinion' },
    { value: 'reporting', label: 'News Reporting' },
    { value: 'analysis', label: 'Analysis' },
    { value: 'review', label: 'Review' },
    { value: 'tutorial', label: 'Tutorial' },
    { value: 'announcement', label: 'Announcement' },
    { value: 'sponsored', label: 'Sponsored Content' },
    { value: 'satire', label: 'Satire' },
  ];

  return (
    <select value={value} onChange={e => onChange(e.target.value)}>
      {options.map(opt => (
        <option key={opt.value} value={opt.value}>
          {opt.label}
        </option>
      ))}
    </select>
  );
}

Feed Generation

When generating RSS, Atom, or JSON Feed output, include Byline data from your data model.

RSS Example

// Example PHP for WordPress-style feed generation
function add_byline_namespace($rss2) {
  echo 'xmlns:byline="https://bylinespec.org/1.0"';
}
add_action('rss2_ns', 'add_byline_namespace');

function add_byline_contributors() {
  $authors = get_users(['role__in' => ['author', 'editor']]);

  echo '<byline:contributors>';
  foreach ($authors as $author) {
    $context = get_user_meta($author->ID, 'byline_context', true);
    if ($context) {
      echo '<byline:person id="' . esc_attr($author->user_nicename) . '">';
      echo '<byline:name>' . esc_xml($author->display_name) . '</byline:name>';
      echo '<byline:context>' . esc_xml($context) . '</byline:context>';
      // ... more fields
      echo '</byline:person>';
    }
  }
  echo '</byline:contributors>';
}
add_action('rss2_head', 'add_byline_contributors');

JSON Feed Example

// Example Node.js feed generation
function generateJsonFeed(posts, authors) {
  return {
    version: 'https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1',
    title: 'My Site',
    // ... standard JSON Feed fields

    _byline: {
      version: 'https://bylinespec.org/1.0',
      contributors: authors.map(author => ({
        id: author.slug,
        name: author.name,
        context: author.bylineContext,
        url: author.url,
        avatar: author.avatarUrl,
        profiles: author.bylineProfiles,
        now: author.bylineNowUrl,
        uses: author.bylineUsesUrl,
        theme: author.bylineTheme,
      })).filter(a => a.context), // Only include authors with context
    },

    items: posts.map(post => ({
      id: post.id,
      title: post.title,
      // ... standard fields

      _byline: {
        author: post.author.slug,
        perspective: post.bylinePerspective || undefined,
        role: post.bylineRole || undefined,
        affiliation: post.bylineAffiliation || undefined,
      },
    })),
  };
}

Best Practices

• • Keep standard elements. Always include standard RSS/Atom author elements alongside Byline.
• • Validate colors. Ensure theme colors are valid hex format before storing.
• • Default perspective. Don't require perspective; omit if not specified.
• • Guest authors. Support inline author definitions for guest posts.
• • Documentation. Tell your users about Byline and what it enables.