---
title: RSS source JSON modification
slug: ocgf7100
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/ocgf7100/
collection: index-content
source_format: adoc
---
# RSS source JSON modification
Many [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) configuration parameters can be set through the user interface.
Others, such as rarely used or new parameters, must be configured in the **Edit configuration with JSON** panel.
To access this panel from the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, click the source, and then click **Edit configuration with JSON** in the **More** menu.

This article explains how to configure RSS source parameters, whether they're already listed in the JSON or not.

## Configuring listed and unlisted parameters

[float-group]
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![Changing a parameter value in the source JSON configuration | Coveo](https://docs.coveo.com/en/assets/images/index-content/changing-parameter-values.gif)
If the parameter you want to change is already listed in the `parameters` section of the source JSON configuration, just modify its `value` in the JSON configuration.

If the parameter isn't listed in the `parameters` section, copy the entire parameter example object from the [Reference](#reference) section below and paste it into that section.
Then, update the `value` in the JSON configuration, if necessary.
--

> **Important**
>
> If a parameter has a `value` attribute that contains sensitive information, set the `sensitive` attribute to `true`.
> Otherwise, the value will appear in clear text in the JSON configuration.

> **Tip**
>
> Document the changes you make to the source JSON configuration in the **Comments** area below the JSON configuration.
> This ensures that you can easily revert to a previous configuration if needed.

## Reference

This section provides information on the RSS source parameters that you can only modify through the JSON configuration.

If a JSON configuration parameter isn't documented in this article, configure it through the source edition panel instead.

### `AllowedDeletionPercentage` (Integer)

This parameter specifies the maximum allowed percentage of [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) that can be deleted from the index at the end of a [rescan](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2711/).
If the actual percentage of source items to delete exceeds this value, no items are deleted from the index.
By default, this parameter is set to `100`, which means that all source items can be deleted.

The purpose of this parameter is to prevent accidental mass item deletions.
This can occur, for example, because of an improper source configuration or if the content to index was moved.

For more information about this parameter and its usage, see [Forbid item deletion based on a percentage condition](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2006#forbid-item-deletion-based-on-a-percentage-condition).

**Example**

You can set `AllowedDeletionPercentage` to `10` in the JSON configuration of your source, as shown in the snippet below.
With this configuration, if Coveo detects that more than 10% of the items are flagged for deletion during a rescan, deletion will be blocked.
The status on the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page will show your source in error, and the error details will indicate the actual percentage of items that were flagged for deletion versus the allowed percentage (in this case, 10%).

```json
"AllowedDeletionPercentage": {
  "sensitive": false,
  "value": "10"
}
```

### `DateFormat` (String | Null)

Specifies the format to use when parsing date element values in the feed.
The format must not include time-zone and offset information.

> **Important**
>
> The default value is `null`, as the RSS source can automatically recognize and parse most date formats associated with the [supported RSS feed formats](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1647#source-key-characteristics).
> Specify a `DateFormat` value and retry indexing only if the `date` [field value](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1712#access-the-fields-tab) of your indexed items is incorrect.

**Example**

```json
"DateFormat": {
  "sensitive": false,
  "value": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss"
}
```

### `IndexRssFeedUrl` (Boolean)

Determines whether the RSS feed URL is indexed.
The default value is `false`.

If you set this parameter to `true` and rebuild, your [source content](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2053/) will include an item whose `Clickable URI` is the [**Feed URL**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1647#feed-url).
The `File type` value of this item will be `rssfeed`.

**Example**

```json
"IndexRssFeedUrl": {
  "sensitive": false,
  "value": "true"
}
```

### `MetadataToExcludeFromEtag` (Array)

The list of metadata names to exclude from Coveo's ETag calculation.

By default, Coveo generates an [item](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) ETag value using the entire content of the `<item>` or `<entry>` element in the feed.
The crawler compares the current item's ETag value with the one obtained during the most recent source update to determine whether the item's content has changed and whether it should be [reindexed](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2039/).

You should therefore include in the `value` list the names of all `<item>` or `<entry>` child elements whose values change frequently but not as a result of an item's content change.
For example, some content management systems generate feeds dynamically, updating timestamps even if the content remains unchanged.

**Example**

```json
"MetadataToExcludeFromEtag": {
  "sensitive": false,
  "value": "[\"dynamicElement1\", \"dynamicElement2\"]"
}
```

### `UserAgent` (String)

This specifies the value of the User-Agent HTTP header that the RSS source uses when requesting the feed.
The default value is `Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) (compatible; Coveobot/2.0;+http://www.coveo.com/bot.html)`.

**Example**

```json
"UserAgent": {
  "sensitive": false,
  "value": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) (compatible; Coveobot/2.0;+http://www.coveo.com/bot.html)"
}
```