Testing, exposing, and deploying the Atom feed

When you have completed the customization steps, test the Atom feed URL you defined to ensure it displays the feed content as expected. Then implement the means to expose the Atom feed URL to customers so that they can subscribe to the feed in a feed reader or view the content in a Web widget. Finally, deploy your customized code to the production environment.

Procedure

Open a browser that supports the display of Atom feeds.
Paste the RESTful URL you defined for your custom Atom feed into a browser.
For example, your URL might be: http://host_name/wcs/resources/stores/10101/MarketingSpotData/HomePageFeaturedProducts?responseFormat=atom
View the result to ensure it displays a valid Atom feed output that contains the text and images you specified in your custom feed formatting JSP file.
The feed might look different in different feed readers, so consider using several feed readers to view and test your results.
When you are satisfied with the results, expose the Atom feed URL so that customers can subscribe to the feed.
For example:
- On a relevant store page, add a Subscribe link that points to the feed URL.
- Create a store page that lists all the available feed URLs from your store.
  For both of these options, customers can subscribe to the feed by pasting the feed URL into their favorite feed reader.
Another alternative is to create a remote widget to display the feed content to your customers. You can then embed the widget on sites external to WebSphere Commerce to extend your brand reach. You can also let customers share the widget from your site to a personal Web page or social network. To create the widget, consider using a widget service provider on the Internet that supports the display of a feed. You can then create a portable Flash widget that displays your feed.
Subscribe to the feed as a customer would to ensure you get the result you expect.
Deploy your customized code.