Feeds in a block/box

The blcok functionality is outside the scope of this module. Feeds just gets the data in a data structure. And none of the processors I know of target a custom block. So , I would suggest this approach:

1. Setup the feed to get the data in a node, user, taxonomy or other target.
2. Use another module to generate the blocks: views, beans, etc. or write custom module to display the data.

Why not then a views-processor, so a feed which exposes to views, because with views we can make blocks.
FYI, Im trying to import an .ics webcalendar and want to display it in a sidebar block. Feeds already has an ical parser extension, just I've got nowhere to put the events in a block :(((

The standard way to do this is as suggested in #1. However, storing data in Data tables and then using Views to create a block is a rather roundabout way to get a feed to display in a block. There are lots of steps, and you have to be a site builder to be able to do it.

I think what we need is a Bean plugin, that you can you to build new feed blocks with ease. It would probably need to create a feed processor, create Data tables to store the data, and present themable feed output into a block. For even more flexibility, it could create default views on the fly, and present the view display output in the block.

Something like that would enable average Joe to create new feed blocks, with all of the flexibility behind the scenes that Feeds, Data and Views offers.

An optimal implementation of this was done by the DevelopmentSeeds folks and Drupal 6.x Managing News with mn_boxes. Specifically, it provided mn_boxes_feed which was a very simple module (this coming from a PHP lightweight...echo 'wishing I could build it myself';).

This seems like an ideal category for a new module, say http://drupal.org/project/feed_boxes ?