twitter-bot-bootstrap

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This is a template for creating your own twitter bot using python and heroku. The only programming necessary is to update the function get_message() in app.py to create your bot's tweets.

Also, if you'd like to randomly favorite other users' tweets by keyword search, uncoment the call to random_favoriting() in main(), and change the keywords to those you'd like to search for.

Confused? Try reading this. Or contact me @jehosafet.

Requirements

• python
  • Install Twython (pip install Twython): for generating/posting tweets in python app
• heroku
  • account and toolbelt: for hosting python app and keeping it running

Instructions

0. Fork and pull this repo.

1. In your local repo, create a new heroku app.

   • heroku create --stack cedar
   • heroku apps:rename YOUR_APP_NAME
   • Your heroku app will now keep the python script app.py running as often as possible.

2. Create a new twitter account.

   • Use your current email to create the account by adding a tag.
     • Ex: [email protected] => [email protected]
   • Confirm the email address associated with this new twitter account.

3. From your main twitter account (not the one you just created, unless this is your first twitter account!) create a new twitter app.

   • Under Settings / Application Type:
     • Enable "Read and Write"
     • Check "Allow this application to be used to Sign in with Twitter"
   • Under Details:
     • Click "Create My Access Token"
   • Connect this app to your bot's twitter acount (help here)
     • $ gem install twurl
     • $ twurl authorize --consumer-key "REPLACE_THIS" --consumer-secret "REPLACE_THIS"
   • When twurl asks you to go to a url to log-in, now use the bot account you just created.

4. Create an .env file containing your twitter keys.

   • twurl generated some keys for your new bot account. You can find these in ~/.twurlrc.
   • In your local repo, create a file called .env that contains these twitter app keys, one per line:
     • TWITTER_CONSUMER_KEY=replace_this
     • TWITTER_CONSUMER_SECRET=replace_this
     • TWITTER_OAUTH_TOKEN=replace_this
     • TWITTER_OAUTH_TOKEN_SECRET=replace_this
   • For heroku, use heroku-config to copy contents of .env to your heroku app.
     • Install heroku-config: heroku plugins:install heroku-config.
     • Now run heroku config:push.
       • NOTE: To update heroku environment variables later, run heroku config:push --overwrite
       • Alternatively, add heroku environment variables manually using heroku config:set YOUR_ENV_VAR=replace_this

Okay, now here's the fun part:

5. Update the function get_message() in app.py to create your bot's tweets.

   • Read about twitter bot etiquette for bot guidelines.
   • Use the wordnik api for getting random parts of speech.

6. Test your bot locally.

   • Running foreman start should generate your tweets once every minute, or at whatever rate you set in app.py.

7. Commit and push local changes to heroku and github.

   • git push heroku master pushes all commits to heroku and starts up your app.
   • Your bot should now tweet as long as your heroku app is running (via the worker dyno).