# The Twitter Ruby Gem [![Gem Version](http://img.shields.io/gem/v/twitter.svg)][gem] [![Build Status](http://img.shields.io/travis/sferik/twitter.svg)][travis] [![Dependency Status](http://img.shields.io/gemnasium/sferik/twitter.svg)][gemnasium] [![Code Climate](http://img.shields.io/codeclimate/github/sferik/twitter.svg)][codeclimate] [![Coverage Status](http://img.shields.io/coveralls/sferik/twitter.svg)][coveralls] [![Inline docs](http://inch-ci.org/github/sferik/twitter.png)][inchpages] [gem]: https://rubygems.org/gems/twitter [travis]: https://travis-ci.org/sferik/twitter [gemnasium]: https://gemnasium.com/sferik/twitter [codeclimate]: https://codeclimate.com/github/sferik/twitter [coveralls]: https://coveralls.io/r/sferik/twitter [inchpages]: http://inch-ci.org/github/sferik/twitter A Ruby interface to the Twitter API. ## Installation gem install twitter ## CLI Looking for the Twitter command-line interface? It was [removed][] from this gem in version 0.5.0 and now exists as a [separate project][t]. [removed]: https://github.com/sferik/twitter/commit/dd2445e3e2c97f38b28a3f32ea902536b3897adf [t]: https://github.com/sferik/t ## Documentation [http://rdoc.info/gems/twitter][documentation] [documentation]: http://rdoc.info/gems/twitter ## Examples [https://github.com/sferik/twitter/tree/master/examples][examples] [examples]: https://github.com/sferik/twitter/tree/master/examples ## Announcements You should [follow @gem][follow] on Twitter for announcements and updates about this library. [follow]: https://twitter.com/gem ## Mailing List Please direct questions about this library to the [mailing list]. [mailing list]: https://groups.google.com/group/twitter-ruby-gem ## Apps Wiki Does your project or organization use this gem? Add it to the [apps wiki][apps]! [apps]: https://github.com/sferik/twitter/wiki/apps ## What's New in Version 5? ### Configuration Global configuration has been removed, as it was not threadsafe. Instead, you can configure a `Twitter::REST::Client` by passing it a block when it's initialized. ```ruby client = Twitter::REST::Client.new do |config| config.consumer_key = "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY" config.consumer_secret = "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET" config.access_token = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" config.access_token_secret = "YOUR_ACCESS_SECRET" end ``` Note: `oauth_token` has been renamed to `access_token` and `oauth_token_secret` is now `access_token_secret` to conform to the terminology used in Twitter's developer documentation. ### Streaming (Experimental) This library now offers support for the [Twitter Streaming API][streaming]. [streaming]: https://dev.twitter.com/docs/streaming-apis [tweetstream]: http://rubygems.org/gems/tweetstream Site Streams are restricted to whitelisted accounts. To apply for access, [follow the steps in the Site Streams documentation][site-streams]. [User Streams][user-streams] do not require prior approval. [site-streams]: https://dev.twitter.com/docs/streaming-apis/streams/site#Applying_for_access [user-streams]: https://dev.twitter.com/docs/streaming-apis/streams/user Unlike the rest of this library, this feature is not well tested and not recommended for production applications. I've decided to ship it as an experimental feature and make it more robust over time. Patches in this area are particularly welcome. Hopefully, by the time version 6 is released, this gem can fully replace [TweetStream][], [em-twitter][], [twitterstream][], and [twitter-stream]. Special thanks to [Steve Agalloco][spagalloco], [Tim Carey-Smith][halorgium], and [Tony Arcieri][tarcieri] for helping to develop this feature. [em-twitter]: http://rubygems.org/gems/em-twitter [twitterstream]: http://rubygems.org/gems/twitterstream [twitter-stream]: http://rubygems.org/gems/twitter-stream [spagalloco]: https://github.com/spagalloco [halorgium]: https://github.com/halorgium [tarcieri]: https://github.com/tarcieri **Configuration works just like `Twitter::REST::Client`** ```ruby client = Twitter::Streaming::Client.new do |config| config.consumer_key = "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY" config.consumer_secret = "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET" config.access_token = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" config.access_token_secret = "YOUR_ACCESS_SECRET" end ``` **Stream mentions of coffee or tea** ```ruby topics = ["coffee", "tea"] client.filter(:track => topics.join(",")) do |object| puts object.text if object.is_a?(Twitter::Tweet) end ``` **Stream a random sample of all tweets** ```ruby client.sample do |object| puts object.text if object.is_a?(Twitter::Tweet) end ``` **Stream tweets, events, and direct messages for the authenticated user** ```ruby client.user do |object| case object when Twitter::Tweet puts "It's a tweet!" when Twitter::DirectMessage puts "It's a direct message!" when Twitter::Streaming::StallWarning warn "Falling behind!" end end ``` An `object` may be one of the following: * `Twitter::DirectMessage` * `Twitter::Streaming::DeletedTweet` * `Twitter::Streaming::Event` * `Twitter::Streaming::FriendList` * `Twitter::Streaming::StallWarning` * `Twitter::Tweet` ### Cursors The `Twitter::Cursor` class has been completely redesigned with a focus on simplicity and performance.
Notes Version 4 Version 5
Code HTTP GETs Code HTTP GETs
Are you at the start of the cursor? 
client.friends.first
 Θ(1) 
client.friends.first?
 Θ(1)
Return your most recent friend. 
client.friends.users.first
 Θ(1) 
client.friends.first
 Θ(1)
Return an array of all your friends. 
client.friends.all
 Θ(n+1) 
client.friends.to_a
 Θ(n)
Collect your 20 most recent friends. 
client.friends.take(20)
 Θ(n+1) 
client.friends.take(20)
 Θ(1)
Collect your 20 most recent friends twice. 
friends = client.friends
2.times.collect do
  friends.take(20)
end
 Θ(2n+2) 
friends = client.friends
2.times.collect do
  friends.take(20)
end
 Θ(1)
In the examples above, *n* varies with the number of people the authenticated user follows on Twitter. This resource returns up to 20 friends per HTTP GET, so if the authenticated user follows 200 people, calling `client.friends.take(20)` would make 11 HTTP requests in version 4. In version 5, it makes just 1 HTTP request. Keep in mind, eliminating a single HTTP request to the Twitter API will reduce the latency of your application by [about 500 ms][status]. [status]: https://dev.twitter.com/status The last example might seem contrived ("Why would I call `client.friends.take(20)` twice?") but it applies to any [`Enumerable`][enumerable] method you might call on a cursor, including: `#all?`, `#collect`, `#count`, `#each`, `#inject`, `#max`, `#min`, `#reject`, `#reverse_each`, `#select`, `#sort`, `#sort_by`, and `#to_a`. In version 4, each time you called one of those methods, it would perform *n+1* HTTP requests. In version 5, it only performs those HTTP requests the first time any one of those methods is called. Each subsequent call fetches data from a [cache][]. [enumerable]: http://ruby-doc.org/core-2.0/Enumerable.html [cache]: https://github.com/sferik/twitter/commit/7d8b2727af9400643ac397207185fd54e3f6387b The performance improvements are actually even **better** than the table above indicates. In version 5, calling `Twitter::Cursor#each` (or any [`Enumerable`][enumerable] method) starts yielding results immediately and continues yielding as each response comes back from the server. In version 4, `#each` made a series of requests and waited for the last one to complete before yielding any data. Here is a list of the interface changes to `Twitter::Cursor`: * `#all` has been replaced by `#to_a`. * `#last` has been replaced by `#last?`. * `#first` has been replaced by `#first?`. * `#first` now returns the first element in the collection, as prescribed by `Enumerable`. * `#collection` and its aliases have been removed. ### Search Results The `Twitter::SearchResults` class has also been redesigned to have an [`Enumerable`][enumerable] interface. The `#statuses` method and its aliases (`#collection` and `#results`) have been replaced by `#to_a`. Additionally, this class no longer inherits from `Twitter::Base`. As a result, the `#[]` method has been removed. ### Trend Results The `#trends` method now returns an [`Enumerable`][enumerable] `Twitter::TrendResults` object instead of an array. This object provides methods to determine the recency of the trend (`#as_of`), when the trend started (`#created_at`), and the location of the trend (`#location`). This data was previously unavailable. ### Geo Results Similarly, the `#reverse_geocode`, `#geo_search`, and `#similar_places` methods now return an [`Enumerable`][enumerable] `Twitter::GeoResults` object instead of an array. This object provides access to the token to create a new place (`#token`), which was previously unavailable. ### Tweets The `Twitter::Tweet` object has been cleaned up. The following methods have been removed: * `#from_user` * `#from_user_id` * `#from_user_name` * `#to_user` * `#to_user_id` * `#to_user_name` * `#profile_image_url` * `#profile_image_url_https` These attributes can be accessed via the `Twitter::User` object, returned through the `#user` method. ### Users The `Twitter::User` object has also been cleaned up. The following aliases have been removed: * `#favorite_count` (use `#favorites_count`) * `#favoriters_count` (use `#favorites_count`) * `#favourite_count` (use `#favorites_count`) * `#favouriters_count` (use `#favorites_count`) * `#follower_count` (use `#followers_count`) * `#friend_count` (use `#friends_count`) * `#status_count` (use `#statuses_count`) * `#tweet_count` (use `#tweets_count`) * `#update_count` (use `#tweets_count`) * `#updates_count` (use `#tweets_count`) * `#translator` (use `#translator?`) ### Remove British English aliases Earlier versions of this library aliased `favourites` to `favorites`. These aliases have been removed. Ruby is implemented in American English. The `initialize` method is spelled with a "z", not an "s", and Ruby provides no alias. Likewise, this library does not provide aliases for Commonwealthers. Merica. :us: ### More natural method names All create, destroy, add, and remove methods have been renamed to put the verb at the beginning: * `#direct_message_create` is now `#create_direct_message` * `#direct_message_destroy` is now `#destroy_direct_message` * `#list_create` is now `#create_list` * `#list_destroy` is now `#destroy_list` * `#list_remove_member` is now `#remove_list_member` * `#list_remove_members` is now `#remove_list_members` * `#list_add_member` is now `#add_list_member` * `#list_add_members` is now `#add_list_members` * `#lists_owned` is now `#owned_lists` * `#saved_search_create` is now `#create_saved_search` * `#saved_search_destroy` is now `#destroy_saved_search` * `#status_destroy` is now `#destroy_status` ### Null Objects In version 4, methods you would expect to return a `Twitter` object would return `nil` if that object was missing. This may have resulted in a `NoMethodError`. To prevent such errors, you may have introduced checks for the truthiness of the response, for example: ```ruby status = client.status(55709764298092545) if status.place # Do something with the Twitter::Place object elsif status.geo # Do something with the Twitter::Geo object end ``` In version 5, all such methods will return a `Twitter::NullObject` instead of `nil`. This should prevent `NoMethodError` but may result in unexpected behavior if you have truthiness checks in place, since everything is truthy in Ruby except `false` and `nil`. For these cases, there are now predicate methods: ```ruby status = client.status(55709764298092545) if status.place? # Do something with the Twitter::Place object elsif status.geo? # Do something with the Twitter::Geo object end ``` ### URI Methods The `Twitter::List`, `Twitter::Tweet`, and `Twitter::User` objects all have a `#uri` method, which returns an HTTPS URI to twitter.com. This clobbers the `Twitter::List#uri` method, which previously returned the list URI's path (not a URI). These methods are aliased to `#url` for users who prefer that nomenclature. `Twitter::User` previously had a `#url` method, which returned the user's website. This URI is now available via the `#website` method. All `#uri` methods now return `Addressable::URI` objects instead of strings. To convert an `Addressable::URI` object to a string, call `#to_s` on it. ## Configuration Twitter API v1.1 requires you to authenticate via OAuth, so you'll need to [register your application with Twitter][register]. Once you've registered an application, make sure to set the correct access level, otherwise you may see the error: [register]: https://dev.twitter.com/apps Read-only application cannot POST Your new application will be assigned a consumer key/secret pair and you will be assigned an OAuth access token/secret pair for that application. You'll need to configure these values before you make a request or else you'll get the error: Bad Authentication data You can pass configuration options as a block to `Twitter::REST::Client.new`. ```ruby client = Twitter::REST::Client.new do |config| config.consumer_key = "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY" config.consumer_secret = "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET" config.access_token = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" config.access_token_secret = "YOUR_ACCESS_SECRET" end ``` After configuration, requests can be made like so: ```ruby client.update("I'm tweeting with @gem!") ``` **Performance/DNS settings issue** When you are using the gem in production (running for example in a DigitalOcean VPS) be aware that DNS settings on the server can affect outbound traffic performance with `Twitter::Error::RequestTimeout` as a result. Don't use the public Google DNS services (4.4.4.4 / 8.8.8.8) they are rate-limited and have very bad response times. Use a DNS service close to your data-center. ## Usage Examples All examples require an authenticated Twitter client. See the section on configuration. **Tweet (as the authenticated user)** ```ruby client.update("I'm tweeting with @gem!") ``` **Follow a user (by screen name or user ID)** ```ruby client.follow("gem") client.follow(213747670) ``` **Fetch a user (by screen name or user ID)** ```ruby client.user("gem") client.user(213747670) ``` **Fetch a cursored list of followers with profile details (by screen name or user ID, or by implicit authenticated user)** ```ruby client.followers("gem") client.followers(213747670) client.followers ``` **Fetch a cursored list of friends with profile details (by screen name or user ID, or by implicit authenticated user)** ```ruby client.friends("gem") client.friends(213747670) client.friends ``` **Fetch a collection of user_ids that the currently authenticated user does not want to receive retweets from** ```ruby client.no_retweet_ids ```` **Fetch the timeline of Tweets by a user** ```ruby client.user_timeline("gem") client.user_timeline(213747670) ``` **Fetch the timeline of Tweets from the authenticated user's home page** ```ruby client.home_timeline ``` **Fetch the timeline of Tweets mentioning the authenticated user** ```ruby client.mentions_timeline ``` **Fetch a particular Tweet by ID** ```ruby client.status(27558893223) ``` **Collect the three most recent marriage proposals to @justinbieber** ```ruby client.search("to:justinbieber marry me", :result_type => "recent").take(3).collect do |tweet| "#{tweet.user.screen_name}: #{tweet.text}" end ``` **Find a Japanese-language Tweet tagged #ruby (excluding retweets)** ```ruby client.search("#ruby -rt", :lang => "ja").first.text ``` For more usage examples, please see the full [documentation][]. ## Object Graph ![Entity-relationship diagram][erd] [erd]: https://github.com/sferik/twitter/raw/master/etc/erd.png "Entity-relationship diagram" This entity-relationship diagram is generated programatically. If you add or remove any Twitter objects, please regenerate the ERD with the following command: bundle exec rake erd ## Supported Ruby Versions This library aims to support and is [tested against][travis] the following Ruby versions: * Ruby 1.8.7 * Ruby 1.9.3 * Ruby 2.0.0 * Ruby 2.1 * JRuby 1.7 (Both 1.9 mode and 1.8 mode) If something doesn't work on one of these versions, it's a bug. This library may inadvertently work (or seem to work) on other Ruby versions, however support will only be provided for the versions listed above. If you would like this library to support another Ruby version or implementation, you may volunteer to be a maintainer. Being a maintainer entails making sure all tests run and pass on that implementation. When something breaks on your implementation, you will be responsible for providing patches in a timely fashion. If critical issues for a particular implementation exist at the time of a major release, support for that Ruby version may be dropped. ## Versioning This library aims to adhere to [Semantic Versioning 2.0.0][semver]. Violations of this scheme should be reported as bugs. Specifically, if a minor or patch version is released that breaks backward compatibility, that version should be immediately yanked and/or a new version should be immediately released that restores compatibility. Breaking changes to the public API will only be introduced with new major versions. As a result of this policy, you can (and should) specify a dependency on this gem using the [Pessimistic Version Constraint][pvc] with two digits of precision. For example: spec.add_dependency 'twitter', '~> 5.0' [semver]: http://semver.org/ [pvc]: http://docs.rubygems.org/read/chapter/16#page74 ## Copyright Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Erik Michaels-Ober, John Nunemaker, Wynn Netherland, Steve Richert, Steve Agalloco. See [LICENSE][] for details. [license]: LICENSE.md