snsapi 0.6.3

lightweight middleware for multiple social networking services

# SNSAPI

A cross-platform **middleware** for Social Networking Services (SNS):

* Unified interfaces and data structures.
* The building block of a **user-centric**
[meta social network](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Taxonomy).
* Near-zero infrastructure [requirements](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Installation).
* Play with your social channels
[like a hacker](http://snsapi.ie.cuhk.edu.hk/).

## Lightning Demo 1 -- Read Twitter Timeline

### Step 1.

Register user and developer on Twitter.
[Apply for application keys and access tokens](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Apply-for-app-key).

### Step 2.

Save the following codes to `mytest.py` in the root dir of this project:

```python
from snscli import *
nc = new_channel('TwitterStatus')
nc['app_key'] = 'Your Consumer Key from dev.twitter.com'
nc['app_secret'] = 'Your Consumer Secret from dev.twitter.com'
nc['access_key'] = 'Your Access Token from dev.twitter.com'
nc['access_secret'] = 'Your Access Token Secret from dev.twitter.com'
add_channel(nc)
print home_timeline()
```

Filling your app credentials in the above script:
`app_key`,
`app_secret`,
`access_key`,
`access_key`.

### Step 3.

Try it by `python mytest.py`.
You will see your home timeline from twitter.

### Remarks

SNSApi **unifies the interfaces** of all SNS
such that retrieving new messages from all other platforms are the same:

* Create a new channel configuration and `add_channel` it.
* Invoke a single `home_timeline()` to obtain an aggregated timeline
from all channels in a batch.

## Lightning Demo 2 -- Backup Your Data

### Step 1.

[Configure a channel.json](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Configurations) file
with two channels:

* One is called "myrenren" and it
interfaces with Renren (an OSN in China).
* The other is called "mysqlite" and it
interfaces with a SQLite3 DB.

See [one example](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/tree/master/app/backup-renren/conf/channel.json.example)
`channel.json` configuration.

### Step 2.

Save the following codes to `backup.py` in the root dir of this project:

```python
from snsapi.snspocket import SNSPocket
sp = SNSPocket()
sp.load_config()
sp.auth()

ml = sp['myrenren'].home_timeline()
for m in ml:
sp['mysqlite'].update(m)
```

### Step 3.

Try it by `python backup.py`.
Now your timeline of Renren (latest 20 messages by default)
is backed up to the SQLite DB.
You can run this script on a regular basis to backup data from all kinds of SNS.

### Remarks

SNSApi unifies the **data structures** of all SNS
so as to enable flexible/ programmable inter-operation between those services:

* Backup one message in SQLite is just "update a status" there.
* In order to read those messages,
just invoke `home_timeline` of your SQLite channel.
* The data in SQLite DB are ready for further analysis.
For example, I remember someone said that "snsapi is awesome".
Who posted it? I can not recall.
Now, enter sqlite and use one line of command to get the answer:
`select * from message where text like '%snsapi%';`.
* You can also use EMail or RSS to distribute your statuses
and follow the updates of your friends.
* When there are new platforms, it's just one configuration away to use them.
The intervention from app developer is not needed.

## Lightning Demo 3 -- An Ad-Hoc DSN

[Decentralized Social Network](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Taxonomy) (DSN)
is the next paradigm of social networking.
Current centralized services have a lot of problems,
e.g. [Spying for free](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_%28surveillance_program%29).

SNSApi is just a middleware to offload your burden in interfacing with different platforms.
Now, try to build something without worrying about the interfacing detials.


See [RSoc Community Page](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Rsoc) if you are interested.

## Supported Platforms

Enther the interactive shell by `python -i snscli.py`.
Get the supported platforms as follows:

```
>>> lsp()

Supported platforms:
* Email
* RSS
* RSS2RW
* RSSSummary
* RenrenBlog
* RenrenShare
* RenrenStatus
* SQLite
* SinaWeiboStatus
* TencentWeiboStatus
* TwitterStatus
...
```

More platforms are coming!
Please join us!

## Get Started

* Clone and install dependencies via `pip`.
Then you are ready to go.
See [installation guide](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Installation)
if you need more detailed information.
See [troubleshooting](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/Troubleshooting) page
if you encounter problems in your initial tests.
* We have several
[demo apps](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/tree/master/app)
in this repo.
You can start with them and see how to use those classes of SNSAPI.
* Users who don't want to write Python or other non-Python programmers
can start with our command-line-interface (`snscli.py`).
[The official SNSAPI website](http://snsapi.ie.cuhk.edu.hk/)
should get your started quickly along this line.
This CLI can allow interfacing with other languages using STDIN/ STDOUT.
* Users who are not comfortable with CLI can use the
graphical-user-interface (`snsgui.py`).
See [more user interfaces](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki/End-user-interfaces).

## Resources

* [SNSApi Website](http://snsapi.ie.cuhk.edu.hk/):
maintained by [@hupili](https://github.com/hupili/);
welcome to report problems to admin,
or send pull request to [website repo](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi-website) directly.
* [SNSApi Website (CN)](http://snsapi.sinaapp.com/):
maintained by [@xuanqinanhai](https://github.com/xuanqinanhai).
* [SNSApi doc](https://snsapi.readthedocs.org/en/latest/):
automatically generated from code using Sphinx;
also available as inline doc using `help(XXX)` from Python shell.
* [SNSApi Github Wiki](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/wiki):
editable by all GitHub users; welcome to share your experience.
* [SNSApi Google Group](https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/snsapi):
The most efficient way to get help, discuss new ideas and organize community activities.
Please join us!

## License

[](http://unlicense.org)

All materials of this project are released to public domain,
except for the followings:

* `snsapi/third/*`: The third party modules.
Please refer to their original LICENSE.
We have pointers in `snsapi/third/README.md`
for those third party modules.

## Other

* Old version of this readme [in Chinese](https://github.com/hupili/snsapi/blob/master/doc/snsapi-old-readme-cn.md)

## Build Status

* master: 
* dev: