Resources Scripts

Update your Twitter status using PHP

May 13, 2009 by rcastera 18 Comments

Twitter is an awesome service! I use it on a daily basis and have grown addicted to it. Posting to twitter VIA an application is something that I’m sure you’ll need to do at some point. Using this simple little script below, you can post updates to twitter accounts fairly easily. Don’t forget to add your username, password and message below.

<?php
function tweetThis($strUsername = '', $strPassword = '', $strMessage = '') {
    if (function_exists('curl_init')) {    
        $twitterUsername = trim($strUsername);
        $twitterPassword = trim($strPassword);
         
        if (strlen($strMessage) > 140) {
            $strMessage = substr($strMessage, 0, 140);
        }
             
        $twitterStatus = htmlentities(trim(strip_tags($strMessage)));
 
        if (!empty($twitterUsername) && !empty($twitterPassword) && !empty($twitterStatus)) {
            $strTweetUrl = 'http://www.twitter.com/statuses/update.xml';
 
            $objCurlHandle = curl_init();
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_URL, "$strTweetUrl");
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 2);
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, "status=$twitterStatus");
            curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_USERPWD, "$twitterUsername:$twitterPassword");
 
            $result = curl_exec($objCurlHandle);
            $arrResult = curl_getinfo($objCurlHandle);
 
            if ($arrResult['http_code'] == 200) {
                echo 'Your Tweet has been posted';
            }
            else {
                echo 'Could not post your Tweet to Twitter.';
            }
 
            curl_close($objCurlHandle);
        }
        else {
            echo('Missing required information to submit your Tweet.');
        }
    }
    else {
        echo('Curl Extension is not installed.');
    }
}
?>

<?php

function tweetThis($strUsername = '', $strPassword = '', $strMessage = '') {

if (function_exists('curl_init')) {

$twitterUsername = trim($strUsername);

$twitterPassword = trim($strPassword);

if (strlen($strMessage) > 140) {

$strMessage = substr($strMessage, 0, 140);

}

$twitterStatus = htmlentities(trim(strip_tags($strMessage)));

if (!empty($twitterUsername) && !empty($twitterPassword) && !empty($twitterStatus)) {

$strTweetUrl = 'http://www.twitter.com/statuses/update.xml';

$objCurlHandle = curl_init();

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_URL, "$strTweetUrl");

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 2);

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_POST, 1);

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, "status=$twitterStatus");

curl_setopt($objCurlHandle, CURLOPT_USERPWD, "$twitterUsername:$twitterPassword");

$result = curl_exec($objCurlHandle);

$arrResult = curl_getinfo($objCurlHandle);

if ($arrResult['http_code'] == 200) {

echo 'Your Tweet has been posted';

}

else {

echo 'Could not post your Tweet to Twitter.';

}

curl_close($objCurlHandle);

}

else {

echo('Missing required information to submit your Tweet.');

}

else {

echo('Curl Extension is not installed.');

}

Now call this method to send your tweet!

<?php
    // Send a Tweet to your Twitter account.
    tweetThis('my_user_name', 'my_password', 'my_tweet_message');
?>

<?php

// Send a Tweet to your Twitter account.

tweetThis('my_user_name', 'my_password', 'my_tweet_message');

Follow me on Twitter 😉

PHP

18 Comments

Ryan Gasparini November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

PHP

$twitterUsername = trim($strPassword);

1

$twitterUsername = trim($strPassword);

should be

PHP

$twitterPassword = trim($strPassword);

1

$twitterPassword = trim($strPassword);

and you have this twice in the same if statement

PHP

!empty($twitterUsername)

1

!empty($twitterUsername)
Justin November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

This works so well! You should make this a plugin! Thanks so much!
srdha November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

i gust want to say some thing “great job”

Update your Twitter randomly according to your intrest Or, from Rss Feed Or, from your own tweet message list Or, Any combination of the above three http://feedmytwitter.com
Giyomu November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

Hi !

I used your function for my website, it is very useful ! But, how I refer to you on my acknowledgments page ? I should display a license or something else, make a link to this page or to your site ?

++
Max November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

How to add something to make “from EXAMPLE” appear below the tweets?
MrMe November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

I like it.

Is there a way for a user to add there username and password and message, rather than have it in the code?
Hector Pasch November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

i really enjoy going through your posts here and i’ve been watching from a distance but felt the need to comment to let you know. keep it up. is there a RSS feed? I just installed bloglines and want to add it in there.
Richie November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

Hey and thanks for this great snippet.

Yesterday everything worked fine, but since today i cant post to twitter.

I always get “Could not post your Tweet to Twitter”.

Does anyone know why?
Mohammadreza November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am Reply

I get 403 Error, Why? 🙁