Twitter widget that streams multiple accounts
Sunday, April 5th, 2009I created a PHP/JavaScript widget that will stream multiple Twitter accounts for a friends website (see it in action at Brown Girl Magazine). It’s simple to setup. As of version 1.2.2 you will need to setup the widget again.
Requirements
- PHP 5.0
- PEAR – Cache_Lite 1.7.7 (It might work with newer or older versions but I haven’t tested it.)
- Javascript turned on
Instructions
- Install the PEAR package Cache_Lite. Most web hosts have an easy way of installing new PEAR packages. If you have issues with PEAR, create a directory called Cache within the directory you create in step 4, download Cache_Lite and put the contents (Lite.php and Lite directory) of Cache_Lite in it. Post any questions in the comments.
- Download TwitterWidget_1_2_3.zip. Unzip the contents to a temporary directory.
- Open Config.php and edit the configuration parameters. There is an explanation for each parameter.
- Create a directory where ever you like on your web server and upload all the files.
- Copy the following html and javascript into your website right before where the body tag (</body>) is closed.
<script type="text/javascript"><!-- var RPNetTwitterAttrs = { url: 'http://localhost/TwitterWidget/reboot/TwitterWidget.php' }; // --></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="TwitterWidget.js"></script>Update the url attribute to the path where you uploaded TwitterWidget.php.
You will also need to update the src=”TwitterWidget.js” attribute to point to where you uploaded the javascript file. For example, src=”http://yourwebsite.com/uploads/TwitterWidget.js”.
- Copy the following html into your website where you would like the widget to appear.
<div id='rpnetTWContainer'></div>
Editing the Look and Feel
There are two ways to change how the widget looks. The first is to add the CSS ids below to your stylesheet. The outline of the widget is as follows:
<div id="rpnetTWContainer"> <div id="rpnetTW"> <h2 id="rpnetTWTitle"></h2> <ul id="rpnetTWList"></ul> </div> </div>
The second way is to go into the createWidget() function in the RPNetTWView class in TwitterWidget.php and edit the html of the widget. Post any questions in the comments.
Remember
If you make changes to how the widget looks or you modify the Config.php after setting up the widget you will either need to wait until the cache expires or you will need to go into your cache directory and delete the cache file for changes to take effect.
Upgade Instructions
From 1.2.1 to 1.2.2.
- Record the changes made to Config.php.
- Start with Step 2 of the 1.2.2 instructions.
From 1.2.2 to 1.2.3.
- Overwrite all PHP, JavaScript, and text files except Config.php.
What it will not do
This widget will not worked on locked Twitter accounts.
Below is a screen shot of the widget with no formatting and with the Arthemia WordPress theme. If using WordPress the widget will conform to whatever theme you have unless you modify the CSS. Enjoy!
Change Log
Version 1.2.3
- Fixed issue with special characters.
Version 1.2.2
- Completely rewritten. Should make the widget load faster.
- Handle errors more gracefully.
- Filter by multiple hashtags.
- As of this version the widget is under the LGPL v3 License.
Version 1.2.1
- Fixed bug with unescaped characters.
Version 1.2
- Tweets are now cached.
Version 1.1
- Added an option for displaying user images.
Version 1.0
- Displays list of tweets from multiple users.
Old Versions
- Version 1.1 (Download) (Instructions)
- Version 1.2.1 (Download) (Instructions)
- Version 1.2.2 (Download) (Instructions are the same as on this page.)