Twitter - Delete status

Declaration

<AMTWITTER ACTIVITY="delete_status" CONSUMERKEY="text" CONSUMERSECRET="text (encrypted)" SCREENNAME="text" ACCESSTOKEN="text" SECRETTOKEN="text (encrypted)" ENABLESSL="YES/NO" PROXYTYPE="text (options)" PROXYSERVER="text" PROXYPORT="number" PROXYUSERNAME="text" PROXYPASSWORD="text (encrypted)" ID="text" RESULTVARIABLE="text" RESULTDATASET="text" />

Related Topics   

Description

Deletes the authenticated user's current status or status specified by the required ID parameter and populates a variable with the deleted status. Can optionally populate a dataset with specific  information about the deleted status. The authenticating user must be the author of the specified status.

IMPORTANT: Automate Desktop's Twitter activities are performed using the Twitter REST API. Launching and managing Twitter through Automate Desktop requires a valid Twitter account.

Practical usage

Deletes the current status or one specified by the required ID.

Parameters

Authentication

Property Type Required Default Markup Description
Type --- --- --- --- Specifies the type of authentication that should be used to establish a Twitter connection. The available options are:
  • Default keys - Specifies that the default consumer/secret key combination used to authorize Automate Desktop access to Twitter API will be used. This also determines the text status that appears by way of Twitter application. Selecting this option would show Automate Desktop as the default application used to perform status updates. If this parameter is selected, the Custom keys parameter is ignored.
  • Custom keys - specifies that a custom consumer/secret key combination should be entered. This also determines the text status that appears by way of Twitter application. Selecting this option would show the specified application name as the one used to perform status updates.  If this parameter is selected, the Default keys parameter is ignored.
NOTE: This parameter does not contain markup and is only displayed in visual mode for task construction and configuration purposes.
Consumer key Text Yes, if Type is set to Custom keys (Empty) CONSUMERKEY="text" The consumer key to authenticate with. To use the Twitter API, each client application you register will be provisioned a consumer key and secret. This parameter is available only if the Custom Keys parameter is enabled.
Consumer secret Text Yes, if Type is set to Custom keys (Empty) CONSUMERSECRET="encrypted" The consumer key secret to authenticate with. To use the Twitter API, each client application you register will be provisioned a consumer key and secret. This parameter is available only if the Custom Keys parameter is enabled.
Get PIN --- --- --- --- You must initially register Automate Desktop (or the desired application) to allow it to use the Twitter API. If you have not done so already, click the Get Pin button. This will open your Twitter account site. Follow the instructions and copy the provided pin. Thereafter, return to the Automate Desktop Twitter authentication properties dialog and paste it in the Pin text box. Click the Authenticate Pin button to produce a consumer key and secret, thus, completing the token exchange.
NOTE: This is a one-time process. Once authenticated, the information will be stored on your system. More information about OAuth authentication can be found below under OAuth Consumer Key/Secret Authentication.    
Pin --- --- --- --- The pin in which to authorize Automate Desktop to allow it to use the Twitter API.
NOTE: This parameter does not contain markup and is only displayed in visual mode for task construction and configuration purposes.
Authenticate Pin --- --- --- --- Click this button to authenticate the provided PIN. This is a visual mode parameter used only during design time, therefore, contains no markup.  
NOTE: This is a one-time process. Once authenticated, the information will be stored on your system.
Screen name Text Yes (Empty) SCREENNAME="Catwoman" The screen name of the authenticating user.
NOTE: This parameter does not contain markup and is only displayed in visual mode for task construction and configuration purposes.
Enable SSL Yes/No No (Empty) ENABLESSL="yes" If selected, SSL is enabled. This parameter is disabled by default.
Access token Text No (Empty) SECRETTOKEN="pL1IdTedxHU6JFd6HHRlknM" The Oauth Access Token. This allows OAuth applications to directly exchange Twitter user names and passwords for OAuth access tokens and secrets. More information can be found below under OAuth Consumer Key/Secret Authentication.      
Access token secret Text No (Empty) SECRETTOKEN="text" The Oauth Token Secret. This allows OAuth applications to directly exchange Twitter user names and passwords for OAuth access tokens and secrets. More information can be found below under OAuth Consumer Key/Secret Authentication.      

Proxy

Property Type Required Default Markup Description
Proxy type Text (options) Yes Default
  • PROXYTYPE="none"
  • PROXYTYPE="http"
 The type of proxy required for connections that pass through a proxy server. The available options are:
  • System default (default) - Points to the default proxy used by the system.
  • None - No proxy authentication required.
  • HTTP - Proxy type is HTTP.
Use authentication --- No --- --- If enabled, specifies proxy authentication is required, enabling authentication-based parameters (disabled by default). It is active only if Proxy type is set to HTTP.
NOTE: This parameter does not contain markup and is only displayed in visual mode for task construction and configuration purposes.
Proxy server Text No (Empty) PROXYSERVER="proxy.host.com" The hostname (server.domain.com) or IP address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) of the proxy server. This parameter is available only if Proxy type is set to HTTP.
Proxy username Text No (Empty) PROXYUSERNAME="username" The proxy username to authenticate with. This parameter is available only if Use authentication is enabled.
Proxy port Number No 808 PROXYPORT="8080" The port number to use to connect to the proxy server. This parameter is available only if Proxy type is set to HTTP. The default value is 808.
Proxy password Text No (Empty) PROXYPASSWORD="encrypted" The proxy password to authenticate with. This parameter is available only if Use Authentication is enabled.

Status

Property Type Required Default Markup Description
Current status --- --- --- --- If enabled, specifies that the current status of the authenticated user will be deleted. This is a visual mode parameter used only during design time, therefore, contains no markup. It is enabled by default. If this parameter is enabled, the Specific status by ID parameter is ignored.
Specific status by ID Number No (Empty) ID="123456789" If enabled, specifies the status ID to delete. If this parameter is enabled, the Current status parameter is ignored.
Populate variable with status Text Yes (Empty) RESULTVARIABLE="theVar" The name of an existing variable to populate with the status that should be deleted.
Create and populate dataset with status information Text No (Empty) RESULTDATASET="myStatus" The name of the dataset to create and populate with specific information about the status that should be deleted. For more information, see Datasets.

Description

Error Causes

On Error

Additional notes

OAuth consumer key/secret authentication

To use the Twitter API, the first thing you have to do is register a client application. Each client application you register will be provisioned a consumer key and secret. This key and secret scheme is similar to the public and private keys used in protocols such as ssh for those who are familiar. This key and secret will be used, in conjunction with an OAuth library in your programming language of choice, to sign every request you make to the API. It is through this signing process that Twitter trusts that the traffic that identifies itself is in fact you.

OAuth authentication is the process in which Users grant access to their Protected Resources without sharing their credentials with the Consumer. OAuth uses Tokens generated by the Service Provider instead of the User’s credentials in Protected Resources requests. The process uses two Token types:

Request Token

Used by the Consumer to ask the User to authorize access to the Protected Resources. The User-authorized Request Token is exchanged for an Access Token, MUST only be used once, and MUST NOT be used for any other purpose. It is RECOMMENDED that Request Tokens have a limited lifetime.

Access Token

Used by the Consumer to access the Protected Resources on behalf of the User. Access Tokens MAY limit access to certain Protected Resources, and MAY have a limited lifetime. Service Providers SHOULD allow Users to revoke Access Tokens. Only the Access Token SHALL be used to access the Protect Resources.

OAuth Authentication is done in three steps:

  1. The Consumer obtains an unauthorized Request Token.

  2. The User authorizes the Request Token.

  3. The Consumer exchanges the Request Token for an Access Token.

Datasets

A dataset is a multiple column, multiple row container object. This activity creates and populates a dataset containing a specific set of fields. The table below describes these fields (assuming the dataset name assigned was theDataset).

Name Type Return Value
theDataset.Created Date

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) timestamp of element creation, either status or user. (Example: Sat Jan 24 22:14:29 +0000 2009)
theDataset.ID Number The user's unique ID.
theDataset.InReplyToStatusID Number The unique ID for the status a status replies to. (Examples: empty, 1047468972)
theDataset.InReplyToUserID Number A unique ID for the user that wrote the status a status replies to.
theDataset.InReplyToScreenName Text The name for the user that wrote the status a status replies to.
theDataset.IsFavorited True/False Boolean indicating if a status has been marked as a favorite by the authenticating user.
theDataset.IsTruncated True/False Boolean indicating if a status required shortening.
theDataset.Source Number Application that sent a status. (Examples: web (Default), <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">TweetDeck</a>)
theDataset.RetweetedStatus Number The total number of status updates performed by a user, excluding direct messages sent.
theDataset.Text Text Escaped and HTML encoded status body.
theDataset.TwitterUser Text Full name of a registered user (Example: Tweety Bird, Doug Williams)

Example

NOTE:
  • Copy and paste the sample AML code below directly into the Task Builder Steps Panel.
  • To successfully run the sample code, update parameters containing user credentials, files, file paths, or other information specific to the task to match your environment.

Description

This sample task deletes a status and stores status into Automate Desktop variable "theVar". It also stores status information into Automate Desktop dataset "theDataset".

Copy 
<AMTWITTER ACTIVITY="delete_status" RESULTVARIABLE="theVar" RESULTDATASET="theDataset" SCREENNAME="TweetyBird" ACCESSTOKEN="138893066-pcQPBQlFnI8exepSZPaQcnljQJNg4tB6mUfGAywz" SECRETTOKEN="pL1IdTedxHU6JFd6HHRlkncy98R5PQLwKyrESGGM" />