Steps to use twitter api - console application

Question

I am trying to develop a very basic console application that will retrieve a user's homepage (twitter updates from people followed by the user) and save it (json). I've read a lot on the internet, but still am unsure of whether i need to 'register' such an application, and if yes, how could I possibly do it for a console app. I'd like to get a step-by-step rundown on how I should proceed with the development. Its just a tad complex for a noob like me in this field. I'm aware that off-the-shelf libraries for doing this job are aplenty, but I lack a general understanding of how I should approach this.

Much appreciated,

Abhi

Answer 1

The answer really depends on a few things.

If your application is not going to try to access information about protected users (users can opt to be protected so their information and tweets are kept private) your application will not need to be authorized by any user and will not need to be registered or deal with OAuth. Without using OAuth, you will be limited to making 150 requests per hour, per IP address.

If your application needs to make more than 150 requests an hour, or needs to access protected user information, then you will need to register your application and make requests on behalf of a user. This user could be your twitter account. This will give you up to 300 requests per hour per authorized user.

I can't give you much detail as to how to best write a console application with TweetSharp., but I am familiar with Twitterizer (I wrote it).