Introduction

In order to transition to the new Twitter 1.1 API, you will need to set up a Twitter application on https://apps.twitter.com/.

Once the Twitter application is created, you will be able to generate a set of secure keys that will allow your Web site to access your Twitter feed. After generating the keys, they will need to be entered into the "Twitter Authentication" section of your Digital Bell Web site, as described in the tutorial below.

WithTwitter integrated, you can add a social media banner to your site, which will display your latest Tweets and can include links to Facebook, YouTube, and RSS.

Creating a Twitter Application

To create the application, sign into https://apps.twitter.com/ with your official Twitter account. Next, click "Create a new app" and fill in the form. (Note: you must have a mobile number associated with your Twitter account to create an application.)

Name: Enter a unique name here, such as your school or PTA organization's name.
Description: "To pull the twitter feed into the home page of my website."
Website: Use your main URL (http://www.yoursite.com)
Callback URL: Leave blank.

Click "Yes" when prompted with the agreement, and then "Submit."

Generating your Twitter Keys

After the application is created, you should see a button which will allow you to generate the following keys for your application:

  • API Key
  • API Secret
  • Access Token
  • Access Secret
  • Twitter Username

Entering your Twitter Keys

Once these keys have been generated, mouse over the "Tools" link, located in the menu at the top of your Digital Bell Dashboard. From the drop-down menu, click the "Site Settings" link. 

Next, click the "Twitter Authentication" link, located in the right margin. The "Twitter Authentication" page will contain fields for each of the keys. Enter the keys in their respective fields, then click the "Submit" button to complete the process.