Question thread #57

[pauamma]

It's time for another question thread!

The rules:

- You may ask any dev-related question you have in a comment. (It doesn't even need to be about Dreamwidth, although if it involves a language/library/framework/database Dreamwidth doesn't use, you will probably get answers pointing that out and suggesting a better place to ask.)
- You may also answer any question, using the guidelines given in To Answer, Or Not To Answer and in this comment thread.

Comments

[apparentparadox]

I've decided that I'm unlikely to do any dreamwidth development. How do I release my dreamhack?

[sophie]

Hi! Dreamhack maintainer here. :)

Unused Dreamhacks use hardly any resources if they don't have any processes running, so if that's the reason you're asking, there's no real need to worry.

That said, if you'd like me to remove your Dreamhack anyway, I understand and can do so - just let me know. (And thank you for giving it a shot!)

[mdlbear]

Is there a good command-line client for Linux? Good meaning:
1. It lets me post preformatted HTML5, with unclosed [p] and [li] tags, and treats newlines as spaces as per the HTML spec. This probably rules out XML-RPC unless it will take the body of the post in a CDATA section.
2. The body of the post comes from STDIN. (I can write a temporary file if necessary, but I'd rather not.)
3. After it posts, it returns the ID of the post.
4. Ideally, it can edit a post.
5. It can be put in a Makefile or other shell script -- it mustn't ask the user for the password or borrow a cookie from a browser. I want to integrate it with my make- and git-based workflow.

If there isn't one, which API should I use to build one? I've been meaning to find one of these for a while; it's gotten more urgent now that my preferred client, ljupdate.el, stopped working presumably due to the HTTPS upgrade.

[casimirian]

I'm not representing the dw-free project.

If you are running Linux to use SSH, you might be able to open code in geany (or an IDE) by connecting to your dreamhack with ssh either from your file system or geany directly.

If this interests you, let me know. :)

[mdlbear]

Hmm. I think you misunderstood me. I'm not looking for an IDE -- Emacs is my editor of choice for everything except huge multi-person Java projects, where I use Eclipse. What I'm looking for is a way to make DW posts from a script.

Specifically, I want to create a file in emacs (foo.html, for example) and then say "make foo.post" at the command line and have the contents of foo.html shipped off to my Dreamwidth blog, updated with the post's URL, and committed in git.

I could probably do it directly in a Makefile recipe with curl, but I'm not familiar enough with the API and the documentation is sketchy to nonexistent.

[casimirian]

Someone is working on API and should be done with it within the week if that interests you.

https://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/200615.html

I used JLJ in the past to write blog posts. I think it still works but am waiting to build a new client with the newer API soon.

Here's the PR: https://github.com/dreamwidth/dw-free/pull/2015

[mdlbear]

Thanks! I'd seen the dw-dev post; definitely worth keeping an eye on.

JLJ looks like it might be a starting point, but it would definitely take a fair amount of work.

[casimirian]

Understood. I am interested in any resources you may find. I too work with a shell most days and would find a shell-based client useful. I've begun work on a python-based client for the purpose of interacting with this future API, but it's far from complete. And I am reconsidering its design. Good luck!

[mdlbear]

Good luck to you as well -- I'll post here (I'm assuming clients are on-topic for dw-dev) when I have my makefile fragment working. It will eventually be part of ssavitzky/MakeStuff.

[mdlbear]

Maybe I didn't make sufficiently clear that what I'm looking for is a command-line dreamwidth client -- a program that I can use to make Dreamwidth posts from a script.

[momijizukamori]

Does anyone have resources for API-testing they can recommend? I'm bad at testing in general and I know this is going to be one of the stumbling blocks for getting new API stuff up and running.

[pauamma]

Might be worth making a top-level post out of that question?

[fiddlingfrog]

A few weeks ago, when https was enabled by default across the site, the Wordpress plugin I use to crosspost from Wordpress to Dreamwidth, JournalPress, stopped working. A friend reported that the LiveJournal Crossposter also stopped working.

When I attempt to crosspost I get this error message:
fiddlingfrog @ www.dreamwidth.org: transport error - HTTP status code was not 200
from the JournalPress plugin. The other plugin does not give me an error message.

Does anyone know where I should start looking in order to update either plugin to work with the current https configuration of the site?

[pauamma]

I'm not familiar with WordPress plugins - or WordPress - but these look both unmaintained from a quick look. Have you tried searching WordPress plugins for "dreamwidth"?

[fiddlingfrog]

Yes, and 1) NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster also fails to work. 2) Gallery plans on integrating with Dreamwidth, somehow, in the future. 3) Avalicious only displays Dreamwidth icons next to comments. 4) JournalPress is the plugin I linked to.

JournalPress and CrossPoster are both unmaintained, but up until a month ago they both still worked. I just need to figure out how to patch one or both so that they work again.

[pauamma]

Meanwhile, I heard from someone on my rpage that the plugin they use to crosspost from WP to DW is working again. I asked them what plugin that was, but in the meantime, you may want to check for updates on appropriate plugins above.

ETA: they use Social Network Auto Poster.

[gatheringrivers]

How goes the effort to allow selection of "which 15 icons out of my lots do I want to use" for free accounts? :)

(I'll eventually go paid again, but that won't be for a while due to RL.)

*edit*
If you're concerned about people swapping which 15 all the time, force it to only be changeable like....1/year or 1/6 months? I don't know if a limitation like that is even possible.

[pauamma]

I'm trying to get an answer to your question, but meanwhile, it might be good to submit it as a support request.

[gatheringrivers]

I thought I had before, but I'm not seeing it in the history queue. So, it's there now.

[pauamma]

Meanwhile, I got an answer, that indicates that no one is working on it at this time.

[gatheringrivers]

Bah. Well, it's in the queue now, so hopefully sometime in the future. :)