NAME

Mastodon::Client - Talk to a Mastodon server

SYNOPSIS

use Mastodon::Client;

my $client = Mastodon::Client->new(
  instance        => 'mastodon.social',
  name            => 'PerlBot',
  client_id       => $client_id,
  client_secret   => $client_secret,
  access_token    => $access_token,
  coerce_entities => 1,
);

$client->post_status('Posted to a Mastodon server!');
$client->post_status('And now in secret...',
  { visibility => 'unlisted' }
)

# Streaming interface might change!
my $listener = $client->stream( 'public' );
$listener->on( update => sub {
  my ($listener, $status) = @_;
  printf "%s said: %s\n",
    $status->account->display_name,
    $status->content;
});
$listener->start;

DESCRIPTION

Mastodon::Client lets you talk to a Mastodon server to obtain authentication credentials, read posts from timelines in both static or streaming mode, and perform all the other operations exposed by the Mastodon API.

Most of these are available through the convenience methods listed below, which validate input parameters and are likely to provide more meaningful feedback in case of errors.

Alternatively, this distribution can be used via the low-level request methods (post, get, etc), which allow direct access to the API endpoints. All other methods call one of these at some point.

VERSION NOTICE

This distribution currently only supports version 1 of the Mastodon API.

Help implementing support for any missing features in version 1, and for the new features in version 2, would be greatfully appreciated.

ATTRIBUTES

• instance

  A Mastodon::Entity::Instance object representing the instance to which this client will speak. Defaults to mastodon.social.

• api_version

  An integer specifying the version of the API endpoints to use. Defaults to 1.

• redirect_uri

  The URI to which authorization codes should be forwarded as part of the OAuth2 flow. Defaults to urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob (meaning no redirection).

• user_agent

  The user agent to use for the requests. Defaults to an instance of HTTP::Thin. It is expected to have a request method that accepts HTTP::Request objects.

• coerce_entities

  A boolean value. Set to true if you want Mastodon::Client to internally coerce all response entities to objects. This adds a level of validation, and can make the objects easier to use.

  Although this does require some additional processing, the coercion is done by Type::Tiny, so the impact is negligible.

  For now, it defaults to false (but this will likely change, so I recommend you use it).

• access_token

  The access token of your client. This is provided by the Mastodon API and is used for the OAuth2 authentication required for most API calls.

  You can get this by calling authorize with either an access code or your account's username and password.

• authorized

  Boolean. False is the client has no defined access_token. When an access token is set, this is set to true or to a DateTime object representing the time of authorization if possible (as received from the server).

• client_id

• client_secret

  The client ID and secret are provided by the Mastodon API when you register your client using the register method. They are used to identify where your calls are coming from, and are required before you can use the authorize method to get the access token.

• name

  Your client's name. This is required when registering, but is otherwise seldom used. If you are using the authorization_url to get an access code from your users, then they will see this name when they go to that page.

• account

  Holds the authenticated account. It is set internally by the get_account method.

• scopes

  This array reference holds the scopes set by you for the client. These are required when registering your client with the Mastodon instance. Defaults to read.

  Mastodon::Client will internally make sure that the scopes you were provided when calling authorize match those that you requested. If this is not the case, it will helpfully die.

• website

  The URL of a human-readable website for the client. If made available, it appears as a link in the "authorized applications" tab of the user preferences in the default Mastodon web GUI. Defaults to the empty string.

METHODS

Authorizing an application

Although not all of the API methods require authentication to be used, most of them do. The authentication process involves a) registering an application with a Mastodon server to obtain a client secret and ID; b) authorizing the application by either providing a user's credentials, or by using an authentication URL.

The methods facilitating this process are detailed below:

• register()

• register(%data)

  Obtain a client secret and ID from a given mastodon instance. Takes a single hash as an argument, with the following possible keys:

  • redirect_uris

    The URL to which authorization codes should be forwarded after authorized by the user. Defaults to the value of the redirect_uri attribute.

  • scopes

    The scopes requested by this client. Defaults to the value of the scopes attribute.

  • website

    The client's website. Defaults to the value of the website attribute.

  When successful, sets the client_secret, scopes, and client_id attributes of the Mastodon::Client object and returns the modified object.

  This should be called once per client and its contents cached locally.

• authorization_url()

  Generate an authorization URL for the given application. Accessing this URL via a browser by a logged in user will allow that user to grant this application access to the requested scopes. The scopes used are the ones in the scopes attribute at the time this method is called.

• authorize()

• authorize( %data )

  Grant the application access to the requested scopes for a given user. This method takes a hash with either an access code or a user's login credentials to grant authorization. Valid keys are:

  • access_code

    The access code obtained by visiting the URL generated by authorization_url.

  • username

  • password

    The user's login credentials.

  When successful, the method automatically sets the client's authorized attribute to a true value and caches the access_token for all future calls.

Error handling

Methods that make requests to the server will die whenever an error is encountered, or the data that was received from the server is not what is expected. The error string will, when possible, come from the response's status line, but this will likely not be enough to fully diagnose what went wrong.

• latest_response

  To make this easier, the client will cache the server's response after each request has been made, and expose it through the latest_response accessor.

  Note that, as its name implies, this will only store the most recent response.

  If called before any request has been made, it will return an undefined value.

The remaining methods listed here follow the order of those in the official API documentation.

Accounts

• get_account()

• get_account($id)

• get_account($params)

• get_account($id, $params)

  Fetches an account by ID. If no ID is provided, this defaults to the current authenticated account. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns a Mastodon::Entity::Account object, or a plain hash reference.

• update_account($params)

  Make changes to the authenticated account. Takes a hash reference with the following possible keys:

  • display_name

  • note

    Strings

  • avatar

  • header

    A base64 encoded image, or the name of a file to be encoded.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns the modified Mastodon::Entity::Account object, or a plain hash reference.

• followers()

• followers($id)

• followers($params)

• followers($id, $params)

  Get the list of followers of an account by ID. If no ID is provided, the one for the current authenticated account is used. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

• following()

• following($id)

• following($params)

• following($id, $params)

  Get the list of accounts followed by the account specified by ID. If no ID is provided, the one for the current authenticated account is used. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

• statuses()

• statuses($id)

• statuses($params)

• statuses($id, $params)

  Get a list of statuses from the account specified by ID. If no ID is provided, the one for the current authenticated account is used.

  In addition to the global GET parameters, this method accepts the following parameters:

  • only_media

  • exclude_replies

    Both boolean.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Status objects, or a plain array reference.

• follow($id)

• unfollow($id)

  Follow or unfollow an account specified by ID. The ID argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns the new Mastodon::Entity::Relationship object, or a plain hash reference.

• block($id)

• unblock($id)

  Block or unblock an account specified by ID. The ID argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns the new Mastodon::Entity::Relationship object, or a plain hash reference.

• mute($id)

• unmute($id)

  Mute or unmute an account specified by ID. The ID argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns the new Mastodon::Entity::Relationship object, or a plain hash reference.

• relationships(@ids)

• relationships(@ids, $params)

  Get the list of relationships of the current authenticated user with the accounts specified by ID. At least one ID is required, but more can be passed at once. Global GET parameters are available for this method, and can be passed as an additional hash reference as a final argument.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Relationship objects, or a plain array reference.

• search_accounts($query)

• search_accounts($query, $params)

  Search for accounts. Takes a mandatory string argument to use as the search query. If the search query is of the form username@domain, the accounts will be searched remotely.

  In addition to the global GET parameters, this method accepts the following parameters:

  • limit

    The maximum number of matches. Defaults to 40.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

Blocks

• blocks()

• blocks($params)

  Get the list of accounts blocked by the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

Favourites

• favourites()

• favourites($params)

  Get the list of statuses favourited by the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Status objects, or a plain array reference.

Follow requests

• follow_requests()

• follow_requests($params)

  Get the list of accounts requesting to follow the the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

• authorize_follow($id)

• reject_follow($id)

  Accept or reject the follow request by the account of the specified ID. The ID argument is mandatory.

  Returns an empty object.

Follows

• remote_follow($acct)

  Follow a remote user by account string (ie. username@domain). The argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an Mastodon::Entity::Account object, or a plain hash reference with the local representation of the specified account.

Instances

• fetch_instance()

  Fetches the latest information for the current instance the client is talking to. When successful, this method updates the value of the instance attribute.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an Mastodon::Entity::Instance object, or a plain hash reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

Media

• upload_media($file)

• upload_media($file, $params)

  Upload a file as an attachment. Takes a mandatory argument with the name of a local file to encode and upload, and an optional hash reference with the following additional parameters:

  • description

    A plain-text description of the media, for accessibility, as a string.

  • focus

    An array reference of two floating point values, to be used as the x and y focus values. These inform clients which point in the image is the most important one to show in a cropped view.

    The value of a coordinate is a real number between -1 and +1, where 0 is the center. x:-1 indicates the left edge of the image, x:1 the right edge. For the y axis, y:1 is the top edge and y:-1 is the bottom.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an Mastodon::Entity::Attachment object, or a plain hash reference.

  The returned object's ID can be passed to the post_status to post it to a timeline.

Mutes

• mutes()

• mutes($params)

  Get the list of accounts muted by the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

Notifications

• notifications()

• notifications($params)

  Get the list of notifications for the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Notification objects, or a plain array reference.

• get_notification($id)

  Get a notification by ID. The argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an Mastodon::Entity::Notification object, or a plain hash reference.

• clear_notifications()

  Clears all notifications for the authenticated user.

  This method takes no arguments and returns an empty object.

Reports

• reports()

• reports($params)

  Get a list of reports made by the authenticated user. Global GET parameters are available for this method.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Report objects, or a plain array reference.

• report($params)

  Report a user or status. Takes a mandatory hash with the following keys:

  • account_id

    The ID of a single account to report.

  • status_ids

    The ID of a single status to report, or an array reference of statuses to report.

  • comment

    An optional string.

  While the comment is always optional, either the account_id or the list of status_ids must be present.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, returns the new Mastodon::Entity::Report object, or a plain hash reference.

Search

• search($query)

• search($query, $params)

  Search for content. Takes a mandatory string argument to use as the search query. If the search query is a URL, Mastodon will attempt to fetch the provided account or status. Otherwise, it will do a local account and hashtag search.

  In addition to the global GET parameters, this method accepts the following parameters:

  • resolve

    Whether to resolve non-local accounts.

Statuses

• get_status($id)

• get_status($id, $params)

  Fetches a status by ID. The ID argument is mandatory. Global GET parameters are available for this method as an additional hash reference.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns a Mastodon::Entity::Status object, or a plain hash reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

• get_status_context($id)

• get_status_context($id, $params)

  Fetches the context of a status by ID. The ID argument is mandatory. Global GET parameters are available for this method as an additional hash reference.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns a Mastodon::Entity::Context object, or a plain hash reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

• get_status_card($id)

• get_status_card($id, $params)

  Fetches a card associated to a status by ID. The ID argument is mandatory. Global GET parameters are available for this method as an additional hash reference.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns a Mastodon::Entity::Card object, or a plain hash reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

• get_status_reblogs($id)

• get_status_reblogs($id, $params)

• get_status_favourites($id)

• get_status_favourites($id, $params)

  Fetches a list of accounts who have reblogged or favourited a status by ID. The ID argument is mandatory. Global GET parameters are available for this method as an additional hash reference.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns an array reference of Mastodon::Entity::Account objects, or a plain array reference.

  This method does not require authentication.

• post_status($text)

• post_status($text, $params)

  Posts a new status. Takes a mandatory string as the content of the status (which can be the empty string), and an optional hash reference with the following additional parameters:

  • status

    The content of the status, as a string. Since this is already provided as the first argument of the method, this is not necessary. But if provided, this value will overwrite that of the first argument.

  • in_reply_to_id

    The optional ID of a status to reply to.

  • media_ids

    An array reference of up to four media IDs. These can be obtained as the result of a call to upload_media().

  • sensitive

    Boolean, to mark status content as NSFW.

  • spoiler_text

    A string, to be shown as a warning before the actual content.

  • visibility

    A string; one of direct, private, unlisted, or public.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns the new Mastodon::Entity::Status object, or a plain hash reference.

• delete_status($id)

  Delete a status by ID. The ID is mandatory. Returns an empty object.

• reblog($id)

• unreblog($id)

• favourite($id)

• unfavourite($id)

  Reblog or favourite a status by ID, or revert this action. The ID argument is mandatory.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns the specified Mastodon::Entity::Status object, or a plain hash reference.

Timelines

• timeline($query)

• timeline($query, $params)

  Retrieves a timeline. The first argument defines either the name of a timeline (which can be one of home or public), or a hashtag (if it begins with the # character). This argument is mandatory.

  In addition to the global GET parameters, this method accepts the following parameters:

  Accessing the public and tag timelines does not require authentication.

  • local

    Boolean. If true, limits results only to those originating from the current instance. Only applies to public and tag timelines.

  Depending on the value of coerce_entities, it returns an array of Mastodon::Entity::Status objects, or a plain array reference. The more recent statuses come first.

STREAMING RESULTS

Alternatively, it is possible to use the streaming API to get a constant stream of updates. To do this, there is the stream() method.

• stream($query)

  Creates a Mastodon::Listener object which will fetch a stream for the specified query. Possible values for the query are either user, for events that are relevant to the authorized user; public, for all public statuses; or a tag (if it begins with the # character), for all public statuses for the particular tag.

  For more details on how to use this object, see the documentation for Mastodon::Listener.

  Accessing streaming public timeline does not require authentication.

REQUEST METHODS

Mastodon::Client uses four lower-level request methods to contact the API with GET, POST, PATCH, and DELETE requests. These are left available in case one of the higher-level convenience methods are unsuitable or undesirable, but you use them at your own risk.

They all take a URL as their first parameter, which can be a string with the API endpoint to contact, or a URI object, which will be used as-is.

If passed as a string, the methods expect one that contains only the variable parts of the endpoint (ie. not including the HOST/api/v1 part). The remaining parts will be filled-in appropriately internally.

• delete($url)

• get($url)

• get($url, $params)

  Query parameters can be passed as part of the URI object, but it is not recommended you do so, since Mastodon has expectations for array parameters that do not meet those of eg. URI::QueryParam. It will be easier and safer if any additional parameters are passed as a hash reference, which will be added to the URL before the request is sent.

• post($url)

• post($url, $data)

• patch($url)

• patch($url, $data)

  the post and patch methods work similarly to get and delete, but the optional hash reference is sent in as form data, instead of processed as query parameters. The Mastodon API does not use query parameters on POST or PATCH endpoints.

CONTRIBUTIONS AND BUG REPORTS

Contributions of any kind are most welcome!

The main repository for this distribution is on GitLab, which is where patches and bug reports are mainly tracked. The repository is also mirrored on Github, in case that platform makes it easier to post contributions.

If none of the above is acceptable, bug reports can also be sent through the CPAN RT system, or by mail directly to the developers at the address below, although these will not be as closely tracked.

AUTHOR

• José Joaquín Atria jjatria@cpan.org

CONTRIBUTORS

• Lance Wicks lancew@cpan.org

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2017 by José Joaquín Atria.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.