Using get_transient and set_transient to save changing data

WP-Transient-API.php

<?php

//let's get my klout score!!

//first, let's see if I've got the data already cached locally
$klout = get_transient("klout"); 
  
  //dang it! it looks like I might not. let's check with the Klout API
  if( !$klout ) {  
    $json = file_get_contents("http://api.klout.com/1/klout.json?key=[API key]&users=clarklab");
    $return = json_decode($json, true);
    $kloutscore = $return["users"][0]["kscore"]; 

    //if the Klout API gave us a score, let's save it!
    if( $kloutscore ) {
      
      //in a field named "klout", we'll save our $kloutscore, for 12 hours (60 seconds x 60 minutes x 12 hours)
      set_transient("klout", $kloutscore, 60 * 60 * 12);

      //let's also make sure to set the data you were originally looking for
      $klout = $kloutscore;  
    }  
  }
	
echo 'Now I can safely check my '.$klout.' score with transients!';

?>