Sending a text message via Twilio using Python or Ruby

sms_myself.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
REQUIREMENTS:
    * A Twilio account
    * Python with the twilio library (`pip install twilio`)
    * A purchased phone number on twilio to serve as your "from" number ($1/mo)
    * Some twilio credits to pay for the $.01/msg SMS fees

The python-twilio library uses OS-level environment variables
to store SID/Token info:
    * $TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID
    * $TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
"""

from sys            import argv
from twilio.rest    import TwilioRestClient

sms_recipient   = "+REDACTED"         # My google voice number
sms_sender      = "+REDACTED"         # My paid twilio number

desired_message = ' '.join(argv[1:])  # Skip argv[0]; It's the name of this file

client          = TwilioRestClient()

message         = client.sms.messages.create(
        to      = sms_recipient,
        from_   = sms_sender,
        body    = desired_message)

print("Text sent: " + desired_message)

sms_myself.rb

#!/usr/bin/env ruby

require 'rubygems' # not necessary with ruby 1.9.2 but included for completeness
require 'twilio-ruby'

# put your own credentials here
@account_sid    = ENV['TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID']
@auth_token     = ENV['TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN']

SMS_RECIPIENT   = "+REDACTED"      # My google voice number
SMS_SENDER      = "+REDACTED"      # My paid twilio number

@body           = ARGV.join ' '

# set up a client to talk to the Twilio REST API
@client = Twilio::REST::Client.new(@account_sid, @auth_token)

@client.account.sms.messages.create(
  :from => SMS_SENDER,
  :to   => SMS_RECIPIENT,
  :body => @body
)

puts "Text sent: #{@body}"

I just looked under the hood of this sweet twilio library to see how it wraps the REST api to make SMS sending easy. Here' s the goods: https://github.com/twilio/twilio-python/blob/master/twilio/rest/resources.py#L900

aw come on, the ruby one's decent too ;)

The ruby one's great, too! The pro-python commentary predates the addition of the Ruby snippet. I liked them both and I've actually moved on to play with the Ruby one signcificantly more than the Python library.

I hooked it up to Sinatra and sent myself a smiley face. I love smiley faces.

Edit: No fair, you should've mentioned that you are the primary contributor :P

yeah i should have mentioned that. check out this irb console i built a couple nights ago. makes playing with twilio really easy:

https://gist.github.com/1099050

$ ./twilio-console
irb> account.calls.sms.send :from => 'bleep', :to => 'bloop', :body => ':)'

send yourself an sms from the "command line".