ExportComments API for Python

This is the official Python client for the ExportComments API v3, designed to facilitate the integration of advanced language processing capabilities into Python applications. Utilize this client to efficiently build and manage machine learning models for natural language processing directly from your Python environment.

Installation

To integrate the ExportComments library into your project, you can easily install it using pip:

pip install exportcomments

Alternatively, if you prefer to install from source or want to contribute to the project, clone the repository and install it manually:

git clone https://github.com/exportcomments/exportcomments-python.git
cd exportcomments-python
pip install -r requirements.txt
python setup.py install

Usage

To begin utilizing the ExportComments API, you must first instantiate the ExportComments client with your API key, which is available on your ExportComments account.

from exportcomments import ExportComments

# Initialize the client with your API key
ex = ExportComments('<YOUR API TOKEN HERE>')

Start an export process by submitting a URL to the API. This places the URL in the processing queue. Please note, the queue is limited to 5 concurrent requests.

response = ex.jobs.create(
    url='https://www.instagram.com/p/1234567',
    options={'replies': True, 'limit': 100}
)

To monitor the status of your export, retrieve the GUID from the initial response and query the export's status.

guid = response.body['guid']
response = ex.jobs.check(guid=guid)

The status of the export can be checked as follows, with potential statuses including "queueing", "error", "done", or "progress":

status = response.body['status']

Listing Your Jobs

You can list your existing jobs with pagination:

response = ex.jobs.list(page=1, limit=10)
jobs = response.body

Job Options

The new API supports various options that can be passed when creating a job:

response = ex.jobs.create(
    url='https://www.instagram.com/p/1234567',
    options={
        'replies': True,
        'limit': 500,
        'minTimestamp': 1622505600,
        'maxTimestamp': 1625097600,
        'vpn': 'Norway',
        'cookies': {
            'sessionid': 'your_session_id'
        }
    }
)

Backward Compatibility

For backward compatibility, you can still use ex.exports which will work the same as ex.jobs:

# This still works for backward compatibility
response = ex.exports.create(
    url='https://www.instagram.com/p/1234567',
    options={'replies': True}
)

Handling Errors

The API might raise exceptions during endpoint calls. Below is an example of how to catch and handle these exceptions:

from exportcomments.exceptions import ExportCommentsException

try:
    response = ex.jobs.create(
        url='https://www.instagram.com/p/1234567',
        options={'replies': True}
    )
except ExportCommentsException as e:
    # Handles all exceptions derived from ExportCommentsException
    print(e)

The following table outlines the available exceptions and their descriptions:

Exception Class	Description
ExportCommentsException	The base class for all exceptions listed below.
RequestParamsError	Indicates an invalid parameter was sent. Check the message or response object for details.
AuthenticationError	Occurs when authentication fails, typically due to an invalid API token.
ForbiddenError	Indicates insufficient permissions for the requested action on the specified resource.
PlanRateLimitError	Triggered by too many requests in a minute, according to your subscription plan's limits.
ConcurrencyRateLimitError	Triggered by too many requests in a second, indicating a rate limit on concurrent requests.

You can download the resulting Excel file by using requests.get. Here's a good example:

import requests
import pkg_resources

# download_link is retrieved from the .check method
download_link = response.body['download_link']

# Set headers for download
headers = {
    'X-AUTH-TOKEN': "Your API Token",
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'User-Agent': 'python-sdk-{}'.format(pkg_resources.get_distribution('exportcomments').version),
}

# Get the excel
response = requests.get(download_link, headers=headers)

# Handle the excel if it is available
if response.status_code == 200:
    # Create an excel and save it
    with open("result.xlsx", "wb") as output:
        output.write(response.content)

    print(f"[SUCCESSFUL DOWNLOAD] File Downloaded: {download_link}")
else:
    print(f"[FAILED TO DOWNLOAD] Status Code: {response.status_code}")

Development

If you want to contribute to this project, install the development dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Run tests:

pytest

Code example

Here's a comprehensive example demonstrating a typical workflow when only using 1 URL:

import requests
import pkg_resources
from exportcomments import ExportComments, ExportCommentsException
import time
import sys

ex = ExportComments('<YOUR API TOKEN HERE>')

def get_response(guid):
    while True:
        response = ex.jobs.check(guid=guid)
        status = response.body['status']

        if status == 'done':
            break
        elif status == 'error':
            print("Error generating your file.")
            sys.exit()

        time.sleep(20)

    download_link = response.body['download_link']
    headers = {
        'X-AUTH-TOKEN': "Your API Token",
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'User-Agent': 'python-sdk-{}'.format(pkg_resources.get_distribution('exportcomments').version),
    }

    response = requests.get(download_link, headers=headers)

    if response.status_code == 200:
        with open("result.xlsx", "wb") as output:
            output.write(response.content)
        print(f"[SUCCESSFUL DOWNLOAD] File Downloaded: {download_link}")
    else:
        print(f"[FAILED TO DOWNLOAD] Status Code: {response.status_code}")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    try:
        response = ex.jobs.create(
            url='https://www.instagram.com/p/1234567',
            options={'replies': True, 'limit': 100}
        )
    except ExportCommentsException as e:
        print(e)
        sys.exit()

    guid = response.body['guid']
    get_response(guid)

API v3 Changes

This version (2.0.0) introduces breaking changes to support API v3:

• New method names: Use ex.jobs instead of ex.exports (backward compatibility maintained)
• Updated parameters: The create() method now uses an options parameter instead of individual parameters
• Response structure: Responses now have a simplified structure with direct access to properties
• New endpoints: Updated to use /api/v3/ endpoints

For more information about the API, visit ExportComments API Documentation.