Django background tasks update database daily

Using Django
1

Hi,

I want to run Django background tasks to call the twitter api and retrieve a count of the number of followers a particular handle has, i want this to be added to the database every day.

I have a Project model that will be storing the twitter handle, but was thinking the twitter count should be stored in a seperate model SocialMedia with a FK to Project.project_name The model would have project_name datetime,count with the idea being i can track the twitter growth over time and plot on a chart.

So is the idea re a seperate model the correct way, later i would like to add Telegram or youtube numbers too.

And is a Django background task correct or is there a better way?

Thanks

Tom

2

The model idea sounds fine. (This is another case where there’s no one correct way. There are many. This is one of them.)

However, this wouldn’t be a Django background task. This more sounds like it would be something run once per day.

For other discussions on this subject here, see:

3

Thanks, Ken.

I think first off ill look at the mgmt cmds, it seems a bit easier and without the need for msg bus.

I’ve created the function, it seems to work in retrieving the count, but when i save() its throwing an error

def get_twitter_followers(request,project_id):
    today = now().date()
    consumer_key = "#########"
    consumer_secret = "########"
    access_token = "##########"
    access_token_secret = "###################"
    project = Project.objects.get(pk=project_id) 
    auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_key, consumer_secret)
    auth.set_access_token(access_token, access_token_secret)
    api = tweepy.API(auth)
    user = api.get_user(screen_name=project.project_twitter_handle)
    count = (user.followers_count)
    r = SocialMedia(pk=project_id, capture_date = today, twitter_count = count, telegram_count=count )
    r.save()

    return count,today

Error

django.db.utils.IntegrityError: null value in column "project_name_id" violates not-null constraint
DETAIL:  Failing row contains (23, 2022-01-05 00:00:00+00, 587, 587, null).

I know i should know this, but i can’t work it out?

Tom

4

And your SocialMedia model looks like….

(Are you supplying values for all non-null fields?)

5 
class SocialMedia(models.Model):

    project_name = models.ForeignKey(Project,  on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    capture_date = models.DateTimeField(blank=True, null=True)
    twitter_count = models.IntegerField(null=True)
    telegram_count = models.IntegerField(null=True)

    def __str__(self):
        return str(self.project_name)

I should say that i am just running this via the shell at the moment and passing in the params needed. But i dont think that is the cause of the error

6

So SocialMedia has 5 fields.

Two of those fields require values, the automatically-created field named id (and frequently available through the alias pk), and project_name.

To repeat my earlier question:

7

:frowning: of course i missed project_name = project

Thanks Ken