get_tweets.py

import json
import time
from TwitterAPI import TwitterAPI


# This is the object that we will use to send the request to Twitter
# A request is a HTTP request, just like your browser does when it goes to a website!
api = TwitterAPI(consumer_key, consumer_secret, access_token_key,
                 access_token_secret)


# UNTESTED!!!
def get_tweets():
    # This asks twitter to open up a stream of data
    # The stream sends tweets that come from the specified location.
    r = api.request('statuses/filter', {'locations': '-74,40,-73,41'})
    # This `with` statement is what is called a context manager
    # It allows you to open a file, write to it, then it will handle closing the file so you don't have to.
    with open("output.txt", "w") as f:
        # This is a time. Literally ten seconds in the future. Can be adjusted by chaning 10 to another # of seconds
        timeout = time.time() + 10   # Run for ten seconds.
        # While current time is less than ten seconds in the future (from start). After ten seconds quit.
        for tweet in r:
            if time.time() >= timeout:
                break
            # This writes the data to a file, followed by a newline character (1 tweet per line)
            data = json.dumps(tweet)
            print(data)
            f.write("{0}\n".format(data))