Instasharp in a Console Application

Question

I have a .net console application that I want to use to pull Instagram posts via the Instasharp wrapper using a hashtag search.

I use C# .net web forms extensively and am not very familiar with MVC nor how to use the await keyword. The code sample below seems to run, but never provides any output.

This line:

var tagInfo = await tagApi.Get("soccer");

Returns me to the calling method with no indication of retrieved data.

Can anyone provide insights as to what I am doing wrong here?

public static async void GetInstagram(String tag, InstagramConfig config)
{
    var instagramPosts = await LoadInstagramPosts(tag, config);
    dynamic dyn = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(instagramPosts.ToString());

        foreach (var data in dyn.data)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("{0} - {1}", data.filter, data.images.standard_resolution.url);
        }
    }

    public static async Task<TagResponse> LoadInstagramPosts(String hashTagTerm, InstagramConfig config)
    {
        var tagApi = new InstaSharp.Endpoints.Tags(config);
        var tagInfo = await tagApi.Get("soccer");
 }

EDITED code after first comment which solved my initial problem.

I feel like I'm close but something is still missing. See specific questions below...

I've based the code on the documentation from InstaSharp GitHub (https://github.com/InstaSharp/InstaSharp). GitHubs example is based on an MVC application, mine is not an MVC project, but a console application.

I feel like I am very close and maybe others will benefit from helping me solve this.

My specific questions... 1) Not sure where the 'code' parameter in the OAuth method originate?? 2) How to perform the needed call backs with Instagram??

var config = new InstaSharp.InstagramConfig(location.InstagramClientId, location.InstagramClientSecret, "http://localhost");
    string instagramLoginLink = InstagramLogin(config);
    GetInstagram("soccer", config, instagramLoginLink);
    public static async void GetInstagram(String tag, InstagramConfig config, string code)
    {
        OAuthResponse oAuthResponse = await OAuth(code, config);
        var instagramPosts = await LoadInstagramPosts(tag, config, oAuthResponse);
        if(instagramPosts.Data != null)
        { 
            dynamic dyn = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(instagramPosts.Data.ToString());

            foreach (var data in dyn.data)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("{0} - {1}", data.filter, data.images.standard_resolution.url);
            }
        }
    }

    public static string InstagramLogin(InstagramConfig config)
    {
        var scopes = new List<OAuth.Scope>();
        scopes.Add(InstaSharp.OAuth.Scope.Likes);
        scopes.Add(InstaSharp.OAuth.Scope.Comments);

        string link = InstaSharp.OAuth.AuthLink(config.OAuthUri + "authorize", config.ClientId, config.RedirectUri, scopes, InstaSharp.OAuth.ResponseType.Code);

        return link;
    }

    public static async Task<OAuthResponse> OAuth(string code, InstagramConfig config)
    {
        // add this code to the auth object
        var auth = new OAuth(config);

        // now we have to call back to instagram and include the code they gave us
        // along with our client secret
        return await auth.RequestToken(code);
    }

    public static async Task<TagResponse> LoadInstagramPosts(String hashTagTerm, InstagramConfig config, OAuthResponse OAuth)
    {
        var tagApi = new InstaSharp.Endpoints.Tags(config, OAuth);
        return await tagApi.Get("soccer");
    }

Is the compiler complaining about your code? `LoadInstagramPosts` is defined as returning `Task` but you don't return anything. Do `return await tagApi.Get("Soccer");` — Crowcoder, Aug 10 '16 at 00:47
Thanks Crowcoder. That DID seem to return me to the calling method... do I need to move out of the async routines to do any actual work with whatever is returned? — Rob Gaudet, Aug 10 '16 at 18:10
No, when you `await` something, you can treat it pretty much like an ordinary synchronous call. — Crowcoder, Aug 10 '16 at 18:42
Thanks Crowcoder. Can you take a look at my edited comments and let me know if you have any suggestions?? I'm very close. — Rob Gaudet, Aug 10 '16 at 19:27
I'm not at all familiar with the Instagram API, I was commenting about async/await in general, but it looks like the `OAuthResponse` contains the "code", so I don't see a reason for it to be an argument to `GetInstagram`. — Crowcoder, Aug 10 '16 at 20:14

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 01 '17 at 12:47

I'm a bit late to the show, yet probably my answer will help someone who find this question when googling, someone like me.

The main problem with your approach is that Instagram is using OAuth authentication. I suggest you to google on OAuth to understand the principles, but I will try to explain the practical points of it below.

OAuth approach means that the result of the InstagramLogin method in the snippet above is not the code. It's the link where you need to send you user (yes, using a browser or a web-view) so that they can sign into their Instagram account and then authorize your application to access their data (so-called user consent screen).

In the end, after user consent, Instagram will redirect browser to the URL of your choice (it should be previously added in the list of allowed redirect urls in Instagram API -> Manage Clients (top-right corner) -> Create/Select client to Manage -> Security tab)

You can try set a breakpoint and copy the value of instagramLoginLink into your browser's address box. You will be able to see the whole flow of authentication and consent - and finally the redirect url that will most probably produce 404 in your browser.

This final link will contain the code in a get parameter. It's the so-called grant code that allows you to get an access token. This code is to be extracted from url and then used in your call to OAuth.RequestToken).

PS: Yes, everything I say above means that you need either a web app running that will redirect user to Instagram or a client-side app that will show the user a web view and somehow handle the moment when Instagram sends the user back to your redirect url - to grab the code and proceed.

Instasharp in a Console Application

1 Answers1