R: Get user IDs of accounts followed by target user(s).

get_friends {rtweet} | R Documentation

## Get user IDs of accounts followed by target user(s).

### Description

Returns a list of user IDs for the accounts following BY one or more specified users. To return the friends of more than 15 users in a single call (the rate limit maximum), set "retryonratelimit" to TRUE.

### Usage

    get_friends(
      users,
      n = 5000,
      retryonratelimit = FALSE,
      page = "-1",
      parse = TRUE,
      verbose = TRUE,
      token = NULL
    )

### Arguments

`users` | Screen name or user ID of target user from which the user IDs of friends (accounts followed BY target user) will be retrieved.
`n` | Number of friends (user IDs) to return. Defaults to 5,000, which is the maximum returned by a single API call. Users are limited to 15 of these requests per 15 minutes. Twitter limits the number of friends a user can have to 5,000. To follow more than 5,000 accounts (to have more than 5 thousand "friends") accounts must meet certain requirements (e.g., a certain ratio of followers to friends). Consequently, the vast majority of users follow fewer than five thousand accounts. This function has been oriented accordingly (i.e., it assumes the maximum value of n is 5000). To return more than 5,000 friends for a single user, call this function multiple times with requests after the first using the `page` parameter.
`retryonratelimit` | If you'd like to retrieve 5,000 or fewer friends for more than 15 target users, then set `retryonratelimit = TRUE` and this function will use base `Sys.sleep` until rate limits reset and the desired number of friend networks is retrieved. This defaults to FALSE. See details for more info regarding possible issues with timing misfires.
`page` | Default `page = -1` specifies first page of JSON results. Other pages specified via cursor values supplied by Twitter API response object. This is only relevant if a user has over 5000 friends (follows more than 5000 accounts).
`parse` | Logical, indicating whether to return parsed vector or nested list object. By default, `parse = TRUE` saves you the time [and frustrations] associated with disentangling the Twitter API return objects.
`verbose` | Logical indicating whether or not to include output messages. Defaults to TRUE, which includes printing a success message for each inputted user.
`token` | Every user should have their own Oauth (Twitter API) token. By default `token = NULL` this function looks for the path to a saved Twitter token via environment variables (which is what 'create_token()' sets up by default during initial token creation). For instruction on how to create a Twitter token see the tokens vignette, i.e., 'vignettes("auth", "rtweet")' or see `?tokens`.

### Details

When `retryonratelimit = TRUE` this function internally makes a rate limit API call to get information on (a) the number of requests remaining and (b) the amount of time until the rate limit resets. So, in theory, the sleep call should only be called once between waves of data collection. However, as a fail safe, if a system's time is calibrated such that it expires before the rate limit reset, or if, in another session, the user dips into the rate limit, then this function will wait (use Sys.sleep for a second time) until the next rate limit reset. Users should monitor and test this before making especially large calls as any systematic issues could create sizable inefficiencies.

At this time, results are ordered with the most recent following first — however, this ordering is subject to unannounced change and eventual consistency issues. While this remains true it is possible to iteratively build friends lists for a user over time.

### Value

A tibble data frame with two columns, "user" for name or ID of target user and "user_id" for follower IDs.

### See Also

https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/accounts-and-users/follow-search-get-users/api-reference/get-friends-ids

Other ids: `get_followers()`, `next_cursor()`

### Examples

    ## Not run:

    ## get user ids of accounts followed by Donald Trump
    (djt <- get_friends("realDonaldTrump"))

    ## get user ids of accounts followed by (friends) KFC, Trump, and Nate Silver.
    (fds <- get_friends(c("kfc", "jack", "NateSilver538")))

    ## End(Not run)

[Package rtweet version 0.7.0 Index]