felix's Introduction

Felix!

by @alexpgates

Here's a quick and dirty way to manage SMS groups using PHP and Twilio. This is handy for events like summer camps or other events when you want to get a message out to organizers / counselors quickly.

This code is a few years old, but it has been updated to use the latest Twilio PHP library.

Features

Onboarding flow for new members
- Users join by texting anything to the number, then following the directions.
Members can leave the group by sending: -stop.
Members can change their nicknames by sending: -name (new nickname).
The group administrator get alerted when members join.
All messages are logged in the database.
Messages can contain up to 1600 characters.

Requirements

Twilio PHP library
A Twilio account with credits and a caller ID verified phone number.
PHP
MySQL database
A tolerance for procedural PHP

Setup

Get your account set up at Twilio and verify your number.
Point your SMS settings to the location of sms.php on your server.
Execute database_setup.sql to set up the required tables.
Fill in the necessary variables in settings.php.
Drop the Twilio PHP Library in the directory root and make sure the path at the top of sms.php is correct.
Send a text to your number and follow the directions to join the group.

To Do

This needs a better way for an admin to manage the users. Right now, you need to manage users directly in the database.
~~Yeah, it uses the depracated mysql_connect(). It should be updated to mysqli_connect() or pdo.~~ (Updated to mysqli on 7-15-2014)