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Setting Up LinkedIn

Source: vignettes/articles/linkedin_app.Rmd
linkedin_app.Rmd

These are the instructions for setting up access to the API. Once this has been done, it’s not necessary to do it again, but we record this process here as a reference.

Note: These are instructions from the perspective of rOpenSci Staff setting up this LinkedIn app for posting messages to rOpenSci’s organizational LinkedIn page.

Resources

Setting up the app

For access to the LinkedIn API we have to create an App on the LinkedIn Developer Portal

  • This App is called: ‘rOpenSci Scheduler’
    • Users who wish to use this app in order to access the LinkedIn API must have admin access
  • Under the “Auth” tab, we have listed the Redirect URL of “http://localhost:1444” (this is used by the R functions and must match)
  • A request needs to be made in order to be able to programatically refresh tokens

LinkedIn API endpoints

We must request access to the different sets of end points we wish to use.

  • We have Default access to “Share on LinkedIn” which allows us to post on behalf of a user (i.e. ourselves) (Terms of use)
  • We have requested (and received) additional access to “Advertising API” (Marketing API Program; this allows posting on behalf of an organization) (Terms of Use)

Setting up LinkedIn credentials in this repository

This workflow requires two secrets in the GitHub repository (and locally if you want to use the functions or run tests locally):

  • linkedin_org - The client secret from the developer portal - Do this once
  • linkedin - The refresh token created below - Needs to be refreshed every year

Note: When using promoutils, these secrets are named linkedin_org and linkedin, but when storing these secrets as environmental variables, use use PU_LINKEDIN_ORG_KEY and PU_LINKEDIN_KEY (i.e. prepending “PU” for promoutils and appending “KEY”).

You can check if you have them locally with keys_check()

keys_check()
#> Key status
#> ✔ slack: TRUE
#> ✔ matomo: TRUE
#> ✔ linkedin: TRUE
#> ✔ linkedin_org: TRUE
#> ✔ github: TRUE
#> → Good to go!

See Authentication for promoutils for specifics on setting up authentication.

In repositories like scheduled_socials which use GitHub Actions on CRON to post social media posts, we need to include these authentication keys in the as secrets in GitHub > Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions and then define the Environmental variables in the workflow file (PU_LINKEDIN_KEY and PU_LINKEDIN_ORG_KEY).

We can get a 1-year refresh token that will automatically be refreshed. However, after a year, we will have to re-run the following code to get a new token and put it in the repo under PU_LINKEDIN_KEY.

You’ll know it’s time to do this when the functions fail with: HTTP 426 Upgrade Required.

For local testing, you’ll also need to have the PU_LINKEDIN_KEY (and PU_LINKEDIN_ORG) tokens in your .Renviron file or keyring.

Note that the authenticator for these API calls is considered the ‘author’ of the rOpenSci post on LinkedIn. However, this authorship is only visible to admins.

Running the following code will open a browser so you can login to LinkedIn and give it access to the rOpenSci account again.

Only do this when you’re ready to update the token in:

  • Your .Renviron file - Use key_set("linkedin")
  • Your GitHub secrets - PU_LINKEDIN_KEY 
l <- li_auth()
l$refresh_token # Copy this
keys_set("linkedin") # Then paste into the prompt

Now you’re ready to start working with the LinkedIn functions in promoutils.