Python client for Redflash

Matthew Pontefract, matthew at rethought<dash>solutions<dot>com

RedFlash is a tool for managing notifications. It provides a single HTTP API that any application can call to send a message to a named person or group, or to fire a generic event. Through RedFlash you can manage recipients (adding and removing from groups and event notifications) and manage the channels by which any given individual is notified (for example SMS or Twitter)

This client library provides simple access to RedFlash. Examples:

from rfclient.redflash import RedFlashClient
rfc = RedFlashClient(rf_url="http://my.redflash.url", api_key="<key obtained from admin>")
rfc.notify_contact(<contact_slug>, "message to send")
rfc.notify_group(<group_slug>, "message to send")

# args are a set of keyword arguments that get passed to the message
# template
rfc.fire_event(<event_slug>, **kwargs)

Logging

A simple RedFlash logging handler is also provided. Use as any other log handler. The class is rfclient.rflogger.RedFlashHandler and takes the following arguments:

• host: the RedFlash server
• apikey
• notify_groups: list of group names to notify (if any)
• notify_contacts: list of contact names to notify (if any)
• fail_silently: default True, swallow errors e.g. if invalid or disabled recipient
• max_len: If None or 0 messages are sent 'as-is', otherwise the message is truncated to the stated length prior to sending. Prevent accidentally sending a large message as a multi-part SMS! Default 160.
• prefix: If set, this is prefixed to all messages going through this logger.

The expectation is that this be used to raise SMS alerts rather than email hence the default position of truncating messages. To disable truncation, set max_len to zero or None.

An exmaple of a Python dictConfig handler clause:

'handlers': {
    'redflash': {
        'level': 'INFO',
        'class': 'rfclient.rflogger.RedFlashHandler',
        'host' : '<REDFLASH HOST>',
        'apikey': '<YOUR API KEY>',
        'notify_groups': [<GROUPS LIST>],
        'notify_contacts': [<CONTACTS LIST>],
        'max_len': 140,
        'prefix': "SYS01:",
    }
},