Slack Doorbell

Node.js-based service that forwards a text message to a Slack channel, using Twilio.

You've got a locked door and a busy event. You have a team that can open said door. Put them to use.

Icon attribution: "Pointing" icon designed by Laurent Canivet from the Noun Project. Slack icon from Slack. Mashed up by beechnut.

0. Download the code.

Make sure Node.js is installed.

In Terminal (Mac OS X / Linux), run

$ node --version

If you see an error, Node is not installed. You can install it through instructions at

https://github.com/joyent/node/wiki/Installation#installing-on-linux

or find a tutorial.

Then, really get the code, and install the application's dependencies.

$ git clone https://github.com/codeforboston/slack-doorbell
$ cd slack-doorbell
$ npm install

1. Set up an Incoming Webhook on Slack.

In Slack, find the Configure Integrations menu. Create a new Incoming Webhook integration, and set the channel, username, and icon. (We're using our '#door' channel, username 'Alfred', and a 'monkey' emoji.)

2. Set up Twilio.

After getting a Twilio phone number, in the settings for that number, go to Messaging. In "Request URL", add the URL of where your slack-doorbell server is running, and make sure the type is "HTTP POST".

3. Configure the application

For the service to work, the following environment variables need to be set:

SLACK_DOMAIN
SLACK_TOKEN
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_ID
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER

You could just set these on your system.

If you have Docker

If you have Docker, you can set up a Docker image, and set environment variables in the Dockerfile. (This is maybe not best practice, but you can do it if you have a private repo available, or self-hosted Dockerhub registry.)

In your shell, change Dockerfile.template to Dockerfile.

$ mv Dockerfile.template Dockerfile

Edit Dockerfile, filling in the environment variables. To build the Docker image, run:

$ docker build --no-cache -t "YOUR_USERNAME/slack-doorbell" .

4. Run and test the service.

Then, to run the service on port 8080, do:

# Change the port number if you get an "address in use" error (EADDRINUSE).
$ PORT=8080 node index.js

Or, if you have Docker, run

$ docker run -it --rm -p 8080:8080 --name bell YOUR_USERNAME/slack-doorbell

Then, in another Terminal tab or window, to test the service, run

$ curl -X POST localhost:8080/ # or whatever port number you're using

You should see a pleasant message confirming the request, and see a mostly empty message in your Slack channel.

5. Deploy.

Instructions to come.

6. Subscribe

Set the channel topic so that it contains the text number. People will need to refer to it. Request that all your potential door-openers join your doorbell channel. In the channel menu (click the channel name), set your notifications so they always appear on desktop and they push to mobile devices.

civictechdc / slack-doorbell