Text From URL: Now Playing and Last Played Replies

Text Groove's Text From URL reply type lets you send live, real-time song data as an SMS reply. Instead of a static message, Text Groove fetches plain text from a public URL the moment a listener texts in, and sends whatever that URL returns as the reply. It's ideal for "Now Playing" and "Last Played" features where the content changes constantly.

How It Works

When a listener texts your keyword, here's what happens:

1. The listener texts a keyword to your station's number.
2. Text Groove sends a request to the URL you've configured in that keyword's autoresponder.
3. The URL returns plain text.
4. Text Groove sends that text to the listener as the SMS reply.

Every inbound text triggers a fresh pull from the URL, so the reply is always current.

What the URL Needs to Return

The URL must return plain text only — no HTML, no JSON. The output goes directly to a listener's phone, so it needs to be human-readable and SMS-friendly.

The endpoint must also serve the response with a Content-Type: text/plain header. If the server returns a different content type, Text Groove won't be able to read the response correctly.

Example output:

The last three songs on [Station Name] were:

[Song Title] - [Artist]
[Song Title] - [Artist]
[Song Title] - [Artist]

SMS messages over 160 characters are sent as multi-part (concatenated) messages. That still works fine, but it's worth keeping in mind when formatting the output.

What Your Web Developer Needs to Build

Your station's web developer needs to create a publicly accessible endpoint that:

• Connects to whatever system your station uses to log song history (streaming software, music scheduler, playout system, etc.)
• Queries the last X songs played
• Returns the results as formatted plain text
• Serves the response with a Content-Type: text/plain header
• Requires no authentication (the URL must be reachable without a login or API key)

The endpoint can also support query string parameters (for example, ?station=Q101&mount=WKQXFMAAC) so a single URL can serve multiple stations dynamically, just by changing the parameter values in each keyword's configuration.

Streaming Provider Parameters

If you're using one of the following providers, your developer will need to include these parameters when building the endpoint.

Stream Guys

• apikey (Metadata API Key)
• uuid (Scraper UUID)
• station (Visible Name for your station)

Triton

• mount (Station Mount Point)
• station (Visible Name for your station)

Aiir

• mount (Station Mount Point)
• station (Visible Name for your station)

Pre-Built Endpoints

If your station uses Stream Guys, Triton, or Aiir, Text Groove has pre-built endpoints you can use directly.

Stream Guys

• Now Playing: https://scripts.tgvcustom.com/streamguys-nowplaying.php
• Last 3 Played: https://scripts.tgvcustom.com/streamguys-last3.php

Triton

• Last 3 Played: https://scripts.tgvcustom.com/triton-last3.php

Aiir

• Last 3 Played: https://scripts.tgvcustom.com/aiir-last3.php

[FLAGGED: Confirm whether Triton and Aiir also have a "Now Playing" endpoint, or only "Last 3." Stream Guys appears to have both. Verify before publishing.]

Setting It Up in Text Groove

1. Go to the Keywords App and open the keyword you want to configure (or create a new one).
2. Under Automatic Reply click the Message drop down that shows Custom Message by default and select Text from URL.
3. Paste the endpoint URL into the URL field.
4. Click Save.

(Insert screenshot of the keyword autoresponder settings with Text From URL selected in the Message dropdown.)




A Few Things to Keep in Mind

• The URL must be publicly accessible. Text Groove can't reach URLs that require authentication headers or a login.
• The response must be plain text only, served with a Content-Type: text/plain header. HTML tags, JSON formatting, or an incorrect content type will cause the reply to look broken on the listener's phone.
• If the URL is down or returns an error, the listener won't receive a reply. Endpoint uptime matters.
• Slow-loading URLs can delay the SMS reply. Keep response times fast.

? Need a hand?
We've got you. Reach out anytime at support@textgroove.com.