Facebook Unoficial API + Chatterbot Bot Part 2: The Echo Bot

Hello everyone, In this we will do a simple echo bot for the purposes of testing if fbchat library is working and for wreaking instant karma...........

Echo Bot

An echo bot simply echoes back whatever is given to

You: Sun
Bot: Sun
You: Moon
Bot: Moon
You: Zen
Bot: Zen

In short whatever you give, it returns. Ok lets get our hands dirty

First things first: Importing libraries

from fbchat import log, Client

Client is the main class of fbchat, which contains all the methods you use to interact with Facebook. You can extend this class, and overwrite the on methods, to provide custom event handling (mainly useful while listening).

On the other hand logging is simply used for logging

Subclassing the client class

class EchoBot(Client):

I just died and on reincarnation I decide to be Client's son so I inherit all
the good genes(properties and methods) he has. How lucky i am.

Overriding the onMessage

onMessage method is executed every-time a message is sent whether from you or someone else. However we want it to execute in some special way different from the parent class so we override it.

def onMessage(self, author_id, message_object, thread_id, thread_type, **kwargs):
        self.markAsDelivered(thread_id, message_object.uid)
        self.markAsRead(thread_id)

        log.info("{} from {} in {}".format(message_object, thread_id, thread_type.name))

        # If you're not the author, echo
        if author_id != self.uid:
            self.send(message_object, thread_id=thread_id, thread_type=thread_type)

What Happening

• We get a message
• We tell the sender that his message was delivered and read
• We log some info which we received
• If the id that sent the message is not ours we simply echo back the message

Last but not least: Loging in and listening

client = EchoBot("nightfury@mars.example", "easypass123")
client.listen()

We create our Echobot object then get into listen mode. What we receive we return back given that we did not send that message. Breaking this condition will result in an endless echo loop that is if facebook doesn't ban you.

Bye bye