First there were desktop software products, then everything moved to the web. Then there were email-based products and even SMS-based ones. The latest craze in software interfaces is messenger bots, and Facebook has the largest chat platform by a long shot. First, git clone the Github repository that I set up for this project:. Then, cd into it and install python dependencies: Then, in your browser, visit http: Make sure you grab the full https: You can skip through most of the setup steps.
Then create a new Facebook App for your bot and give your app a name, category and contact email. Click on the Page Access Token to copy it to your clipboard. On the command line, in the same folder where you cloned the application, run:. This token will be used to authenticate your requests whenever you try to send a message or reply to someone. This should open a message pane with your Page. Receiving Messages We handle incoming messages starting on line 24 inside app.
In step 4, we told Facebook what message types we want our webhook to be notified about. Sending Messages In order to send a simple text message, you only need two things:. There are many more complex message types you can send, including messages with images and buttons.
More information on those message types here. These are essentially buttons that, when tapped by a user, send a postback messaging event to your webhook. You could use this for placing an order, confirming a request or lots of other things. Whenever a user taps a postback button, your webhook is notified and can perform any sort of subsequent follow-up action necessary.
You have to go through a review process before your bot is open to the world, ready to chat with anyone. Facebook seems to be very thorough in their review process, and with good reason. The code for a messaging bot runs on your own servers and could change at any time, without Facebook knowing.
Go back to your Messenger App Settings page that we used in Step 4. On this page, you can also ask to be granted extra information about users, like their email or profile information. Then it all goes to the Facebook review team to sign off and give you full access to the Messenger platform. More information about the approval process here.
I'm a full-stack web developer and tech lead with 6 years of experience across many modern tech stacks. I'm always looking to talk to new clients and contribute to cool projects.
Contact me or check out my side projects. Facebook Messenger Bot Tutorial: Get Email Updates One or two emails a month about the latest technology I'm hacking on. And You Can Too!
Buy sell faster at Bittrex with a quick easy to use interface. The only thing that is important is the right tool to use and achieve our mark. The most commonly used detailed reference was that war was necessary to ensure the Americans their own safety (Bush 1991-01-16; Clinton 1999-0324b; Bush, 2003-03-04).