Masala Bot

Masala Bot checking-in with users and tracking emojis
Masala Bot detecting a non-active conversation and spicing things up a bit!
Masala Bot detecting non-active conversations in a newly created channel!
Creating new channels is easy with Masala Bot!
Masala Bot helping users to check-in with each other

Inspiration

Especially as freshmen trying to navigate zoom university, we know those group chats that start off great, but a few days later, they die :( We created Masala Bot to help students connect, keep conversations spicy, and build common interests. We also understand how stressful life can be sometimes, so we wanted to create a companion that would always be there for you <3

What it does

Masala Bot has some pretty cool features. Masala Bot can automagically detect when conversations are about to die and will spice up the conversation with a randomized question to get you and your group laughing and bonding. These questions encourage people to have fun conversations and get to know each other. We also have the ability for users to create small group chats in various categories to contrast with the large, boring group chats that most people are in now. Above all, Masala Bot will be your best friend. Every day, Masala Bot will send a check-in to each person on the server and will ask for an emoji to describe how they are doing. Masala Bot will keep track of these emojis so you can track your wellbeing. Masala Bot will also offer support and give suggestions on what you can do for that day. Especially, in a pandemic, checking in with friends can be hard, so Masala Bot also makes it easy for you to send check-ins to your friends so they know you are there for them too.

How we built it

We built Masala Bot with Python using the Discord API and multiple different Python libraries to handle background tasks, client operations, and bot commands. We used Git to collaborate on the different features of our Bot.

Challenges we ran into

Two of our biggest challenges were Safety Jim and dealing with Discord permissions. Since we were editing and sharing our code online through Repl.it and Github, we would consistently have problems with our bot token, to the point where Safety Jim from Discord support was sending us a message every few minutes. Additionally, we found it really challenging to send direct messages to users from the bot, as there were many permissions that needed to be toggled for us to be able to send messages. Nevertheless, we were eventually able to figure it out using trial and error :)

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are really proud of the fact that we were able to create a Discord bot, since none of us had any experience with coding a bot before. We were able to implement everything we wanted to, and even learned how to use background tasks. We’re also really happy that we were able to use Github effectively. We were really struggling initially, but the Github workshop really helped us get our bearings, and end up being successful!

What we learned

Since none of us had experience with building bots, we learned a lot of the skills that went into making Masala Bot happen (listed above). We also learned how to use the Discord API in Python. Finally, we learned how to use Git from the Git workshop and utilized it to collaborate effectively.

What's next for Masala Bot

We hope to make Masala Bot even more customizable! We want to allow users to add in their own spicy questions and also work on creating private channels for smaller groups.