Forum:Thinking about making a bot...

So I've been thinking for a while about making a wiki bot like some of the other admins have. I just reserved the bot's name as Deadlybot but I don't know exactly how to run a bot. Can anyone let me know how to get started with a bot? I was thinking I might like to have it keep a log of chat (not as the full extent of what it does, but just for starters), would I need a constant connection to the Wikia servers to do that? I have root-level access to a Linux-based webserver if that helps. -- 00:22, July 18, 2011 (UTC)
 * First off you need to have the account flagged as a bot account (Wikia staff need to do it), so I would leave a message with Ausir. As for chat, I am not sure how they have there chat server configured, I would also guess it is may change as the chat feature is still in beta. Now with the actual bot programme itself, it all depends on your level of knowledge to what is best. For me I am using AutoWiki Browser, which is a semi automated programme that has limited support compared to a full blown bot, but it fits my level of knowledge. User avatar tag.gif Avatar talk.png 00:38, July 18, 2011 (UTC)
 * P.S. I would also add the Bot tag to the bot account. User avatar tag.gif Avatar talk.png 00:40, July 18, 2011 (UTC)


 * The two most commonly used programs are AutoWikiBrowser (AWB) (which GA already mentioned) and Pywikipediabot. AWB has a GUI and is easier to use; Pywikipediabot is a command line program and is more powerful (in my opinion). The pages I linked have install instructions and feature descriptions; should you decide to use Pywikipediabot, you can find the family file for this wiki at User:PorterBot/Configuration.
 * I'm not sure whether you'll be able to use either of these to work on Special:Chat though - as far as I recall, bot support is still on the to-do list for that particular feature. -- Porter21 (talk) 21:22, July 18, 2011 (UTC)
 * I decided to go with Pywikipediabot, seems a lot simpler for me to use than AWB since I have to put it on a computer with an always-on internet connection and I have access to one running Linux. I copied the family file to User:Deadlybot/Config and changed the bot flag on that page to my name, was that correct? -- 22:30, July 18, 2011 (UTC)


 * An online copy of the family file isn't really necessary; I only keep one to make it easier for people to set up their own bots. You do need to create a new text file named "fallout_family.py" in the "pywikipedia -> families" folder and copy the contents of User:PorterBot/Configuration (everything below the first header) there; see Pywikipediabot/Use on non-Wikimedia wikis for more details. -- Porter21 (talk) 17:35, July 20, 2011 (UTC)


 * I fixed the error I was getting with simplejson. As it turns out, it's not just for 2.5+, it'll work on 2.4 as well, so I installed it. Funny how that works. Now I can make it do something just as soon as I figure out how. -- 00:27, July 22, 2011 (UTC)