To get a fresh Botkit starter kit, use the Yeoman generator or remix a starter kit on Glitch
npm install -g yo generator-botkit
yo botkit
Embed a bot in any web page or app with Botkit for the Web.
Botkit Anywhere is a self-contained chat server, API and web-based messaging client that has been built on top of the industry leading Botkit development stack.
You can deploy this starter kit project directly to Glitch, or clone it to your own development environment:
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Use the Botkit command line utility to install locally:
npm i -g botkit
botkit new -p webBots can be thought of as a series of pre-defined conversations, navigated by users who exchange messages with the bot application. The bot is responsible for replying with the appropriate message, and taking whatever automated actions are necessary to satisfy the user. Each "feature" of your bot will consist of one or more conversations, along with some code to power the related actions.
Botkit CMS is an optional add-on for Botkit that enables developers, designers, copywriters and other botmakers to build features for bots without writing any code by providing dialog authoring and content management tools. The visual authoring environment in Botkit CMS can be used to create branching conversations, Q&A systems, complex transactions, or any other type of conversational content.
Conversational content in Botkit CMS can be updated and expanded at any time, without requiring changes to the bot's code.
Then, with just a bit of code, your bot can access and use information from databases, APIs and third party services as part of the conversation. The business logic of your bot stays clean and easy to maintain by separating the form from the functionality.
Botkit's SDK powers tens-of-thousands of bots, and supports development of chatbots on all major messaging platforms. Members of the Botkit developer community have created dozens of useful plugins, including plugins that add compatibility with top A.I. technologies like IBM Watson, DialogFlow, and RASA.
New code-driven features can be added to this starter kit by creating "skills" which are Javascript modules containing a set of specialized pattern matchers, handler functions and middlewares.
Botkit Anywhere includes an easy to customize chat client that can be used as a full-screen web app, built into the structure of an existing page, or embedded in an entire site with an iframe.
The built-in client uses websocket connections to establish a real time connection to your Botkit app in order to instantly send and receive messages. It supports bot-friendly features like quick replies and image attachments. It gracefully handles failed connections and reconnects.
The chat client is built with HTML, CSS and vanilla Javascript. Developers can customize the look and feel of the client by modifying the included markup and CSS. New chat features such as custom cards or actions can be added with just a little bit of code.
- Web Chat Client Overview
- How to embed a bot in your website
- How to customize the look and feel of your web chat
- How to extend the UI of your web chat with custom fields
- How to share user account/profile info with Botkit
Botkit Anywhere's built-in chat server can handle thousands of simultaneous one-on-one conversations with your users. The chat server provides both a websocket and a webhook based interface for sending and receiving messages. It is a great solution for including one-on-one chat in a web site or native app.
Additionally, Botkit Anywhere includes APIs for retrieving a user's conversation history, and account-linking features that enable you to identify existing users to your bot.
- Chat Server Overview
- Communicating with Websockets
- Communicating with Webhooks
- How to enable message history API
You can find full documentation for Botkit on our website.
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Glitch allows users to ask the community for help directly from the editor! For more information on raising your hand, read this blog post.
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Join our thriving community of Botkit developers and bot enthusiasts at large. Over 9000 members strong, our open Slack group is the place for people interested in the art and science of making bots.
Come to ask questions, share your progress, and commune with your peers!
- We also host a regular meetup and annual conference called TALKABOT. Come meet and learn from other bot developers!
Full video of our 2016 event is available on Youtube.
Botkit is a product of Howdy and made in Austin, TX with the help of a worldwide community of botheads.