Creating a simple chat bot using python in simple steps

Creating a simple chat bot in Python can be a fun and educational project. For this example, we’ll build a text-based chatbot that can perform simple conversational tasks like greeting the user and answering frequently asked questions. We’ll use Python’s built-in input and print functions for interaction.

Requirements
Steps to Build the Chatbot

Requirements

Python installed on your computer

Steps to Build the Chatbot

Step 1: Create a Greeting Function

First, create a function to greet the user based on the time of day.

Python

from datetime import datetime

def greet_user():
    current_hour = datetime.now().hour

    if current_hour < 12:
        return "Good morning!"
    elif 12 <= current_hour < 18:
        return "Good afternoon!"
    else:
        return "Good evening!"

Step 2: Create a Function to Handle User Input

Create a function to read user input and respond based on predefined keywords.

Python

def handle_input(user_input):
    user_input = user_input.lower()

    if "hello" in user_input or "hi" in user_input:
        return "Hello! How can I assist you?"
    elif "how are you" in user_input:
        return "I'm just a program, so I don't have feelings. But thanks for asking!"
    elif "bye" in user_input:
        return "Goodbye! Have a great day!"
    else:
        return "I'm sorry, I don't understand that."

Step 3: Main Loop for Conversation

Finally, create a loop to continuously interact with the user until they say “bye”.

Python

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet_user())

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ")
        response = handle_input(user_input)

        print(f"Bot: {response}")

        if "goodbye" in response.lower():
            break

Complete Code

Putting it all together, here’s the complete code for our simple Python chatbot:

Python

from datetime import datetime

# Function to greet user based on time
def greet_user():
    current_hour = datetime.now().hour

    if current_hour < 12:
        return "Good morning!"
    elif 12 <= current_hour < 18:
        return "Good afternoon!"
    else:
        return "Good evening!"

# Function to handle user input
def handle_input(user_input):
    user_input = user_input.lower()

    if "hello" in user_input or "hi" in user_input:
        return "Hello! How can I assist you?"
    elif "how are you" in user_input:
        return "I'm just a program, so I don't have feelings. But thanks for asking!"
    elif "bye" in user_input:
        return "Goodbye! Have a great day!"
    else:
        return "I'm sorry, I don't understand that."

# Main function
if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet_user())

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ")
        response = handle_input(user_input)

        print(f"Bot: {response}")

        if "goodbye" in response.lower():
            break

To run this chatbot, save the code in a Python file and execute it. The bot will greet you and wait for your input. It will respond based on the keywords in your messages and will continue the conversation until you say “bye”.