Build a quote-of-the-day SMS bot

Creating a simple quote-of-the-day SMS bot involves several steps. Here’s a breakdown of how to build one:

1. Choose the Technology Stack

• Backend: Python (with Flask/Django), Node.js, or any other backend framework.

• SMS API: Twilio, Nexmo, or other SMS service providers.

• Database: SQLite, MySQL, or any cloud database to store quotes.

• Scheduler: Cron jobs, Celery, or any task scheduler for sending messages at specific times.

2. Set Up Your Environment

• Install required packages and libraries:

  • Python: Flask, Twilio

  • Node.js: express, twilio

• Set up a virtual environment (if using Python):

  bash
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  python3 -m venv venv
  source venv/bin/activate  # On Linux/Mac
  venvScriptsactivate  # On Windows
  

3. Create a Database of Quotes

• Store quotes in a database. You can manually add them or scrape them from the web.

• For a simple setup, use an SQLite database with a table like this:

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  CREATE TABLE quotes (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    text TEXT NOT NULL,
    author TEXT
  );
  

• Example Quotes:

  id	text	author
  1	“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”	Abraham Lincoln
  2	“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.”	Albert Schweitzer
  …	…	…

4. Set Up Twilio (or another SMS API)

• Create an account with Twilio and get your API keys.

• Install the Twilio SDK:

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  pip install twilio
  

• Use the Twilio API to send messages:

  python
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  from twilio.rest import Client
  
  def send_sms(to, message):
      account_sid = 'your_account_sid'
      auth_token = 'your_auth_token'
      client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)
  
      message = client.messages.create(
          body=message,
          from_='+1YourTwilioNumber',
          to=to
      )
      return message.sid
  

5. Create a Flask API for Sending the Quote

Here’s an example of a Flask app that sends a random quote to a user daily.

python
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from flask import Flask, jsonify
import random
import sqlite3
from datetime import datetime
from twilio.rest import Client

app = Flask(__name__)

# Function to get a random quote
def get_random_quote():
    conn = sqlite3.connect('quotes.db')
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('SELECT text, author FROM quotes ORDER BY RANDOM() LIMIT 1')
    quote = cursor.fetchone()
    conn.close()
    return quote

# Function to send SMS using Twilio
def send_sms(to, message):
    account_sid = 'your_account_sid'
    auth_token = 'your_auth_token'
    client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

    client.messages.create(
        body=message,
        from_='+1YourTwilioNumber',
        to=to
    )

# API to send daily quote
@app.route('/send_quote/<user_number>', methods=['GET'])
def send_daily_quote(user_number):
    quote, author = get_random_quote()
    message = f"Quote of the Day: '{quote}' - {author}"

    send_sms(user_number, message)

    return jsonify({'status': 'success', 'message': 'Quote sent successfully.'})

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(debug=True)

6. Set Up a Scheduler for Daily SMS

You need to send the quote every day at a set time. For this, you can use a scheduler such as Cron or Celery.

Using Cron:

• Open your crontab configuration:

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  crontab -e
  

• Add an entry to run the Flask app every day at a certain time:

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  0 9 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/your/app.py
  

Using Celery:

• Install Celery:

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  pip install celery
  

• Set up a periodic task in Celery to send a daily quote to the user.

7. User Interaction (Opt-In for Quotes)

You’ll need to handle user opt-ins:

• Use an SMS API to receive replies (like “Start” to begin receiving quotes).

• Store user phone numbers and preferences in the database.

Example code to listen for user opt-in:

python
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from twilio.twiml.messaging_response import MessagingResponse

@app.route('/sms', methods=['POST'])
def sms_reply():
    msg = request.form.get('Body').strip().lower()
    sender_number = request.form.get('From')

    resp = MessagingResponse()

    if msg == 'start':
        # Add number to database
        conn = sqlite3.connect('users.db')
        cursor = conn.cursor()
        cursor.execute('INSERT INTO users (phone_number) VALUES (?)', (sender_number,))
        conn.commit()
        conn.close()

        resp.message("You will now receive daily quotes!")

    elif msg == 'stop':
        # Remove number from database
        conn = sqlite3.connect('users.db')
        cursor = conn.cursor()
        cursor.execute('DELETE FROM users WHERE phone_number = ?', (sender_number,))
        conn.commit()
        conn.close()

        resp.message("You have unsubscribed from daily quotes.")
    else:
        resp.message("Please reply with 'Start' to receive daily quotes.")
    
    return str(resp)

8. Testing

• Test your SMS bot by interacting with it through SMS and checking that it sends a quote correctly at the specified time.

• Ensure that users can opt-in and opt-out of receiving quotes.

9. Deploy the Bot

• Host the Flask app on a platform like Heroku, AWS, or DigitalOcean.

• Set up your production database and environment.

That’s it! You now have a basic quote-of-the-day SMS bot ready to send motivational quotes to users every day.