The infobot connects to an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server, joins some channels (maybe), and begins accumulating factoids. To run one, download the source, uncompress it, untar it, edit the config files, and it up.

Interacting with the bot is pretty straightforward. Most of the commands and variables available to users are listed below. The bot will interact via message or on-channel.

Interacting with an infobot

• setting factoids: X is Y

  Saying something like "X is Y" somewhere that the infobot can see it will cause the bot to store a factoid, unless X is already defined. It sets the value of X to Y.

• accessing factoids: What is X?

  You can ask an infobot about something in a number of different ways, including "what is X?", "where is X?", or just plain "X?".

• altering factoids: s/A/B/

  if you just want to change a part of a factoid, use the s///operator. you have to address the bot or use a private medium to do this.

  MyBot, X =~ s/A/B/

  will change the first occurence of A to B in the factoid called X.

• appending to existing entries: also

  One can extend an existing factoid using the keyword also

  poink is also a silly word

• erasing a factoid: forget

  A factoid can easily be deleted by using

  infobot, forget poink

• changing a factoid: no, ...

  You can change the entry for a factoid completely using

  no, infobot, x is wugga wugga.

  which deletes the prior entry (if possible) and replaces it with the new one.

• having the bot tell someone else something: tell

  A user can ask an infobot to tell someone else something.

  infobot, tell fimmtiu about no web

• karma / plusplus

  karma for a concept may be incremented or decremeted using ++ and --. You can get the current karma 'score' for something by asking for it.

  oznoid++

  oznoid--

  karma for oznoid

• status

  infobots reply to status requests.

  -> [url] status

  [url!infobot@ALF5.SPEECH.CS.CMU.EDU] Since Fri Mar 26 06:42:27 1999, there have been 409 modifications and 2604 questions. I have been awake for 5 days, 4 hours, 24 minutes, 18 seconds this session, and currently reference 47529 factoids.

• joining an allowed channel: join #infobot

  On IRC, you can tell the infobot to join a channel that it's allowed to join with

  infobot, join #infobot

  If it is allowed to (in its paramter settings), it will try to join the channel.

• leaving a channel: part #infobot

  This causes the bot to leave the given channel

  infobot, part #infobot

  leave is a synonym for part.

• random responses with |

  You can set a list from which to pick a random response by using |

  x is a|b|c|d

  When x is asked about, the infobot will randomly choose from the |-spearated list.

• The <reply> factoid tag.

  Normally, when the infobot replies to "What is X", it says "X is Y". This form makes it just reply "Y".

  X is <reply> Y

• The <action> factoid tag (as of 0.43.5)

  This causes the bot to respond as with except as an ACTION.

  X is <action> Y

• backwacking

  Use \ to protect items from evaluation.

  x is y is y

  will normally set x =is=> y is y, but

  x \is y is y

  will set

  x is y =is=> y

  The forget and no (update) operators apply before checking for this. This is also useful for getting around the dereferencing of "i" and "me" and so on.

• the $who variable

  Contains the nickname person currently addressing the bot. It can be used effectively in replies.

  nice day is <reply> you betcha, $who.

• the $date variable

  Contains the current date and time, at the bot's host.

• literal foo

  returns the value without the usual post-processing.

• Ignoring users: ignore nickname, ignore *.a.com

  Users with the P (oP) flag can tell the bot to ignore people or hostmasks. And 'unignore'. use 'ignorelist' to get the current list of ignored masks, if you have the P flag.

• op on channel

  The 'p' (oP) flag in the userfile allows this to work. You'll need to set a hostmask. See files/infobot.users Also uses a crypted password.

  /msg <bot> <password> op

• die

  If the bot owner (+O, Owner) says this or messages it to the bot, it will kill itself.

scripts/utilities

• update_db

  This takes a flat ascii file and inserts it into a DBM file. It creates a new DBM if it didn't exist.

  scripts/update_db factpacks/code_to_country.txt infobot-is

  will add the factoids in code_to_country.txt to the infobot-is DBM.

• dump_db

  The converse. It dumps out the DBM file to a flat ascii file. Note there is no extension on the DBM name, even though the system may use one.

  scripts/dump_db infobot-is

  Note there is no extension on the DBM name, even though the system may use one (like .pag and .dir or .db).