Reddit Bot Project (code) in Python

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Reddit Bot in Python

About the project: This is a simple Reddit bot project written in Python.

This bot uses the popular PRAW (Python Reddit API Wrapper) library, which makes interacting with the Reddit API much easier.

This project is a single, self-contained file that demonstrates how to authenticate with Reddit and perform a basic task: monitoring a subreddit for a specific keyword and replying to any comment that contains it.

The bot will then start monitoring the specified subreddit.

How to Use and Run the Bot

1. Install the PRAW Library:Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to install the required library:

   
       pip install praw
       

2. Create a Reddit App: As explained in the code comments, you'll need to create a "script" app on Reddit to get your unique API credentials. Go to [reddit.com/prefs/apps](https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps) to get started.
3. Run the Script:Save the updated file and run it from your terminal:

   
       python reddit_bot.py
       

Project Level: Intermediate

You can directly copy the below snippet code with the help of green copy button, paste it and run it in any Python editor you have.

Steps: Follow these steps

Step 1: Copy below code using green 'copy' button.

Step 2: Paste the code on your chosen editor.

Step 3: Save the code with filename and .py extention.

Step 4: Run (Press F5 if using python IDLE).

# reddit_bot.py

import praw
import time

def create_reddit_instance():
    """
    Creates and returns a PRAW Reddit instance with the necessary credentials.
    
    IMPORTANT: You must replace the placeholder values below with your own
    Reddit API credentials. Follow these steps to get them:
    1. Go to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
    2. Click 'are you a developer? create an app...' at the bottom.
    3. Fill out the form. Use 'script' for the app type.
    4. You will be given a client ID and a client secret.
    5. You also need your Reddit username and password.
    
    Never share these credentials or hardcode them in a public repository!
    """
    try:
        reddit = praw.Reddit(
            client_id="YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
            client_secret="YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
            user_agent="your-bot-name-by-u/your-reddit-username",
            username="YOUR_REDDIT_USERNAME",
            password="YOUR_REDDIT_PASSWORD"
        )
        print("Successfully authenticated with Reddit as:", reddit.user.me())
        return reddit
    except Exception as e:
        print("Error during authentication. Please check your credentials.")
        print("Error details:", e)
        return None

def main():
    """
    The main function of the bot. It monitors a subreddit for comments
    containing a specific keyword and replies to them.
    """
    # Create the Reddit instance
    reddit = create_reddit_instance()
    if not reddit:
        return # Exit if authentication failed

    # The subreddit to monitor. Use a test subreddit for development to avoid
    # spamming real communities.
    subreddit_name = 'test'
    # The keyword the bot will look for in comments.
    keyword = "bot_test"
    # The message the bot will reply with.
    reply_message = "This is an automated reply from a bot! Thanks for the test."

    try:
        # Get the Subreddit object
        subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
        
        print(f"Monitoring r/{subreddit_name} for the keyword '{keyword}'...")

        # Stream comments from the subreddit in real-time.
        # This loop will run indefinitely.
        for comment in subreddit.stream.comments():
            # Check if the comment author is not the bot itself to prevent loops.
            if comment.author and comment.author.name != reddit.user.me().name:
                # Check if the keyword is in the comment text (case-insensitive)
                if keyword in comment.body.lower():
                    print(f"\nKeyword found in comment ID: {comment.id}")
                    print(f"Comment by u/{comment.author.name}: {comment.body}")
                    
                    try:
                        # Reply to the comment
                        comment.reply(reply_message)
                        print("Successfully replied to the comment.")
                        
                        # Wait for a short period to respect API rate limits
                        time.sleep(10) 
                    except praw.exceptions.APIException as e:
                        # Handle cases where the bot might be rate-limited or
                        # the comment is too old to reply to.
                        print(f"Could not reply to comment. Error: {e}")
            else:
                # If the comment is from the bot, just print a message and continue
                if comment.author:
                    print(f"Ignoring own comment from u/{comment.author.name}")
                else:
                    print("Ignoring comment with no author.")
    
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

This is a starting point for building a Reddit bot. You could enhance this project by adding more features like monitoring multiple subreddits, logging bot activity to a file, or having the bot respond with a different message based on the keyword it finds.

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