Build Your Own Custom SlackBot with Node.js

This tutorial shows you how to build a custom Slack bot using Node.js and the slack-terminalize helper module. This approach treats regular Slack messages as commands, unlike the more common Slash Command method.

Key Points:

• This tutorial requires familiarity with JavaScript, Node.js, and Slack terminology (teams, channels, bots, integrations). Node.js and npm must be installed.
• It uses slack-terminalize to simplify message processing and bot setup. Slash Commands are not covered.
• The tutorial demonstrates adding custom commands, programming their behavior, and customizing the bot's actions through configuration options.

Tutorial Goal:

Create a simple Node.js application that transforms a Slack channel into a custom command-line interface. slack-terminalize handles the initial message processing, leveraging Slack's Real-Time Messaging API.

Before You Begin:

Ensure you have Node.js and npm installed. A working knowledge of JavaScript and Node.js, along with familiarity with Slack concepts, is assumed.

Why slack-terminalize?

While many Slack bots use natural language processing, slack-terminalize focuses on short, efficient commands, ideal for mobile use. It provides a command-line-like interface within Slack, handling command parsing and dispatching.

Getting Started:

1. Create a Slack Bot User: Go to <your-team-name>.slack.com/services/new/bot</your-team-name>, create a username, and add the bot integration. Copy the API token—this is crucial. Configure the bot's profile and save the integration.

   

2. Clone and Install:

   git clone https://github.com/ggauravr/slack-sample-cli.git
   cd slack-sample-cli
   npm install

3. Project Structure:

   The project includes a config/ directory for JSON configuration files, and a commands/ directory for command implementations. commands.json defines commands, each with aliases, descriptions, help text, and optional REST endpoints. Each command in commands.json has a corresponding .js file in commands/ containing its logic.

   

4. Code Walkthrough (index.js):

   Replace "xoxb-your-token-here" with your bot's API token. CONFIG_DIR and COMMAND_DIR specify the locations of the configuration and command files.

   var slackTerminal = require('slack-terminalize');
   
   slackTerminal.init('xoxb-your-token-here', {
       // slack client options here
   }, {
       CONFIG_DIR: __dirname + '/config',
       COMMAND_DIR: __dirname + '/commands'
   });

5. Run the App: node .

6. Invite the Bot: Use the /invite @<your-bot-name></your-bot-name> Slack command to add your bot to channels.

   

7. Testing: Type help or halp (an alias) in the channel to test the bot. The gem command demonstrates asynchronous operation using the request module to fetch data from a REST API.

   

8. Adding Custom Commands: Add a new command to commands.json, create a corresponding .js file in commands/, and implement its logic.

9. Configuration: Customize the bot's behavior using the options and config objects passed to slackTerminal.init().

Next Steps:

• Create useful commands for your team.
• Contribute to the slack-terminalize project.
• Share your Slack productivity tips.

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