ExplainBot is an IRC bot dedicated to providing explanations.
ExplainBot offers several key features, including a single XML configuration file, support for different types of commands and users, easy extension via custom commands, and simple installation on any system that supports Java 2. The most recent update to ExplainBot replaced the previous crude config-file format with an XML file. The configuration file allows for changes to the important aspects of the bot, such as which commands to load, nick, ident, logging, and verbosity.
Four types of commands are implemented in ExplainBot: unauthorized, authorized, special, and automatic. Unauthorized commands are available to any user in the channel with ExplainBot, while authorized commands are reserved for specific authorized users. Special commands, such as login, are in their own category, and automatic commands will automatically respond to events like ping.
ExplainBot requires Java 2 and access to a MySQL database via the included JDBC drivers.
The latest release of ExplainBot includes several new features and improvements, including the ability to write and load new commands without needing to rework the core classes, support for automatic commands, and input validation. Other added features include improved anti-DOS protection, password storage as MD5 hashes, a command to set user passwords, a status command, and the ability to lock explains. Some modifications were also made to existing commands, such as accepting an integer as a parameter for the new command to display at most the requested number of terms. Additionally, the bot now only responds to commands from users in the same channel, and Martyr debug information is hidden from users. The update also includes code cleanup and additional testing.
Version 1.0.4: N/A