Computer Technology instructor Bruce Elgort has created a software application geared towards improving the accessibility and navigation of course content. The application is a question and answer bot incorporated into Slack, a communication platform that Elgort uses with his courses
Tag: slack
Yeah, this…
This conversation took place late last night on Slack:
Student: Bruce I see you the Sublime Text editor.
Bruce: I have tried many of them out and prefer Sublime.
Student: I want to be a professional web developer one day. I also have some questions about the assignment that’s due tomorrow.
Bruce: A professional web developer wouldn’t start a project the day before it was due.
Student: Only the good pros do.
Bruce: It better be perfect then.
Find Out Which Slack Groups You Are A Member Of
We all know that Slack groups come and go and that it would be nice to know which groups you are still considered a member of. Look no further than this URL:
Using the Slack API with Python – A Simple Example
Here is a simple Python program that can be used to:
- Test the API
- Get a list of Slack Users
- Get a list of Slack Channels
- Get information about a Slack Channel
- Post a message to Slack Channel
Students in my Intro to Programming and Problems Solving class at Clark College learn how to build this and other things using Python.
Have fun with it!
# CTEC 121 / Intro to Programming and Problem Solving
# Lab - Using the Slack API
# by Bruce Elgort, 2016
# pip install slackclient to install SlackClient library
from slackclient import SlackClient
import json
def test_slack(sc):
# use for debugging
print("Testing API")
print(80 * "=")
print (sc.api_call("api.test"))
def get_channel_info(sc,channel):
# get info about the channel
print("Getting Channel Info")
print(80 * "=")
print (sc.api_call("channels.info", channel=channel))
def get_list_of_channels(sc):
print("Getting List of Channels")
print(80 * "=")
# get list of channels
channels = sc.api_call("channels.list")
channels = json.dumps(channels)
channels = json.loads(str(channels))
return channels
def display_channels(channels):
print("Display Channels")
print(80 * "=")
for i in channels['channels']:
print("Channel:",i['name'])
def post_message(sc,text,channel,icon_url,username):
print("Posting Message to Slack")
print(80 * "=")
# post a message into the #general channel
print (sc.api_call("chat.postMessage",channel=channel,text=text,username=username,icon_url=icon_url,unfurl_links="true"))
def get_users(sc):
print("Get Users")
print(80 * "=")
#call the users.list api call and get list of users
users = (sc.api_call("users.list"))
users = json.dumps(users)
users = json.loads(str(users))
return users
def display_users(sc,users):
print("User List")
print(80 * "=")
# display active users
for i in users['members']:
# don't display slackbot
if i['profile']['real_name'] != "slackbot":
# don't display deleted users
if not i['deleted']:
# display real name
print (i['profile']['real_name'])
def main():
# define variables
token = "your token"
channel = "a channel id"
username = "Username to use display for message function"
icon_url = "icon url for message function"
# connect to Slack
sc = SlackClient(token)
# test slack
test_slack(sc)
# get channel info
get_channel_info(sc,channel)
# get list of channels
channels = get_list_of_channels(sc)
# display channels
display_channels(channels)
# post message
post_message(sc,"Visit http://slack.com",channel,icon_url,username)
# get users
users = get_users(sc)
# display users
display_users(sc,users)
main()
Slack Teams Do Amazing Things — “Spaceship!” TV Commercial
Slack Bot – Slack Channel Tone Analysis Using IBM Watson
In this video, I demonstrate how I used IBM Watson’s Tone Analyzer service to analyze an entire Slack channels’ textual content history. The bot allows you to select the channel you want to have analyzed and then presents charts displaying the various tones in the channel.
Slack Bot – IBM Watson Tone Analyzer
Slack Bot – IBM Watson Translation Services
Slack Bot – IBM Watson Tone Analyzer
Here’s a short video demonstrating how I used the IBM Watson Tone Analyzer service on IBM Bluemix to create a Slack bot that analyzes text you enter.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Slack Bot – IBM Watson Translation Services
Video: Adding Your Own Integrations Into Slack
Video: How to Add an App to Slack
I put together a short video that demonstrates how easy it is to extend the functionality of Slack by installing an app from the Slack App Directory.