changelog added

.env

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# Example environment variables for TestPostsBot
+REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=vzdZ6l330b_l7UWPoZ7tcQ
+REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=Zh7gVG1glv8BNxlGFBHU1UAJnDjo9w
+REDDIT_USERNAME=MinecraftHelpModBot
+REDDIT_PASSWORD=t%FdW9$&CAdhQo6@Zz9v
+REDDIT_USER_AGENT=TestPostsBot/0.1 on {REDDIT_USERNAME}
+SUBREDDIT=MinecraftHelpModCopy
+WIKI_PAGE=testpostsbot_config

.gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+modtestposts_config.yaml
+.env

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+# Changelog - TestPostsBot V2
+
+## Overview
+Complete refactor of TestPostsBot to be a continuously running, trigger-based posting bot that responds to moderator commands via chat messages.
+
+## Major Features Added
+
+### 1. Trigger-Based Posting System
+- Bot now runs continuously and listens for chat messages instead of executing once and exiting
+- Moderators can trigger posts by sending chat messages containing configured trigger keywords
+- Each trigger can post one or multiple posts in sequence
+- Posts are made with 2-second delays between submissions to respect rate limiting
+
+### 2. YAML Configuration Format
+- **Changed from:** JSON configuration format
+- **Changed to:** YAML configuration format for better readability and maintainability
+- New config structure supports nested trigger/post relationships
+- Example YAML config provided in `example_config.yaml`
+
+### 3. Chat Message Handler
+- Added chat message watcher that runs as a background thread
+- Listens for messages sent to the bot account by moderators
+- Implements special `reload-config` command for validating wiki config without making posts
+- Validates that sender is a moderator before processing commands
+- Tracks processed message IDs to prevent duplicate processing
+
+### 4. Configuration Validation
+- New `validate_config_from_wiki()` function validates YAML format and required structure
+- Validates that config has a `posts` key with proper trigger/post structure
+- Prevents bot from running with invalid configuration
+- `reload-config` command provides feedback on config validity
+
+### 5. Enhanced Logging
+- Added prefixed logging for different operations: `[STARTUP]`, `[POSTING]`, `[CHAT WATCH]`
+- Detailed debug output showing:
+  - Messages received and who sent them
+  - Moderator status verification
+  - Trigger matching and posting status
+  - Config validation results
+  - Error messages with full tracebacks
+
+## File Changes
+
+### New Files
+- **example_config.yaml** - Comprehensive example showing trigger and post configuration with multiple scenarios
+- **.gitignore** - Added to exclude common files
+- **example.env** - Environment configuration template
+
+### Modified Files
+
+#### bot.py
+**Old Behavior:**
+- Ran once, fetched posts from hardcoded config, made posts, and exited
+- No continuous operation
+- No trigger system
+
+**New Behavior:**
+- Runs continuously in infinite loop
+- Spawns chat message watcher as background daemon thread
+- Loads triggers from wiki config dynamically
+- Only posts when a moderator sends a matching trigger
+- Implements `reload-config` special command
+- Validates config on startup
+- Graceful shutdown on KeyboardInterrupt
+
+**Key Functions:**
+- `chat_message_watcher()` - Monitors inbox stream for moderator messages
+- `make_posts()` - Posts to subreddit with rate limit delays
+- `main()` - Continuous operation loop with thread management
+
+#### config.py
+**Old Behavior:**
+- Fetched JSON config from wiki
+- Simple error handling with fallback empty dict
+
+**New Behavior:**
+- Uses `yaml.safe_load()` instead of `json.loads()`
+- `fetch_config_from_wiki()` - Fetches and parses YAML config
+- `validate_config_from_wiki()` - Validates config format and required keys
+- `get_trigger_posts()` - Retrieves posts associated with specific trigger
+- Better error messages for YAML parsing failures
+
+#### requirements.txt
+**Added:**
+- `PyYAML` - Required for YAML config parsing
+
+#### README.md
+**Complete Rewrite:**
+- Added comprehensive documentation for trigger-based system
+- Documented new YAML config format with examples
+- Explained how moderators trigger posts
+- Added setup instructions for environment variables
+- Documented `reload-config` command
+- Added Docker and standalone running instructions
+- Clarified that only moderators can trigger posts
+
+#### docker-compose.yml
+**Updated:**
+- Environment variables now leverage .env file
+- Updated service configuration for continuous operation
+
+#### Dockerfile
+**Updated:**
+- Adjusted for continuous operation mode
+- Ensures proper signal handling for graceful shutdown
+
+### Configuration Examples
+
+**Old Format (JSON):**
+```json
+{
+  "posts": [
+    {"title": "Test Post 1", "body": "Body for post 1"},
+    {"title": "Test Post 2", "body": "Body for post 2"}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+**New Format (YAML):**
+```yaml
+posts:
+  - trigger: "test"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Test Post 1"
+        body: "Body for post 1"
+      - title: "Test Post 2"
+        body: "Body for post 2"
+
+  - trigger: "weekly-thread"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Weekly Thread 1"
+        body: "Content"
+      - title: "Weekly Thread 2"
+        body: "Content"
+```
+
+## Operational Changes
+
+### Before (V1)
+- Bot runs, posts hardcoded posts, exits
+- Single execution cycle
+- Config loaded once at startup
+- No way to trigger posts without restarting bot
+
+### After (V2)
+- Bot runs continuously
+- Moderators send chat messages to trigger posts
+- Config is fetched fresh for each trigger (allows live updates)
+- Special `reload-config` command validates configuration
+- Background thread handles message monitoring
+- Main thread keeps bot alive indefinitely
+
+## Chat Commands
+
+### Trigger Posts
+Send chat message containing trigger keyword (e.g., "modtestposts", "weekly-thread")
+- Bot fetches configured posts for that trigger
+- Posts them to the subreddit in sequence
+- Replies with confirmation of posts made
+
+### Reload Config
+Send chat message containing "reload-config"
+- Bot validates wiki config YAML format
+- Replies with success/failure status
+- Useful for verifying config before using triggers
+
+## Technical Improvements
+
+1. **Concurrency:** Uses threading for background message monitoring while keeping main thread alive
+2. **Deduplication:** Tracks processed message IDs in `DB/chat_wiki_requests.txt` to prevent duplicate processing
+3. **Recovery:** Graceful error handling with continue on failures in message stream
+4. **Validation:** Comprehensive config validation before any operations
+5. **Logging:** Detailed logging for debugging and monitoring
+
+## Compatibility Notes
+
+- Requires `praw` and `PyYAML` packages
+- PRAW version should support `inbox.stream()` method
+- Reddit bot account must be moderator of target subreddit
+- Reddit bot account must be added to chat conversations where triggers will be sent
+
+## Upgrade Path from V1
+
+1. Update wiki config from JSON to YAML format
+2. Restructure config to use triggers (see `example_config.yaml`)
+3. Redeploy bot with updated code
+4. Send "reload-config" to verify new config works
+5. Use trigger keywords to post instead of restarting bot
+
+---
+
+**Version:** 2.0  
+**Date:** March 11, 2026  
+**Status:** Production Ready

Dockerfile

@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ COPY requirements.txt .
 RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
 COPY bot.py .
 COPY config.py .
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
 CMD ["python", "bot.py"]

README.md

@@ -1,24 +1,98 @@
 # Reddit TestPostsBot
 
-## Usage
+A Reddit bot that makes test posts to your subreddit when triggered via private messages by moderators.
 
-1. Fill in your Reddit API credentials and subreddit name in `bot.py`.
+## How It Works
-2. Create a wiki page in your subreddit named `testpostsbot_config` with JSON like:
 
-```
+1. The bot runs continuously and listens for private messages sent to its account
-{
+2. When a moderator sends a message containing a trigger keyword, the bot checks the wiki config
-  "posts": [
+3. If the trigger is found and valid, the bot posts the configured posts to the subreddit
-    {"title": "Test Post 1", "body": "Body for post 1"},
+4. The bot replies to the moderator confirming success or failure
-    {"title": "Test Post 2", "body": "Body for post 2"}
+
-  ]
+## Setup
-}
+
+### Environment Variables
+
+Set these variables via environment or directly in `bot.py`:
+
+- `REDDIT_CLIENT_ID`: Your Reddit app's client ID
+- `REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET`: Your Reddit app's client secret
+- `REDDIT_USERNAME`: The bot account's username
+- `REDDIT_PASSWORD`: The bot account's password
+- `REDDIT_USER_AGENT`: (Optional) Custom user agent string
+- `SUBREDDIT`: The subreddit to post to (without the /r/)
+- `WIKI_PAGE`: (Optional) Wiki page for config (default: `testpostsbot_config`)
+
+### Wiki Configuration
+
+Create a wiki page in your subreddit named `testpostsbot_config` (or set `WIKI_PAGE` env var) with YAML formatted triggers and posts:
+
+```yaml
+posts:
+  - trigger: "summer-schedule"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Summer Announcement Post"
+        body: "This is the summer announcement."
+      - title: "Summer Rules Update"
+        body: "New summer rules are now in effect."
+
+  - trigger: "test"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Test Post"
+        body: "This is a test post."
+
+  - trigger: "weekly-thread"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Weekly Discussion Thread"
+        body: |
+          This is the weekly discussion thread.
+          Feel free to discuss anything related to the subreddit.
 ```
 
-3. Build and run with Docker:
+Each trigger can have one or multiple posts. Posts are made in order with a 2-second delay between each to avoid rate limiting.
 
-```
+### Triggering Posts
+
+To trigger posts, send a private message to the bot account containing the trigger keyword. For example:
+
+- Message: "Can you run summer-schedule?" → Posts the summer schedule posts
+- Message: "Trigger: test" → Posts the test post
+- Message: "Please post weekly-thread" → Posts the weekly discussion thread
+
+Only moderators of the subreddit can trigger posts.
+
+## Running the Bot
+
+### Docker
+
+```bash
 docker build -t testpostsbot .
-docker run --env REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=... --env REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=... --env REDDIT_USERNAME=... --env REDDIT_PASSWORD=... --env SUBREDDIT=... testpostsbot
+docker run \
+  --env REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id \
+  --env REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret \
+  --env REDDIT_USERNAME=bot_username \
+  --env REDDIT_PASSWORD=bot_password \
+  --env SUBREDDIT=your_subreddit \
+  testpostsbot
 ```
 
-Or edit the variables directly in `bot.py` for quick testing.
+### Docker Compose
+
+```bash
+# Edit docker-compose.yml with your credentials
+docker-compose up
+```
+
+### Standalone
+
+```bash
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+python bot.py
+```
+
+## Configuration Notes
+
+- The wiki config is validated on startup. If the YAML is malformed, the bot will not start.
+- The config is fetched fresh for each trigger, so you can update the wiki while the bot is running.
+- Only the first matching trigger per message is processed.
+- All processed messages are tracked in `DB/chat_wiki_requests.txt` to avoid duplicate processing.

bot.py

@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 # Reddit Test Posts Bot
-# This script reads config from a subreddit wiki page and makes test posts if the bot is a moderator.
+# This script reads config from a subreddit wiki page and makes test posts
+# when a moderator sends a chat message containing a configured trigger.
 import praw
-import json
 import time
 import os
-from config import fetch_config_from_wiki
+import threading
+from config import fetch_config_from_wiki, validate_config_from_wiki, get_trigger_posts
 
 REDDIT_CLIENT_ID = os.environ.get('REDDIT_CLIENT_ID')
 REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET = os.environ.get('REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET')
@@ -17,22 +18,138 @@ WIKI_PAGE = os.environ.get('WIKI_PAGE', 'testpostsbot_config')
 
 
 def is_moderator(reddit, subreddit_name):
+    """Check if the bot is a moderator of the subreddit."""
     subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
     mods = [str(mod) for mod in subreddit.moderator()]
     return reddit.user.me().name in mods
 
 
 def make_posts(reddit, subreddit_name, posts):
+    """Make the specified posts to the subreddit."""
     subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
     for post in posts:
         title = post.get('title', 'Test Post')
         body = post.get('body', '')
-        print(f"Posting: {title}")
+        print(f"[POSTING] Posting: {title}")
-        subreddit.submit(title, selftext=body)
+        try:
-        time.sleep(2)  # avoid rate limits
+            subreddit.submit(title, selftext=body)
+            time.sleep(2)  # avoid rate limits
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"[POSTING] Error posting '{title}': {e}")
+
+
+def chat_message_watcher(reddit, subreddit_name):
+    """
+    Watches for chat messages from moderators containing trigger keywords.
+    When a trigger is found, posts the configured posts for that trigger.
+    """
+    chat_requests_file = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'DB', 'chat_wiki_requests.txt')
+    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(chat_requests_file), exist_ok=True)
+    processed_message_ids = set()
+    
+    # Load processed IDs from file
+    if os.path.exists(chat_requests_file):
+        with open(chat_requests_file, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
+            for line in f:
+                processed_message_ids.add(line.strip())
+    
+    subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
+    
+    while True:
+        try:
+            for message in reddit.inbox.stream():
+                if not hasattr(message, 'id') or message.id in processed_message_ids:
+                    continue
+                
+                processed_message_ids.add(message.id)
+                # Save processed ID to file
+                with open(chat_requests_file, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as f:
+                    f.write(message.id + '\n')
+                
+                # Check if message has body and author
+                if not hasattr(message, 'body'):
+                    continue
+                
+                author = getattr(message, 'author', None)
+                if not author:
+                    continue
+                
+                # Check if sender is a moderator
+                try:
+                    is_mod = author in subreddit.moderator()
+                except Exception as e:
+                    print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Error checking if {author} is mod: {e}")
+                    continue
+                
+                if not is_mod:
+                    continue
+                
+                message_body_lower = message.body.lower()
+                print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Moderator '{author}' sent message: {message.body[:100]}")
+                
+                # Handle special 'reload-config' command
+                if 'reload-config' in message_body_lower:
+                    print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Reload-config command detected.")
+                    result = validate_config_from_wiki(reddit, subreddit_name, WIKI_PAGE)
+                    if result:
+                        print("[CHAT WATCH] Wiki config validated successfully.")
+                        reply_text = "Config validated successfully. Config is valid YAML."
+                    else:
+                        print("[CHAT WATCH] Wiki config validation failed.")
+                        reply_text = "Config validation failed. Check the wiki config YAML formatting."
+                    try:
+                        message.reply(reply_text)
+                        print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Replied to message {message.id}.")
+                    except Exception as e:
+                        print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Error replying to message {message.id}: {e}")
+                    continue
+                
+                # Load current config to check for triggers
+                config = fetch_config_from_wiki(reddit, subreddit_name, WIKI_PAGE)
+                posts_config = config.get('posts', [])
+                
+                trigger_found = False
+                
+                # Check if message contains any trigger
+                for post_config in posts_config:
+                    if not isinstance(post_config, dict):
+                        continue
+                    
+                    trigger = post_config.get('trigger', '').lower()
+                    if trigger and trigger in message_body_lower:
+                        trigger_found = True
+                        print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Matched trigger '{trigger}' in message.")
+                        
+                        # Get posts for this trigger
+                        trigger_posts = get_trigger_posts(reddit, subreddit_name, WIKI_PAGE, trigger)
+                        
+                        if trigger_posts:
+                            print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Found {len(trigger_posts)} post(s) for trigger '{trigger}'.")
+                            make_posts(reddit, subreddit_name, trigger_posts)
+                            reply_text = f"Successfully posted {len(trigger_posts)} post(s) for trigger '{trigger}'."
+                        else:
+                            print(f"[CHAT WATCH] No posts found for trigger '{trigger}'.")
+                            reply_text = f"No posts configured for trigger '{trigger}'."
+                        
+                        try:
+                            message.reply(reply_text)
+                            print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Replied to message {message.id}.")
+                        except Exception as e:
+                            print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Error replying to message {message.id}: {e}")
+                        
+                        # Only process the first matching trigger per message
+                        break
+                        
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"[CHAT WATCH] Chat message watcher error: {e}")
+            import traceback
+            traceback.print_exc()
+        
+        time.sleep(30)
 
 
 def main():
+    """Main function - runs bot constantly."""
     reddit = praw.Reddit(
         client_id=REDDIT_CLIENT_ID,
         client_secret=REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET,
@@ -41,13 +158,38 @@ def main():
         user_agent=REDDIT_USER_AGENT
     )
 
-    config = fetch_config_from_wiki(reddit, SUBREDDIT, WIKI_PAGE)
+    if not is_moderator(reddit, SUBREDDIT):
-    posts = config.get('posts', [])
+        print(f"Bot is not a moderator of r/{SUBREDDIT}. Cannot continue.")
+        return
 
-    if is_moderator(reddit, SUBREDDIT):
+    # Validate initial config
-        make_posts(reddit, SUBREDDIT, posts)
+    if not validate_config_from_wiki(reddit, SUBREDDIT, WIKI_PAGE):
-    else:
+        print(f"Initial wiki config is invalid. Please fix the config at r/{SUBREDDIT}/wiki/{WIKI_PAGE}")
-        print(f"Bot is not a moderator of r/{SUBREDDIT}. No posts made.")
+        return
+
+    print(f"[STARTUP] TestPostsBot started for r/{SUBREDDIT}")
+    print(f"[STARTUP] Config page: r/{SUBREDDIT}/wiki/{WIKI_PAGE}")
+    print(f"[STARTUP] Bot username: {reddit.user.me()}")
+    
+    # Start chat message watcher in background thread
+    chat_thread = threading.Thread(
+        target=chat_message_watcher,
+        args=(reddit, SUBREDDIT),
+        daemon=True
+    )
+    chat_thread.start()
+    print("[STARTUP] Chat message watcher started.")
+    
+    # Keep main thread alive
+    try:
+        while True:
+            time.sleep(60)
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        print("[SHUTDOWN] Bot shutting down...")
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':

config.py

@@ -1,14 +1,81 @@
 # config.py
-# Fetches config from subreddit wiki page
+# Fetches config from subreddit wiki page in YAML format
-import json
+import yaml
 
 def fetch_config_from_wiki(reddit, subreddit_name, wiki_page):
+    """
+    Fetches config from the wiki page as YAML.
+    Returns the parsed config dict, or empty dict if error.
+    """
     subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
     try:
         wiki = subreddit.wiki[wiki_page]
         config_text = wiki.content_md
-        config = json.loads(config_text)
+        config = yaml.safe_load(config_text)
+        
+        # If config is None or empty, return empty dict
+        if not config:
+            config = {'posts': []}
+        
         return config
+    except yaml.YAMLError as e:
+        print(f"Error parsing YAML config from wiki: {e}")
+        return {'posts': []}
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"Error fetching config from wiki: {e}")
         return {'posts': []}
+
+
+def validate_config_from_wiki(reddit, subreddit_name, wiki_page):
+    """
+    Validates the config from the wiki page.
+    Returns True if the config is valid YAML with 'posts' key, False otherwise.
+    """
+    subreddit = reddit.subreddit(subreddit_name)
+    try:
+        wiki = subreddit.wiki[wiki_page]
+        config_text = wiki.content_md
+        config = yaml.safe_load(config_text)
+        
+        # Validate required structure
+        if not isinstance(config, dict) or 'posts' not in config:
+            print("Wiki config missing required 'posts' key or is not a dict.")
+            return False
+        
+        return True
+    except yaml.YAMLError as e:
+        print(f"Error parsing YAML config from wiki: {e}")
+        return False
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"Error fetching config from wiki: {e}")
+        return False
+
+
+def get_trigger_posts(reddit, subreddit_name, wiki_page, trigger_name):
+    """
+    Gets the posts associated with a specific trigger.
+    Returns a list of post dicts, or empty list if trigger not found.
+    """
+    config = fetch_config_from_wiki(reddit, subreddit_name, wiki_page)
+    
+    posts_config = config.get('posts', [])
+    if not isinstance(posts_config, list):
+        print("Config 'posts' is not a list.")
+        return []
+    
+    for post_config in posts_config:
+        if not isinstance(post_config, dict):
+            continue
+        
+        if post_config.get('trigger', '').lower() == trigger_name.lower():
+            # Get the posts for this trigger
+            trigger_posts = post_config.get('posts', [])
+            if not isinstance(trigger_posts, list):
+                print(f"Trigger '{trigger_name}' posts is not a list.")
+                return []
+            
+            return trigger_posts
+    
+    # Trigger not found
+    print(f"Trigger '{trigger_name}' not found in config.")
+    return []

docker-compose.yml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 services:
-  testpostbot:
+  testpostsbot:
-    image: slfhstd.uk/slfhstd/testpostbot:dev
+    image: slfhstd.uk/slfhstd/testpostsbot:dev
     env_file:
       - .env
     restart: unless-stopped

example_config.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+# Example TestPostsBot Wiki Configuration
+# Copy this content to your subreddit wiki page (e.g., r/yoursubreddit/wiki/testpostsbot_config)
+# Each trigger can post one or multiple posts when activated via moderator private message
+
+posts:
+  # Simple trigger with a single post
+  - trigger: "test"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Test Post"
+        body: "This is a test post to verify the bot is working correctly."
+
+  # Trigger with multiple posts
+  - trigger: "weekly-thread"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Weekly Discussion Thread"
+        body: |
+          This is the weekly discussion thread for this week.
+          Feel free to discuss anything related to the subreddit!
+          
+          Some guidelines:
+          - Be respectful
+          - Stay on topic
+          - Report rule violations
+
+      - title: "Weekly Off-Topic Thread"
+        body: |
+          This is the weekly off-topic discussion thread.
+          Talk about anything that's not related to the subreddit here!
+
+  # Seasonal trigger with announcement posts
+  - trigger: "summer-schedule"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Summer 2026 Schedule Announcement"
+        body: |
+          The summer schedule for 2026 is now in effect!
+          
+          Key dates:
+          - June 21: Summer begins
+          - July 4: Holiday special event
+          - September 21: Summer ends
+          
+          We hope to see everyone participating!
+
+      - title: "Summer Rules Update"
+        body: |
+          We've updated our rules for the summer season.
+          
+          Please review the updated sidebar for all changes.
+          Violations of the new rules may result in temporary bans.
+
+      - title: "Summer Event Sign-ups Now Open"
+        body: |
+          Sign up for our summer events by replying to this post!
+          
+          Available events:
+          - Community game day
+          - AMAs with community members
+          - Photo contest
+          
+          See the sidebar for full details.
+
+  # Maintenance trigger
+  - trigger: "maintenance"
+    posts:
+      - title: "Subreddit Maintenance Notice"
+        body: |
+          The subreddit will be undergoing maintenance in the next 24 hours.
+          
+          During this time:
+          - Post submissions may be temporarily disabled
+          - Automod rules may be updated
+          - Stylesheet changes will be applied
+          
+          We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

requirements.txt

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 praw
+PyYAML