SRM Insider Chatbot

A simple, free, and beginner-friendly Python chatbot that reads PDF or text documents and answers questions using keyword matching. No AI models needed, completely free to use!

🚀 Features

• PDF & Text Support: Reads both PDF files and plain text files
• Keyword-Based Matching: Uses intelligent keyword matching to find relevant answers (no AI API calls needed)
• Interactive Chat: Real-time conversation mode with source tracking
• Fast & Free: No API keys required, runs entirely on your computer
• Simple Architecture: Clean, easy-to-understand code with clear explanations
• Multiple Input Modes: Interactive mode, demo mode, or test mode

📋 Project Structure

srm-insider-chatbot/
├── src/
│   ├── chatbot.py              # Main chatbot class (SRMInsiderBot)
│   ├── main.py                 # Interactive entry point
│   ├── demo.py                 # Automated demo with test questions
│   ├── demo_text_chatbot.py    # Text file demo
│   ├── test_interactive.py     # Interactive testing mode
│   ├── pdf_to_text_converter.py # Convert PDF to text utility
│   ├── create_sample_pdf.py    # Generate sample PDF for testing
│   └── __pycache__/            # Python cache folder
├── pdfs/                       # PDF/text file storage folder
│   └── SRM_Content.txt         # Sample SRM Insider content
├── docs/                       # Documentation folder
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── setup_git.sh               # Git setup script
├── QUICKSTART.md              # Quick start guide
└── README.md                  # This file

🛠️ Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• No API keys or internet connection needed!

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd srm-insider-chatbot

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended)

   python -m venv venv
   
   # On Windows
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # On macOS/Linux
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Add your content

   • Place your SRM Insider PDF or TXT file in the pdfs/ folder
   • The chatbot will automatically detect and use it

💻 Usage

Interactive Mode

Start a conversation with the chatbot:

cd src
python main.py

Then type your questions. Type quit or exit to end the conversation.

Run Demo with Test Questions

Test the chatbot with 5 predefined questions:

cd src
python demo.py

Interactive Text Demo

Test with more sample questions:

cd src
python demo_text_chatbot.py

Interactive Testing Mode

Another interactive mode for testing:

cd src
python test_interactive.py

📊 How It Works

The chatbot uses a keyword matching algorithm:

1. User asks a question
   ↓
2. Extract keywords from the question
   (remove small words like "the", "and", "what")
   ↓
3. Search through PDF/text content
   for sections containing those keywords
   ↓
4. Score each section based on:
   - Keyword matches in section headers (highest score)
   - Keyword matches in body text (lower score)
   - Exact phrase matching
   ↓
5. Return the highest-scoring section as the answer
   along with source page number
   ↓
6. Display answer to user

🔧 Core Components

1. chatbot.py - Main Chatbot Engine

The SRMInsiderBot class handles everything:

• __init__(): Initialize the chatbot with a PDF/text file path
• load_pdf(): Load and extract text from PDF or TXT files
• find_relevant_text(): Search for text matching user's question
• answer_question(): Generate an answer with source information
• interactive_chat(): Run an interactive conversation

Key Features:

• Supports both PDF and TXT files
• Splits content into pages/sections
• Scores sections by relevance
• Returns top matching result with page number

2. main.py - Interactive Entry Point

Starts the chatbot in interactive mode:

• Finds available PDF/TXT files in the pdfs/ folder
• Lets user choose which file to load (if multiple exist)
• Starts interactive chat session

3. demo.py - Automated Testing

Tests chatbot with 5 required questions:

1. What is SRM INSIDER?
2. When did it start?
3. Who is the founder of SRM INSIDER?
4. What are the domains of SRM INSIDER?
5. What is SRM Roomie?

4. demo_text_chatbot.py - Text Demo

Demonstrates chatbot with 7 sample questions about SRM Insider.

5. test_interactive.py - Interactive Test Mode

Another interactive mode for testing the chatbot.

6. pdf_to_text_converter.py - Utility Tool

Converts PDF files to plain text for easier processing.

7. create_sample_pdf.py - Sample Generator

Creates a sample PDF with SRM Insider information for testing.

📝 How the Algorithm Works

Keyword Extraction

# Question: "What is SRM Insider?"
# Extracted keywords: ["srm", "insider"]
# (removed: "what", "is")

Scoring System

• Perfect header match: 1000 points
• Most keywords in header: 100-150 points
• Some keywords in header: 30-50 points
• Keywords in body text: 1-2 points each

Result Selection

• Scores all content sections
• Returns section with highest score
• If no match found, says "couldn't find relevant information"

🎯 Example Usage

$ python main.py
==============================================================
Welcome to SRM Insider Chatbot
(Free & Simple - No AI Models!)
==============================================================

Loading text file: ../pdfs/SRM_Content.txt
✓ Loaded 5 sections from text file
✓ Total text length: 2500 characters

============================================================
SRM Insider Chatbot - Interactive Mode
============================================================
Type 'quit' or 'exit' to end the conversation

You: What is SRM Insider?
Bot: SRM Insider is a premier community platform...
Source pages: 1

You: Who founded it?
Bot: SRM Insider was founded by a group of visionary students...
Source pages: 1

You: quit
Bot: Goodbye! Thank you for using SRM Insider Chatbot.

🔑 Key Technologies

• PyPDF2: PDF text extraction
• Python 3.8+: Programming language
• Standard Library: File I/O, string processing

✨ Why This Chatbot is Special

1. Free Forever: No API costs, no subscriptions
2. No Internet Needed: Works completely offline
3. Privacy: Your data never leaves your computer
4. Simple: Easy to understand and modify
5. Fast: Instant responses without waiting for AI
6. Beginner-Friendly: Well-commented code with clear logic

📖 Code Explanation

Each line of code has been written with simplicity in mind:

• Clear variable names
• Detailed comments
• Logical structure
• Type hints for clarity

For a detailed line-by-line explanation of the code, see the documentation or ask for specific file explanations.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Place your PDF or TXT file in the pdfs/ folder
2. Run python main.py from the src/ folder
3. Start asking questions!
4. Type quit to exit

📞 Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the QUICKSTART.md file
2. Review the code comments in the src/ folder
3. Test with the demo.py file first

📄 License

This project is open source and free to use!