The Purdue Housing Bot is a specialized Discord bot designed to assist Purdue University students in finding available on-campus housing. Utilizing web scraping techniques, this bot provides real-time updates on available dorms and apartments, significantly simplifying the housing search process. This bot was instrumental in helping the creator and their roommates secure on-campus housing, avoiding the need for more expensive off-campus alternatives.

• Real-time Housing Updates: Automatically scrapes and reports available housing options on campus, including both residences and apartments.
• Periodic Checks: By default, the bot checks for housing availability every 10 seconds and sends updates to a designated Discord channel.
• Mute Functionality: Users can toggle the bot's periodic checks on and off with the !mute command, putting the bot into standby mode where it won't send messages.
• Manual Checks: The !check command allows users to perform an immediate check for available housing and receive an update.

1. Install Dependencies: Ensure you have Python 3.x installed along with the discord.py, requests, python-dotenv, and beautifulsoup4 packages.
2. Configure Environment Variables: Use a .env file to store sensitive information such as your Discord bot token, channel ID, housing URLs, and any required cookies or headers for web scraping.
3. Bot Permissions: The bot requires permissions to send messages and manage channels within your Discord server. Ensure it's invited with the appropriate permissions.

• Starting the Bot: Run the bot by executing the Python script. Once started, it will automatically begin its periodic checks.
• Muting the Bot: Send !mute in the Discord channel to toggle the periodic checks. This is useful for reducing spam or during times when housing updates are not needed.
• Performing a Manual Check: Use the !check command in the Discord channel to force the bot to perform a housing check and send an update immediately.
• Updating .env File: In the event that you get logged out, you likely have to update the .env with the new cookies/urls.

The bot leverages the discord.py library for Discord integration and requests along with beautifulsoup4 for web scraping. It's designed with extensibility in mind, allowing for future enhancements such as filtering by specific dorms or apartment complexes.

This bot is not officially affiliated with Purdue University or its housing services. It is a community-driven project aimed at assisting students in their housing search.

By utilizing this bot, Purdue students can stay informed about housing options with minimal effort, focusing on their studies and campus life instead of constantly monitoring housing availability.