alexa-hoppy

Hoppy brings extensive beer knowledge to your Echo devices.

Usage

This is my first forage into Alexa skill development, and I'm still not happy with the tooling or repository layout, it all feels a bit hacky/thrown together.

That being said, if you want to run/test locally something along these lines will see you straight:

• Install bespoken-tools globally (it doesn't seem to work when installed non-globally)

make global-dep

• Build/run code locally via bst proxy (note that you'll need to re-build after modifying typescript files)

make run

• Deploy the code to lambda via bst deploy lambda

make deploy

Testing

I knew I forgot something.

Code Organisation

Ha. "If the code was organised, would this section be necessary?" I hear you ask... And you're right. I kinda split still up and ended up with the layout we've got now. I don't like it but I can't dream up anything objectively better so there we have it.

./index.ts primarily concerns itself with launching the Lambda handler and setting up the Alexa SDK.

./handlers.ts is the meat-and-potatoes and the Alexa interaction

and ./utils.ts is pretty much all the stuff that turns text into nice-sounding spoken words.

Likely Questions

• Whats going on with the messy code organisation? Two package.json files and and Makefile?!

  • Well as I mentioned, I don't really know what I'm doing with the alexa tooling/sdk (lambda is pretty new too, if we're being honest). Also, they shouldn't put 8.5% beers in 660ml bottles.

• Hoppy is shit, it takes too long to respond!

  • I worry about this too, and I have some ideas cooking… Leave it with me.

Unlikely Questions

• This looks great! Can I use help beta test/buy it/have your children?

  • Very possibly, drop me and email or get in touch on twitter and we'll sort something out.