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Overview
Chatbots like Phind.com and Perplexity.ai are really powerful tools. As an Obsidian.md user, I wanted to process the provided information into my knowledge base, but I couldn’t find any way to save or download the threads locally.
That’s why I develop the Save my Chatbot extension (formerly “Save my Phind). When you’re on a Phind or Perplexity thread, simply click on the extension icon to extract it’s content into a formatted markdown file.
It also empowers the Phind interface by adding a saving button directly inside the page. Plus, you can now export all the threads in your list by clicking on the “Export All Threads” button. Finally, I also added a filter bar to help you to look inside your recent threads.
Goal
The primary goal behind “Save my Chatbot” was to provide users with the ability to keep AI-generated information offline, to enable them to share threads with others, and read and process them in a note-taking app like Obsidian. Now, it also enhances the usability of Phind by modifying directly its interface.
Challenges Faced
While developing Save my Chatbot, I faced several challenges, including:
- Learning how to build a Chrome extension from scratch.
- Understanding the Turndown library for converting HTML to markdown.
- Dividing my code into modules for better organization and maintainability.
- Automating the app building process for both Chrome and Firefox using NPM.
Skills Developed
During the development of Save my Chatbot, I possessed and acquired the following skills:
| Skills | Details |
|---|---|
| JavaScript Coding | I had to write some complex code to develop this extension. Thus, I deepened my understanding of JavaScript while working on the project. |
| API WebExtensions | I learned about the API WebExtensions, which are essential for building browser extensions. |
| Problem-solving | I faced numerous challenges during the development process and had to find effective solutions for them. |
| Project Management | I had to manage the entire project, from conceptualization to execution, ensuring that all aspects were handled efficiently. |
| Publishing on Browser Stores | I learned how to publish the extension on Chrome and Firefox browser stores. |
Conclusion
Developing “Save my Chatbot” is a rewarding experience. It not only allows me to put my skills to the test but also provide me with the opportunity to contribute to the AI community. It addresses the need for offline access, sharing, and integration of newly AI generated content. I’m really excited to see how users will benefit from this extension.