Installation and Usage Instructions

This document provides detailed instructions for setting up and running the pytchat_listener.py script for monitoring YouTube Live Chat.

Prerequisites

Python 3.8+
pip (Python package installer)
git (for cloning the repository)

Installation Steps

Clone the Repository: Open your terminal and clone the project repository from Gitea:

git clone https://gitea.ramforth.net/ramforth/youtube-chat-webhook-v2.git
cd youtube-chat-webhook-v2

Create and Activate a Virtual Environment: It is highly recommended to use a Python virtual environment to manage project dependencies.
```
python3 -m venv venv
```
- For Bash/Zsh:
```
source venv/bin/activate
```
- For Fish Shell:
```
source venv/bin/activate.fish
```
Install Dependencies: With your virtual environment activated, install the required Python packages:
```
pip install pytchat rich
```

Usage

Run the Script: Ensure your virtual environment is activated, then run the pytchat_listener.py script:
```
python pytchat_listener.py
```
Enter Video ID: The script will prompt you to "Enter the YouTube Live Stream Video ID:". Paste the 11-character ID of the live stream you wish to monitor and press Enter.
Observe Chat: The script will then start fetching and displaying live chat messages in your terminal.
Save Chat Log: To exit the script gracefully, press Ctrl+C. You will then be prompted if you want to save the chat log.

User Colors Persistence (`user_colors.json`)

The script assigns unique, persistent colors to chatters. This mapping is stored in a file named user_colors.json in the project directory.

If this file does not exist, it will be created automatically.
If it exists, the script will load the previously assigned colors.
You can manually edit this file to change a user's color or reset the mapping.

YouTube API Authentication (Optional)

For the core functionality of fetching live chat using pytchat, explicit YouTube Data API v3 authentication (e.g., API keys or OAuth 2.0 credentials) is not required. pytchat leverages an internal YouTube API endpoint that does not necessitate these credentials for public live chat streams.

However, if you plan to extend this project to interact with other YouTube Data API v3 services (e.g., managing videos, accessing private data, or performing actions that require user authorization), you will need to set up API credentials. You can find detailed instructions on how to obtain and configure these credentials in the official Google Cloud documentation:

For Python projects, you would typically use libraries like google-auth-oauthlib and google-api-python-client to handle authentication and API interactions.

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