# Overview of the Basic Bot template

Examples of Microsoft Teams bots in everyday use include:

- Bots that notify about build failures.
- Bots that provide information about the weather or bus schedules.
- Bots that provide travel information.

A bot interaction can be a quick question and answer, or it can be a complex conversation. Being a cloud application, a bot can provide valuable and secure access to cloud services and corporate resources.
This app template is built on top of [Microsoft Teams SDK](https://aka.ms/teams-ai-library-v2).
## Get started with the Basic Bot template

> **Prerequisites**
>
> To run the Basic Bot template in your local dev machine, you will need:
>
> - [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/), supported versions: 20, 22
{{^enableTestToolByDefault}}
> - A [Microsoft 365 account for development](https://docs.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/accounts)
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> - [Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit Visual Studio Code Extension](https://aka.ms/teams-toolkit) version 5.0.0 and higher or [Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit CLI](https://aka.ms/teamsfx-toolkit-cli)

> For local debugging using Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit CLI, you need to do some extra steps described in [Set up your Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit CLI for local debugging](https://aka.ms/teamsfx-cli-debugging).

1. First, select the Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit icon on the left in the VS Code toolbar.
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2. Press F5 to start debugging which launches your app in Microsoft 365 Agents Playground using a web browser. Select `Debug in Microsoft 365 Agents Playground`.
3. The browser will pop up to open Microsoft 365 Agents Playground.
4. You will receive a welcome message from the bot, and you can send anything to the bot to get an echoed response.

**Congratulations**! You are running an application that can now interact with users in Microsoft 365 Agents Playground:

![basic bot](./img/echo-bot.png)

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2. In the Account section, sign in with your [Microsoft 365 account](https://docs.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/accounts) if you haven't already.
3. Press F5 to start debugging which launches your app in Teams using a web browser. Select `Debug in Teams (Edge)` or `Debug in Teams (Chrome)`.
4. When Teams launches in the browser, select the Add button in the dialog to install your app to Teams.
5. You will receive a welcome message from the bot, and you can send anything to the bot to get an echoed response.

**Congratulations**! You are running an application that can now interact with users in Teams:

![basic bot](https://github.com/OfficeDev/TeamsFx/assets/25220706/170096d2-b353-4d4e-b55a-2c8ae4d97514)
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## What's included in the template

| Folder       | Contents                                            |
| - | - |
| `.vscode`    | VSCode files for debugging                          |
| `appPackage` | Templates for the application manifest        |
| `env`        | Environment files                                   |
| `infra`      | Templates for provisioning Azure resources          |

The following files can be customized and demonstrate an example implementation to get you started.

| File                                 | Contents                                           |
| - | - |
|`app.js`| Handles business logics for the echo bot.|
|`index.js`|`index.js` is used to setup and configure the echo bot.|

The following are Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit specific project files. You can [visit a complete guide on Github](https://github.com/OfficeDev/TeamsFx/wiki/Teams-Toolkit-Visual-Studio-Code-v5-Guide#overview) to understand how Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit works.

| File                                 | Contents                                           |
| - | - |
|`m365agents.yml`|This is the main Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit project file. The project file defines two primary things:  Properties and configuration Stage definitions. |
|`m365agents.local.yml`|This overrides `m365agents.yml` with actions that enable local execution and debugging.|
|`m365agents.playground.yml`| This overrides `m365agents.yml` with actions that enable local execution and debugging in Microsoft 365 Agents Playground.|

## Extend the Basic Bot template

Following documentation will help you to extend the Basic Bot template.

- [Add or manage the environment](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/teamsfx-multi-env)
- [Create multi-capability app](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/add-capability)
- [Add single sign on to your app](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/add-single-sign-on)
- [Access data in Microsoft Graph](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/teamsfx-sdk#microsoft-graph-scenarios)
- [Use an existing Microsoft Entra application](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/use-existing-aad-app)
- [Customize the app manifest](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/teamsfx-preview-and-customize-app-manifest)
- Host your app in Azure by [provision cloud resources](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/provision) and [deploy the code to cloud](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/deploy)
- [Collaborate on app development](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/teamsfx-collaboration)
- [Set up the CI/CD pipeline](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/use-cicd-template)
- [Publish the app to your organization or the Microsoft app store](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/publish)
- [Develop with Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit CLI](https://aka.ms/teams-toolkit-cli/debug)
- [Preview the app on mobile clients](https://aka.ms/teamsfx-mobile)
