Instant Utilities: Handy Chat Tools

You need to convert 15 kilometers to miles, hash a string or turn a messy JSON into something readable. Opening a separate website for every little thing is a nuisance. Instant Utilities gathers such tasks in a single chat ⚡

The bot tries to answer instantly, like the quick answers of a search engine. It has built-in access to the instant answers API of an open search engine, and next to it sits a set of small tools for developers and curious people.

Quick answers with one command

The /ddg command takes a question and returns a short answer. The example from the bot description is /ddg 15km to miles. You can convert units, get definitions and look up reference facts.

The result arrives right in the chat, with no links to follow and no tab to find.

Tools for developers

For people who write code or work with data, the bot has a small kit:

• /formatjson turns a JSON string into a neat, indented one.
• /hash calculates a hash. Example: /hash sha256 test.
• /urlencode and /urldecode encode and decode strings for web addresses.
• /guid generates a globally unique identifier.
• /strlen returns the length of a string.
• /tounixtime converts a date to Unix time. Format: 01.09.1980 06:32:32, or the word now.

Information about an IP address

The /ip command shows data about the specified address, for example its approximate location. It is useful for quickly understanding where a request came from or which network an address belongs to.

IP geolocation is always approximate: it usually points to a provider's city or region, not an exact house. Do not treat it as a way to find a person.

A link for checking a bitcoin address

The /blockchain command gives a link for checking an address or transaction in a public blockchain explorer. The bot only sends the link, and the check itself happens on a third-party site.

Addresses and transactions on the bitcoin network are public, so anyone can look at them. That is normal, but never type keys or recovery phrases on third-party sites.

Who benefits from such small things

Developers, testers, students and anyone who occasionally meets technical strings. A few seconds on a chat command is often faster than looking for a suitable online service.

A hash, for example, lets you compare two files or strings without reading the content: identical data always gives an identical hash. A GUID is used when you need an identifier that almost never repeats.

Unix time is the number of seconds since January 1, 1970. Databases and programs love it, so converting a date to that format helps with debugging.

Where to begin

1. Open the bot and send /help.
2. Look at the examples next to the commands.
3. Try /ddg with a simple query.
4. Bookmark the commands you need most often.

Practical tips

Do not send passwords, access tokens or private keys to bots like this. Hashing and encoding can be tested on ordinary strings, and secrets are better processed locally.

If the bot does not answer, repeat the request a little later. Small projects sometimes work with interruptions, and more details are available in /help.