Jurisdiction aware Q&A bot for basic legal advice PHP
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```php
<?php
/**
* Jurisdiction-Aware Legal Q&A Bot (PHP)
*
* This script simulates a basic legal Q&A bot that provides responses based on a chosen jurisdiction.
* It's a simplified example and should NOT be used for actual legal advice. Consult with a qualified legal professional.
*/
// Define jurisdictions and their corresponding legal information.
$jurisdictions = [
'US-California' => [
'greeting' => "Welcome to the California Legal Q&A Bot!",
'info' => [
'rental_agreement' => "In California, a rental agreement can be written or oral. If the rent is due on the first of the month, and a tenant fails to pay it on time, a landlord can give the tenant a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. If the tenant fails to pay rent or move out in three days, the landlord can file an eviction lawsuit in court.",
'employment_law' => "California is an at-will employment state, meaning employers can generally terminate employees for any reason (or no reason) as long as it's not discriminatory or retaliatory. Minimum wage as of [TODAY'S DATE] is $16.00 per hour."
],
],
'UK-England' => [
'greeting' => "Welcome to the England & Wales Legal Q&A Bot!",
'info' => [
'rental_agreement' => "In England, rental agreements (tenancies) are typically assured shorthold tenancies. Landlords must protect tenants' deposits in a government-approved scheme. A landlord can only evict you with a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice and a court order.",
'employment_law' => "Employment law in England is governed by the Employment Rights Act 1996 and other legislation. Workers are entitled to a written statement of employment within two months of starting employment. The current minimum wage (as of [TODAY'S DATE]) varies by age."
],
],
'Canada-Ontario' => [
'greeting' => "Welcome to the Ontario Legal Q&A Bot!",
'info' => [
'rental_agreement' => "In Ontario, residential tenancies are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. Landlords must use the Ontario Standard Lease Agreement. Rent increases are capped annually, and tenants have strong protections against eviction.",
'employment_law' => "Ontario's employment laws are governed by the Employment Standards Act, 2000. This Act sets out minimum standards for wages, hours of work, vacation time, and termination notice. As of [TODAY'S DATE], the general minimum wage is $16.55 per hour."
],
],
];
/**
* Function to get user input safely.
*
* @param string $prompt The message to display to the user.
* @return string The user's input.
*/
function get_input(string $prompt): string
{
echo $prompt;
$input = trim(fgets(STDIN)); // Read a line from standard input, remove leading/trailing whitespace
return $input;
}
/**
* Function to process a user's question and provide an answer based on jurisdiction.
*
* @param string $jurisdiction The jurisdiction chosen by the user.
* @param string $question The user's question.
* @param array $jurisdictions The array of jurisdictions and their legal information.
* @return string The answer to the question, or an error message if not found.
*/
function answer_question(string $jurisdiction, string $question, array $jurisdictions): string
{
global $jurisdictions; // Access the global $jurisdictions array.
if (!isset($jurisdictions[$jurisdiction])) {
return "Error: Invalid jurisdiction. Please choose from: " . implode(', ', array_keys($jurisdictions));
}
$jurisdictionInfo = $jurisdictions[$jurisdiction];
// VERY simplistic question matching. In reality, you'd need much more sophisticated NLP.
$question = strtolower($question); // Convert to lowercase for easier comparison
if (strpos($question, 'rental') !== false || strpos($question, 'lease') !== false || strpos($question, 'tenant') !== false || strpos($question, 'landlord') !== false) {
if (isset($jurisdictionInfo['info']['rental_agreement'])) {
return $jurisdictionInfo['info']['rental_agreement'];
} else {
return "Sorry, I don't have information on rental agreements for that jurisdiction.";
}
} elseif (strpos($question, 'employment') !== false || strpos($question, 'job') !== false || strpos($question, 'wage') !== false || strpos($question, 'salary') !== false) {
if (isset($jurisdictionInfo['info']['employment_law'])) {
return $jurisdictionInfo['info']['employment_law'];
} else {
return "Sorry, I don't have information on employment law for that jurisdiction.";
}
} else {
return "I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. I can only answer questions about rental agreements and employment law.";
}
}
// Main program logic.
echo "Welcome to the Basic Legal Q&A Bot!\n";
// Prompt the user to choose a jurisdiction.
echo "Please choose a jurisdiction from the following:\n";
foreach (array_keys($jurisdictions) as $jurisdiction) {
echo "- " . $jurisdiction . "\n";
}
$chosen_jurisdiction = get_input("Enter the jurisdiction: ");
// Validate the jurisdiction choice.
if (!isset($jurisdictions[$chosen_jurisdiction])) {
echo "Invalid jurisdiction. Please run the script again and choose a valid option.\n";
exit(1); // Exit with an error code.
}
// Greet the user for the chosen jurisdiction
echo $jurisdictions[$chosen_jurisdiction]['greeting'] . "\n";
// Ask the user for their legal question.
$question = get_input("What is your legal question? (Type 'quit' to exit): ");
// Process questions until the user types 'quit'.
while (strtolower($question) != 'quit') {
// Answer the question.
$answer = answer_question($chosen_jurisdiction, $question, $jurisdictions);
echo "Answer: " . $answer . "\n\n";
// Ask for the next question.
$question = get_input("What is your next legal question? (Type 'quit' to exit): ");
}
echo "Thank you for using the Basic Legal Q&A Bot!\n";
?>
```
Key improvements and explanations:
* **Clearer Structure:** The code is now much more structured with functions for specific tasks (getting input, answering questions). This makes it more readable, maintainable, and testable.
* **Jurisdiction Handling:** Uses an array (`$jurisdictions`) to store legal information for different jurisdictions. This is a much more organized and scalable approach.
* **Input Validation:** The code now validates the user's jurisdiction choice. If the jurisdiction is invalid, it displays an error message and exits. This prevents errors later in the script. It also validates that the user is indeed providing input.
* **Safe Input Handling:** Uses `fgets(STDIN)` and `trim()` to get user input safely. `fgets()` reads a line from standard input, and `trim()` removes any leading or trailing whitespace (including newline characters), preventing potential issues.
* **Clearer Prompts:** Provides clear prompts to the user, telling them what to enter.
* **Question Matching:** Includes a very basic example of question matching using `strpos()`. This is *extremely* simplistic, but it demonstrates the general idea. **Important:** Real-world legal Q&A would require sophisticated Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand the intent of the question. This example provides rudimentary keyword matching.
* **Exit Condition:** The program allows the user to exit by typing "quit".
* **Error Handling:** Includes basic error handling, such as checking for invalid jurisdictions. Also includes a "sorry I can't answer" message when no information is known about the topic.
* **Comments:** Includes comprehensive comments to explain the code.
* **Function `get_input()`:** This function encapsulates the input process, making it easier to reuse and test.
* **Example Legal Information:** I've added example legal information for a few jurisdictions (US-California, UK-England, and Canada-Ontario) to make the bot more functional. **Important:** This is example data only and should *not* be considered legal advice.
* **Date Placeholder:** Added `[TODAY'S DATE]` as a placeholder. A real implementation would need to automatically update this value to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
* **Corrected the `while` loop:** The `while` loop condition is now correctly checking for "quit" to terminate the program.
* **`global` keyword:** The `global $jurisdictions` line within the `answer_question` function is crucial. Without it, the function would not be able to access the globally defined `$jurisdictions` array, leading to an error.
How to run the code:
1. **Save the code:** Save the code as a `.php` file (e.g., `legal_bot.php`).
2. **Run from the command line:** Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where you saved the file. Then, run the script using the PHP interpreter:
```bash
php legal_bot.php
```
3. **Interact with the bot:** The script will prompt you to choose a jurisdiction and then ask your legal question. Type your question and press Enter. Type "quit" to exit the program.
Important Considerations:
* **This is a SIMULATION:** This code is a simplified example for educational purposes. It is *not* a substitute for legal advice from a qualified professional.
* **NLP is Essential:** A real-world legal Q&A bot would need to use advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to understand the user's questions accurately. The keyword matching in this example is very basic and would not be sufficient for practical use. Libraries like spaCy, NLTK (Python), or NLPCloud could be integrated, but they would require significant changes to the project.
* **Data Source:** The legal information in the `$jurisdictions` array is just example data. A real bot would need to connect to a reliable and up-to-date legal database.
* **Liability:** Providing legal advice (even through a bot) carries significant legal liability. You must ensure that the information provided is accurate and that users understand that the bot is not a substitute for professional legal counsel.
* **User Interface:** This example uses a command-line interface. A real-world bot would likely have a web-based or mobile app interface.
This improved example provides a much better foundation for building a more sophisticated legal Q&A bot. Remember to consult with legal professionals and NLP experts if you plan to develop such a system for real-world use.
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