A simple and customizable Python script that automatically sends birthday wishes via email using SMTP. This script runs daily (scheduled on PythonAnywhere) and sends a personalized email to anyone whose birthday matches the current date.
- 🗓 Automatically checks birthdays daily
- 📬 Sends personalized birthday emails using Gmail SMTP
- 📁 Uses customizable message templates
- 🔒 Keeps your credentials safe using environment variables
- ☁️ Hosted and scheduled to run daily via PythonAnywhere
| Tech | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Python 3 | Core programming language |
| pandas | Reading and managing CSV data |
| smtplib | Sending emails via Gmail SMTP |
| datetime | Working with current date and time |
| random | Randomly selecting letter templates |
| dotenv (optional) | Loading environment variables securely |
| PythonAnywhere | Hosting and scheduling the automation |
| Anaconda | Environment and package management |
birthday-wisher/
│
├── birthdays.csv # List of birthdays (name, email, date)
├── main.py # Main script that runs daily
├── .env # Stores secure credentials (not committed)
├── letter_templates/
│ ├── letter_1.txt
│ ├── letter_2.txt
│ └── letter_3.txt
├── requirements.txt # Required Python packages
└── README.md # This file
name,email,year,month,day
Alex,alex.doe@example.com,1990,05,12
Jamie,jamie.smith@example.com,1985,11,18
Taylor,taylor.jordan@example.com,1977,08,30
Morgan,morgan.lee@example.com,1972,09,21
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/birthday-wisher.git
cd birthday-wisher
pip install pandas
Create a .env file (do not upload it to GitHub):
EMAIL_USER=your_email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_app_password
python main.py
You can host and run this project for free on PythonAnywhere:
Create an account and upload your project.
Navigate to the Tasks tab.
Schedule your script (e.g., main.py) to run at 12:00 PM every day.
Make sure your Python version matches the one used in Anaconda (Python 3.10 or 3.11).
Set up environment variables in the PythonAnywhere dashboard or use .env.
Loads today's date and compares it to the birthday entries.
If a match is found, it picks a random letter template.
Replaces [NAME] in the template with the actual name.
Sends the email using Gmail’s SMTP server.