How To Create A Telegram Bot In Python For Beginners (2023 Tutorial)

Creating a Python-compatible Telegram bot for groups and private chat, with updates for the 2023 version due to API changes.

To set up a bot in PyCharm using Python 3.11, open Telegram and search for 'BotFather.' Start by creating a new bot with a unique username containing 'bot' (e.g., banana_bot). Copy the access token provided and paste it into your Python script. Customize the bot's description, about text, user pic, and commands as needed. Once set up, users can find and interact with the bot on Telegram.

Creating a Telegram Bot To create a Telegram bot, we need to install the 'python-telegram' package using PIP. Then, we import necessary elements such as updates and context types from telegram.extensions. We start by creating commands like 'start', 'help', and custom commands with async functions for the new API. Each command has specific text responses that are sent when triggered by users.

Handling Responses We need to handle responses from the bot by creating a function called 'handle response'. This function processes incoming text messages and returns appropriate string responses based on predefined conditions using if-else statements. To make it more reliable, we add another function called 'process text' which converts all input texts to lowercase for case-insensitive matching.

Handling Incoming Messages Create a function to handle incoming messages, determine if they are from a group or private chat, and process the text accordingly. The bot should only respond when explicitly called in a group chat.

Gluing Logic Together Combine all functions together using an application builder, add command handlers for start, help, and custom commands. Also include message handler for handling user messages and error handler for logging errors. Finally run polling to check for new updates at regular intervals.

Running the bot to the telegram app and then running it by typing "/help" to get all commands. Next, using "/setcommands", selecting the bot, providing commands (e.g., start, help).

Commands like 'start' and 'help' are set up to trigger specific actions in the bot. The custom command allows for creating personalized commands that provide context for interacting with the bot.

To create a group, tap on 'new group,' name the group (e.g., Banana Group), and add members. To enable communication with the bot, give it administrator rights by promoting it to an admin in the group settings.

The Banana bot is designed to respond when mentioned in a group, ensuring it doesn't reply to every message. It also logs user messages and can respond in private chats.