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Telegram as an inbound channel

To use Telegram as an inbound channel:

  1. Create a bot.
  2. Create an inbound channel.
  3. Test the bot.

Create a bot​

Before deploying a chatbot to Telegram, you need to create a Telegram bot.

  1. Open Telegram and enter BotFather in the search bar.
  2. Send the /newbot command to BotFather.
  3. Think of a bot name and send it to BotFather.
    • This name will be displayed in contacts and chats.
  4. Think of a bot username and send it to BotFather.
    • A username is a short name used to mention the bot and displayed in profile links.
    • It may only contain Latin characters, underscores, and numbers.
    • It must end with bot, for example: test_bot or TestBot.
    • It can be from 5 to 32 characters long.
  5. BotFather will send a link to your bot and a token. Copy the token, you will need it when creating a channel in JAICP.
    • A token is a character set like 110201543:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw.
tip
If you have lost the token, send the /token command to BotFather. BotFather will generate a new token.

Create a channel​

  1. In the JAICP dashboard, click Channels → Inbound → Connect channel.

  2. In the Messengers and social networks section, select Telegram.

  3. Specify the settings:

    • Name is the channel name.
    • Access token is the token that you previously received in the chat with BotFather.
    • Branch is the project branch you want to deploy into the channel (master by default). You can also select a Git tag or enter a specific commit hash.
    • Agent is a customer engagement platform. You can leave this field empty.
    • Deployment is one of the two deployment options:
      • Automatic: when you save the changes into the project.
      • Manual: with the Deploy button in the channel description.
    caution
    You have to deploy a script before starting the bot. At this stage, the system builds the bot, checks the script syntax, and performs tests.

  4. Click Create.

  5. Wait for the pop-up window with the result of the deployment. If it is successful, the chatbot is ready to use.

Test the bot​

Open the chat with the bot in Telegram and send it the start command. After that, your chat with the bot should begin.

Telegram payment​

You can accept payments from Telegram users for services or goods you provide.

tip
Learn more about how to set up payments in Telegram