To download a picture (or any other file), you will need the file_path of the file. Let start by finding the photo we want to download, the following method will extract the PhotoSize from a photo sent to the bot (in our case, we are taken the bigger size of those provided):
public PhotoSize getPhoto(Update update) {
// Check that the update contains a message and the message has a photo
if (update.hasMessage() && update.getMessage().hasPhoto()) {
// When receiving a photo, you usually get different sizes of it
List<PhotoSize> photos = update.getMessage().getPhoto();
// We fetch the bigger photo
return photos.stream()
.max(Comparator.comparing(PhotoSize::getFileSize)).orElse(null);
}
// Return null if not found
return null;
}
Once we have the photo we have two options: The file_path is already present or we need to get it. The following method will handle both of them and return the final file_path:
public String getFilePath(PhotoSize photo) {
Objects.requireNonNull(photo);
if (photo.getFilePath() != null) {
return photo.getFilePath();
} else {
// Use the Builder pattern for GetFile instead of empty constructor + setter
GetFile getFileMethod = GetFile.builder()
.fileId(photo.getFileId())
.build();
try {
// We use the full package name or a specific import to avoid 'File' confusion
org.telegram.telegrambots.meta.api.objects.File telegramFile = telegramClient.execute(getFileMethod);
// Return the path on Telegram's servers
return telegramFile.getFilePath();
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
return null;
}
Now that we have the file_path we can download it:
The returned java.io.File object will be your photo
How to display ChatActions like "typing" or "recording a voice message"?
Quick example here that is showing ChatActions for commands like "/type" or "/record_audio"
if (update.hasMessage() && update.getMessage().hasText()) {
String text = update.getMessage().getText();
Long chatId = update.getMessage().getChatId();
// 1. Determine the action based on the command
ActionType action;
if (text.equals("/type")) {
action = ActionType.TYPING;
} else if (text.equals("/record_audio")) {
action = ActionType.RECORD_VOICE;
} else {
// Default or other actions from ActionType enum
action = ActionType.UPLOAD_DOCUMENT;
}
// 2. Use the Builder to construct the object with required arguments
SendChatAction sendChatAction = SendChatAction.builder()
.chatId(chatId.toString()) // chatId is required
.action(action.toString()) // action is required
.build();
try {
// 3. Execute the action
telegramClient.execute(sendChatAction);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
How to send photos?
There are several methods to send a photo to a user using sendPhoto method: With a file_id, with an url or uploading the file. In this example, we assume that we already have the chat_id where we want to send the photo:
public void sendImageFromUrl(String url, String chatId) {
// Use the builder to set required fields: chatId and photo
SendPhoto sendPhotoRequest = SendPhoto.builder()
.chatId(chatId)
.photo(new InputFile(url))
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(sendPhotoRequest);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public void sendImageFromFileId(String fileId, String chatId) {
// Re-using a File ID already present on Telegram's servers
SendPhoto sendPhotoRequest = SendPhoto.builder()
.chatId(chatId)
.photo(new InputFile(fileId))
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(sendPhotoRequest);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public void sendImageUploadingAFile(String filePath, String chatId) {
// Create a Java File object from the path
File imageFile = new File(filePath);
// Ensure InputFile wraps the File object correctly for a multipart upload
SendPhoto sendPhotoRequest = SendPhoto.builder()
.chatId(chatId)
.photo(new InputFile(imageFile, imageFile.getName()))
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(sendPhotoRequest);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
How to send stickers?
There are several ways to send a sticker, but now we will use file_id and url.
file_id: To get the file_id, you have to send your sticker to the Get Sticker ID bot and then you will receive a string. url: All you need to have is a link to the sticker in .webp format, like This.
Implementation
Just call the method below in your onUpdateReceived(Update update) method.
// Sticker_file_id is received from @idstickerbot bot
private void StickerSender(Update update, String Sticker_file_id) {
//the ChatId that we received form Update class
String ChatId = update.getMessage().getChatId().toString();
// Create an InputFile containing Sticker's file_id or URL
InputFile StickerFile = new InputFile(Sticker_file_id);
// Create a SendSticker object using the ChatId and StickerFile
SendSticker TheSticker = new SendSticker(ChatId, StickerFile);
// Will reply the sticker to the message sent
//TheSticker.setReplyToMessageId(update.getMessage().getMessageId());
try { // Execute the method
telegramClient.execute(TheSticker);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
How to send photo by its file_id?
In this example we will check if user sends to bot a photo, if it is, get Photo's file_id and send this photo by file_id to user.
// If it is a photo
if (update.hasMessage() && update.getMessage().hasPhoto()) {
// Array with photos
List<PhotoSize> photos = update.getMessage().getPhoto();
// Get largest photo's file_id
String f_id = photos.stream()
.max(Comparator.comparing(PhotoSize::getFileSize))
.orElseThrow().getFileId();
// Send photo by file_id we got before
SendPhoto sendPhoto = SendPhoto.builder()
.chatId(update.getMessage().getChatId())
.photo(new InputFile(f_id))
.caption("Photo")
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(sendPhoto); // Call method to send the photo
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
How to use custom keyboards?
Custom keyboards can be appended to messages using the setReplyMarkup. In this example, we will build a simple ReplyKeyboardMarkup with two rows and three buttons per row, but you can also use other types like ReplyKeyboardHide, ForceReply or InlineKeyboardMarkup:
public void sendCustomKeyboard(String chatId) {
// 1. Prepare the rows and buttons
List<KeyboardRow> keyboard = new ArrayList<>();
// Create the first row
KeyboardRow row1 = new KeyboardRow();
row1.add("Row 1 Button 1");
row1.add("Row 1 Button 2");
row1.add("Row 1 Button 3");
keyboard.add(row1);
// Create the second row
KeyboardRow row2 = new KeyboardRow();
row2.add("Row 2 Button 1");
row2.add("Row 2 Button 2");
row2.add("Row 2 Button 3");
keyboard.add(row2);
// 2. Build the ReplyKeyboardMarkup
ReplyKeyboardMarkup keyboardMarkup = ReplyKeyboardMarkup.builder()
.keyboard(keyboard) // The constructor/builder now requires the list
.resizeKeyboard(true) // Recommended: makes buttons fit the screen
.oneTimeKeyboard(false) // Keeps the keyboard visible after use
.selective(false)
.build();
// 3. Build the SendMessage with the markup
SendMessage message = SendMessage.builder()
.chatId(chatId)
.text("Custom message text")
.replyMarkup(keyboardMarkup)
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(message);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public void sendInlineKeyboard(String chatId) {
// 1. Define the buttons
InlineKeyboardButton youtube = InlineKeyboardButton.builder()
.text("YouTube")
.url("https://www.youtube.com")
.build();
InlineKeyboardButton github = InlineKeyboardButton.builder()
.text("GitHub")
.url("https://github.com")
.build();
// 2. Create the Row (This is the missing step in the FAQ)
// InlineKeyboardRow replaces List<InlineKeyboardButton>
InlineKeyboardRow row = new InlineKeyboardRow(youtube, github);
// 3. Build the Markup
// The builder/constructor now expects a List<InlineKeyboardRow>
InlineKeyboardMarkup inlineKeyboardMarkup = InlineKeyboardMarkup.builder()
.keyboardRow(row) // The builder allows adding a single row easily
.build();
// 4. Build and Send the Message
SendMessage message = SendMessage.builder()
.chatId(chatId)
.text("Inline model below.")
.replyMarkup(inlineKeyboardMarkup)
.build();
try {
telegramClient.execute(message);
} catch (TelegramApiException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
How can I run my bot?
You don't need to spend a lot of money into hosting your own telegram bot. Basically, there are two options around how to host:
Hosting on your own hardware. It can be a Mini-PC like a Raspberry Pi. The costs for the hardware (~35€) and annual costs for power (~7-8€) are low. Keep in mind that your internet connection might be limited and a Mini-Pc is not ideal for a large users base.
Run your bot in a Virtual Server/dedicated root server. There are many hosters out there that are providing cheap servers that fit your needs. The cheapest one should be openVZ-Containers or a KVM vServer. Example providers are Hetzner, DigitalOcean, (are providing systems that have a high availability but cost's a bit more) and OVH For a deeper explanation for deploying your bot on DigitalOcean please see the Lesson 5. Deploy your bot in the tutorials.
Method sendMessage() (or other) is deprecated, what should I do?
Please use TelegramClient::execute() instead.
Example:
SendMessage message = new SendMessage();
//add chat id and text
telegramClient.execute(message);
Your main spring boot class should look like this:
@SpringBootApplication
public class YourApplicationMainClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(YourApplicationMainClass.class, args);
}
}
After that you´ll need to choose whether you want to use the Webhook started or the Long polling starter. Below example assume you are going with Long polling version.
//Standard Spring component annotation
@Component
public class YourBotClassName extends SpringLongPollingBot {
//Bot body.
}
You could just implement SpringLongPollingBot or extend SpringTelegramWebhookBot interfaces. All this bots will be registered in context and connected to Telegram api.
