implement-telegram-bot

Implement Telegram Bot

Guide for building Telegram bot functionality using Telegram.Bot library.

When to Use

• Creating bot commands and handlers
• Parsing user messages and responses
• Building interactive keyboards
• Sending notifications and messages
• Managing conversation state

Bot Setup

var botClient = new TelegramBotClient(botToken);
var receiverOptions = new ReceiverOptions
{
    AllowedUpdates = Array.Empty<UpdateType>() // Receive all update types
};

botClient.StartReceiving(
    updateHandler: HandleUpdateAsync,
    pollingErrorHandler: HandlePollingErrorAsync,
    receiverOptions: receiverOptions);

Command Handling

private async Task HandleUpdateAsync(ITelegramBotClient botClient, Update update, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
    if (update.Message is not { } message)
        return;
    
    if (message.Text is not { } messageText)
        return;
    
    var chatId = message.Chat.Id;
    
    if (messageText.StartsWith("/"))
    {
        await HandleCommand(botClient, chatId, messageText, cancellationToken);
    }
    else
    {
        await HandleMessage(botClient, chatId, messageText, cancellationToken);
    }
}

private async Task HandleCommand(ITelegramBotClient botClient, long chatId, string command, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
    var parts = command.Split(' ', 2);
    var cmd = parts[0].ToLower();
    var args = parts.Length > 1 ? parts[1] : string.Empty;
    
    switch (cmd)
    {
        case "/start":
            await botClient.SendTextMessageAsync(chatId, "Welcome!", cancellationToken: cancellationToken);
            break;
        case "/help":
            await SendHelp(botClient, chatId, cancellationToken);
            break;
        // ... more commands
    }
}

Inline Keyboards

// Quick reply buttons
var keyboard = new InlineKeyboardMarkup(new[]
{
    new[]
    {
        InlineKeyboardButton.WithCallbackData("Option A", "callback_a"),
        InlineKeyboardButton.WithCallbackData("Option B", "callback_b")
    },
    new[]
    {
        InlineKeyboardButton.WithCallbackData("Cancel", "callback_cancel")
    }
});

await botClient.SendTextMessageAsync(
    chatId: chatId,
    text: "Choose an option:",
    replyMarkup: keyboard,
    cancellationToken: cancellationToken);