03 / TELEGRAM BOTSWhat to think about before developing a Telegram botIvan TishchenkoOctober 16, 20262 min readThe bot is useful where it reduces repetitive actions: collecting an application, helping to choose a service, or reporting a change in status. It's worth starting with the script, and not with the number of buttons.Illustration for the article · created using AIDescribe the entire dialogueWhat will a person see after the launch? What answers are required? Can I go back to the previous step or start over? First, draw a simple route from the first message to the result. For each question, identify a valid answer and a clear hint.Don't ask for data "just in case." If a task and one communication method are enough for a calculation, additional fields only complicate the path. Before sending, let the person review the answers and correct the error.Separate application collection and notificationAn application and a message about it are not the same thing. First, the server checks the data and saves the request, then sends a notification to the person responsible. If Telegram is temporarily unavailable, an already accepted request should not be lost.For retries, you need a queue, and to protect against double clicks, you need a unique request identifier. It is important to distinguish between the statuses “saved” and “delivered to Telegram” both in the code and in the interface.Where should the token be stored?Automatic sending of bot messages is carried out through the Telegram Bot API. It can be called by a server, library, or external service. If the token is written into the site's JavaScript, it can be read by the visitor. Therefore, the usual scheme is to keep the secret on the server and accept only application data from the site.The recipient must also be configured in advance. For personal notifications, the user first launches the bot. But clicking Start by itself does not check whether the site server can establish a connection with Telegram.Check not only the successful pathSend a test request with a long comment, check if the external service is unavailable, repeat the request and restart the handler. Large messages must be divided within Telegram's limitations, and custom text must be transmitted without unexpected markup interpretation.Consider what personal information is actually needed in the notice, who has access to it, and how the transfer is described in the consent. A working bot is not only a message that once arrived, but also understandable behavior when it fails.Development of Telegram bots to order ↗YOUR IDEA / NEXT STEPShall we discuss your project?Tell me what you want to do. Let's analyze the problem and determine where to start.Contact me ↗NEXT ARTICLEHow to prepare a request for project calculations↗← All articles