Telegram is a messaging platform designed for straightforward, private communication. It allows users to communicate in real-time, while also offering features such as secure file sharing and the ability to join various interest-based channels.
Uncanny Automator supports receiving messages via Telegram as a trigger as well as sending messages via Telegram as actions. In both cases, the setup process is the same, and it starts with creating a bot.
To create a Telegram bot, start by messaging the @BotFather bot. You can search for this app by typing “BotFather”, or just visit this link: https://t.me/botfather. This link will automatically open a new window for your Telegram client if you have Telegram installed on your current device.
After clicking in to the BotFather bot, you’ll see some instructions like this:
Click the Start button at the bottom, where you will be presented with a message explaining how to create a bot.
Enter (or tap) the “/newbot” command to create a new bot. BotFather will walk you through the process, but the next step is to name the bot; this first name is the display name.
Next, choose a username. You must choose something that is unique and it must end with “bot”, like “Automator_bot”.
In the new bot confirmation, BotFather will return a secure token for the new bot in a message that looks like this:
Store the token somewhere safe. This token value is what we will use in Automator to connect to Telegram.
The final step is to enter the “Bot secret” value into your Automator settings by navigating to Automator > App integrations > Telegram. After entering your token value in the Bot secret field, click Connect Telegram account. The page will look like this:
