Telegram_bot: Support for downloading attachments

Feature Requests
1

The telegram API supports downloading attachments. It would be really great to be able to send a voice message to a telegram bot and have it play on a media_player component. I’m not a Python guy so I’d probably screw it up.

This json is received:

{  
   'date':1514860312,
   'voice':{  
      'mime_type':'audio/ogg',
      'file_size':6663,
      'duration':2,
      'file_id':'AwADAQADCgADwUlYRoRzTvFKgdjdAg'
   },
   'from':{  
      'id':111111,
      'language_code':'en-US',
      'is_bot':False,
      'first_name':'John',
      'last_name':'Smith'
   },
   'message_id':1553,
   'chat':{  
      'type':'private',
      'id':1111111,
      'first_name':'John',
      'last_name':'Smith'
   }
}

Then via the getFile API you can get the file path like:

https://api.telegram.org/bot<bot_token>/getFile?file_id=the_file_id

Which returns:

{  
   "ok":true,
   "result":{  
      "file_id":"AwADAQADCgADwUlYRoRzTvFKgdjdAg",
      "file_size":6663,
      "file_path":"voice/file_1533"
   }
}

Then you can use download the file via:

https://api.telegram.org/file/bot<token>/<file_path>

2

Did you ever come up with a way to get the file_id? I would also like to see the ability in home assistant to get the file_id.

Perhaps it could be included in the telegram_sent event or in it’s own event like possibly a telegram_file event.

I use the telegram bot integration in home assistant to send security camera photos to a group, It would be great to be able to get the file_id and use it with inline keyboards and callback queries. My telegram bot sends quite a few images from my security cameras per day to the main telegram group I have set up for my house. With each of the photos sent, I have an inline keyboard that gives me the option to archive the photo to another group for easy access and future reference. I do this with a callback query button and the database record id I get from my blue iris nvr. I also have some nest cameras integrated into home assistant that I have send photos to my main group, but since I don’t have those in a database I have to save them to disk and keep them for a period of time in case I want to archive those with the telegram bot. It would be nice to be able to save the resources and just access the files directly from telegram.

I saw that you can do this with nodered but I prefer keeping my automations within home assistant.

3

I did it with automation.

-  trigger:
    platform: event
    event_type: telegram_text
  variables:
    token: !secret telegram_token 
    data: "{{ trigger.event.data.text|safe }}"
  action:  
    choose:
    - conditions:
        condition: template
        value_template: '{{ data.audio.file_id != None}}'
      sequence:
      - service: input_text.set_value
        target:
          entity_id: input_text.telegram_get_file_url
        data:
          value: 'https://api.telegram.org/{{token}}/getFile?file_id={{ data.audio.file_id}}'
      - service: homeassistant.update_entity
        target:
          entity_id: sensor.telegram_file_path
      - delay:
          seconds: 2
      - service: telegram_bot.send_message
        data_template:
          target: '{{ trigger.event.data.user_id }}'
          message: "https://api.telegram.org/file/{{token}}/{{states('sensor.telegram_file_path')}}"
          disable_notification: true
          parse_mode: html

you can edit that and do whatever you want with the url (https://api.telegram.org/file/{{token}}/{{states(‘sensor.telegram_file_path’)}}).
Im casting it to my google home…

3 Likes
4

Hi @yohaybn,

It seems either it was dropped, or I’m missing something, but my json does not contain audio.

Could you perhaps elaborate a bit on how you achieved this?

5

Yes, Unfortunately they took it down…

6

Why did they took it down?
Does someone know if we are going to be able to receive files with telegram in HA?

Thank you!

7

I don’t know why. maybe you can open them issue on github?

8

A feature would be useful. Is there any alternative?