VPK Telegram Bot

A Telegram bot for collecting questions from users with support for anonymous, public, and admin questions. The bot includes a Flask web application for webhook handling and can be deployed on PythonAnywhere.

Features

• Anonymous Questions: Users can ask questions without revealing their identity
• Public Questions: Users can ask questions with their name displayed
• Admin Questions: Direct questions to organizers with user identification
• Admin Commands: Send messages, reset start message, view statistics
• Webhook Support: Flask-based webhook handling for production deployment
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and retry logic

Setup Instructions

1. Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Flask 3.1.2+ (for webhook handling)
• python-telegram-bot 22.5+ (for Telegram Bot API)
• Telegram Bot Token (get from @BotFather)
• Telegram Group/Chat ID for logging
• Admin user IDs

2. Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone git@github.com:kakoyvostorg/question-telegram-bot.git

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configuration

1. Update telegram_bot.py:

   • Replace PUT_YOUR_PROJECT_HOME_PATH_HERE with your actual project path
   • Example: project_home = '/home/username/vpk_bot'

2. Update flask_app.py:

   • Replace PUT_YOUR_PYTHONANYWHERE_USERNAME_HERE with your PythonAnywhere username
   • Example: username = "yourusername"

3. Configure data file:

   • Choose either data_ru.json (Russian) or data_eng.json (English)
   • Update telegram_bot.py to use your chosen file (change data_ru.json to data_eng.json if using English)
   • Replace PUT_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your Telegram bot token
   • Replace PUT_YOUR_ADMIN_IDS_HERE with your admin user IDs (array of strings)
   • Replace PUT_YOUR_LOGGING_GROUP_ID_HERE with your logging group/chat ID
   • Customize messages and responses as needed

4. Running the Bot

Local Development (Polling)

python telegram_bot.py

Production (Webhook with Flask)

python flask_app.py

5. Webhook Setup

1. Deploy your Flask app to PythonAnywhere or another hosting service
2. Visit /setwebhook endpoint to automatically set the webhook
3. If automatic setup fails, manually set the webhook using the provided URL

Bot Commands

User Commands

• /start - Start the bot and show question options
• /cancel - Cancel current conversation

Admin Commands

• /send <user_id> <message> - Send a message to a specific user
• /reset <new_start_message> - Update the start message
• /stats - View interaction statistics

File Structure

your_bot/
├── telegram_bot.py      # Main bot logic
├── flask_app.py         # Flask webhook handler
├── data_ru.json         # Configuration and responses (Russian)
├── data_eng.json        # Configuration and responses (English)
├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
├── .gitignore          # Git ignore file
└── README.md           # This file

Configuration Details

Data File Structure

Both data_ru.json and data_eng.json have the same structure:

• metadata: Bot configuration (token, admin IDs, etc.)
• base_responses: Default bot responses
• question_responses: Question flow responses
• admin_responses: Admin command responses
• buttons: Button text for inline keyboards
• notifications: Message templates for group notifications
• analytics: Statistics message templates

Security Notes

• Never commit real tokens or admin IDs to version control
• Use environment variables for sensitive data in production
• The .gitignore file is configured to exclude sensitive files
• All user input is properly escaped to prevent HTML injection

Deployment

PythonAnywhere

1. Upload your code to PythonAnywhere
2. Install dependencies in a virtual environment
3. Configure the webhook URL
4. Set up a web app with your Flask application

Other Platforms

The bot can be deployed on any platform that supports Python and Flask, such as:

• Heroku
• DigitalOcean
• AWS
• Google Cloud Platform

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Bot not responding: Check if the token is correct and the bot is running
2. Webhook not working: Verify the webhook URL is accessible and properly set
3. Permission errors: Ensure admin IDs are correctly configured
4. File not found: Check if the project path is correctly set in telegram_bot.py

Error Handling

The bot includes comprehensive error handling:

• Retry logic for failed message sends
• Timeout handling for API calls
• Fallback responses for critical failures
• Error logging and admin notifications

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Or just contact us at 862andfurther@gmail.com.

MIT License