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<!DOCTYPE html>

<head>

<title>Basic Usage — Slack Developer Kit for Python</title>

</head>

</a>

</a>

<a style="color: #555459;" href="./index.html">Slack Developer Kit for Python</a>

<a href="https://github.com/SlackAPI/python-slackclient" class="btn header_btn float_right" data-qa="go_to_slack">Go to GitHub</a>

</div>

</header>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="index.html">Slack Developer Kit for Python</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="auth.html">Tokens & Authentication</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="auth.html#handling-tokens-and-other-sensitive-data">Handling tokens and other sensitive data</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="auth.html#test-tokens">Test Tokens</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="auth.html#the-oauth-flow">The OAuth flow</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1 current"><a class="current reference internal" href="#">Basic Usage</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#sending-a-message">Sending a message</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#replying-to-messages-and-creating-threads">Replying to messages and creating threads</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#updating-the-content-of-a-message">Updating the content of a message</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#deleting-a-message">Deleting a message</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#adding-or-removing-an-emoji-reaction">Adding or removing an emoji reaction</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#getting-a-list-of-channels">Getting a list of channels</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#getting-a-channel-s-info">Getting a channel’s info</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#joining-a-channel">Joining a channel</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#leaving-a-channel">Leaving a channel</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#get-a-list-of-team-members">Get a list of team members</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#uploading-files">Uploading files</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#web-api-rate-limits">Web API Rate Limits</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html">Conversations API</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#creating-a-direct-message-or-multi-person-direct-message">Creating a direct message or multi-person direct message</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#creating-a-public-or-private-channel">Creating a public or private channel</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#getting-information-about-a-conversation">Getting information about a conversation</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#getting-a-list-of-conversations">Getting a list of conversations</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#leaving-a-conversation">Leaving a conversation</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="conversations.html#get-conversation-members">Get conversation members</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="real_time_messaging.html">Real Time Messaging</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="real_time_messaging.html#connecting-to-the-real-time-messaging-api">Connecting to the Real Time Messaging API</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="real_time_messaging.html#rtm-start-vs-rtm-connect">rtm.start vs rtm.connect</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="real_time_messaging.html#rtm-events">RTM Events</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="real_time_messaging.html#sending-messages-via-the-rtm-api">Sending messages via the RTM API</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html">Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html#what-even-is-product-name-and-why-should-i-care">What even is Slack Developer Kit for Python and why should I care?</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html#omg-i-found-a-bug">OMG I found a bug!</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html#hey-there-s-a-feature-missing">Hey, there’s a feature missing!</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html#i-d-like-to-contribute-but-how">I’d like to contribute…but how?</a></li>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="faq.html#how-do-i-compile-the-documentation">How do I compile the documentation?</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="changelog.html">Changelog</a><ul>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="about.html">About</a><ul>

<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="about.html#product-name">Slack Developer Kit for Python</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

<li><a href="https://github.com/SlackAPI/python-slackclient/blob/master/LICENSE">License</a></li>

<li><a href="https://slackhq.github.io/code-of-conduct">Code of Conduct</a></li>

<li><a href="https://github.com/slackapi/python-slackclient/blob/master/.github/contributing.md">Contributing</a></li>

<li><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/slack-corp.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzjVoCM7ohBnjWf7eDYQxzti1EPpinsIJQA5RAUBwJKRUQHg/viewform">Contributor License Agreement</a></li>

</ul>

Made with by Slack and our Lovely

Community

</div>

</nav>

<div class="section-title">Basic Usage</div>

<h1>Basic Usage<a class="headerlink" href="#basic-usage" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>

The Slack Web API allows you to build applications that interact with Slack in more complex ways than the integrations

we provide out of the box.

This package is a modular wrapper designed to make Slack <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/web">Web API</a> calls simpler and easier for your

app. Provided below are examples of how to interact with commonly used API endpoints, but this is by no means

a complete list. Review the full list of available methods <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods">here</a>.

See <a class="reference internal" href="auth.html#handling-tokens">Tokens & Authentication</a> for API token handling best practices.

<h2>Sending a message<a class="headerlink" href="#sending-a-message" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

The primary use of Slack is sending messages. Whether you’re sending a message

to a user or to a channel, this method handles both.

To send a message to a channel, use the channel’s ID. For IMs, use the user’s ID.

<div class="highlight-python notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre>from slackclient import SlackClient

slack_token = os.environ["SLACK_API_TOKEN"]

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.postMessage",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

text="Hello from Python! :tada:"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

There are some unique options specific to sending IMs, so be sure to read the channels

section of the <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.postMessage#channels">chat.postMessage</a>

page for a full list of formatting and authorship options.

Sending an ephemeral message, which is only visible to an assigned user in a specified channel, is nearly the same

as sending a regular message, but with an additional <code class="docutils literal notranslate">user</code> parameter.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.postEphemeral",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

text="Hello from Python! :tada:",

user="U0XXXXXXX"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.postEphemeral">chat.postEphemeral</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Replying to messages and creating threads<a class="headerlink" href="#replying-to-messages-and-creating-threads" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Threaded messages are just like regular messages, except thread replies are grouped together to provide greater context

to the user. You can reply to a thread or start a new threaded conversation by simply passing the original message’s <code class="docutils literal notranslate">ts</code>

ID in the <code class="docutils literal notranslate">thread_ts</code> attribute when posting a message. If you’re replying to a threaded message, you’ll pass the <cite>thread_ts</cite>

ID of the message you’re replying to.

A channel or DM conversation is a nearly linear timeline of messages exchanged between people, bots, and apps.

When one of these messages is replied to, it becomes the parent of a thread. By default, threaded replies do not

appear directly in the channel, instead relegated to a kind of forked timeline descending from the parent message.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.postMessage",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

text="Hello from Python! :tada:",

thread_ts="1476746830.000003"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

By default, <code class="docutils literal notranslate">reply_broadcast</code> is set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate">False</code>. To indicate your reply is germane to all members of a channel,

set the <code class="docutils literal notranslate">reply_broadcast</code> boolean parameter to <code class="docutils literal notranslate">True</code>.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.postMessage",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

text="Hello from Python! :tada:",

thread_ts="1476746830.000003",

reply_broadcast=True

)

</pre></div>

</div>

Note: While threaded messages may contain attachments and message buttons, when your reply is broadcast to the

channel, it’ll actually be a reference to your reply, not the reply itself.

So, when appearing in the channel, it won’t contain any attachments or message buttons. Also note that updates and

deletion of threaded replies works the same as regular messages.

See the <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/docs/message-threading#forking_conversations">Threading messages together</a>

article for more information.

</div>

<h2>Updating the content of a message<a class="headerlink" href="#updating-the-content-of-a-message" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Let’s say you have a bot which posts the status of a request. When that request

is updated, you’ll want to update the message to reflect it’s state. Or your user

might want to fix a typo or change some wording. This is how you’ll make those changes.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.update",

ts="1476746830.000003",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

text="Hello from Python! :tada:"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.update">chat.update</a> for formatting options

and some special considerations when calling this with a bot user.

</div>

<h2>Deleting a message<a class="headerlink" href="#deleting-a-message" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Sometimes you need to delete things.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"chat.delete",

channel="C0XXXXXX",

ts="1476745373.000002"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.delete">chat.delete</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Adding or removing an emoji reaction<a class="headerlink" href="#adding-or-removing-an-emoji-reaction" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

You can quickly respond to any message on Slack with an emoji reaction. Reactions

can be used for any purpose: voting, checking off to-do items, showing excitement — and just for fun.

This method adds a reaction (emoji) to an item (<code class="docutils literal notranslate">file</code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate">file comment</code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate">channel message</code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate">group message</code>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate">direct message</code>). One of file, file_comment, or the combination of channel and timestamp must be specified.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"reactions.add",

channel="C0XXXXXXX",

name="thumbsup",

timestamp="1234567890.123456"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

Removing an emoji reaction is basically the same format, but you’ll use <code class="docutils literal notranslate">reactions.remove</code> instead of <code class="docutils literal notranslate">reactions.add</code>

<div class="highlight-python notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre>sc.api_call(

"reactions.remove",

channel="C0XXXXXXX",

name="thumbsup",

timestamp="1234567890.123456"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/reactions.add">reactions.add</a> and <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/reactions.remove">reactions.remove</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Getting a list of channels<a class="headerlink" href="#getting-a-list-of-channels" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

At some point, you’ll want to find out what channels are available to your app. This is how you get that list.

Note: This call requires the <code class="docutils literal notranslate">channels:read</code> scope.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call("channels.list")

</pre></div>

</div>

Archived channels are included by default. You can exclude them by passing <code class="docutils literal notranslate">exclude_archived=1</code> to your request.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"channels.list",

exclude_archived=1

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/channels.list">channels.list</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Getting a channel’s info<a class="headerlink" href="#getting-a-channel-s-info" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Once you have the ID for a specific channel, you can fetch information about that channel.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"channels.info",

channel="C0XXXXXXX"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/channels.info">channels.info</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Joining a channel<a class="headerlink" href="#joining-a-channel" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Channels are the social hub of most Slack teams. Here’s how you hop into one:

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"channels.join",

channel="C0XXXXXXY"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

If you are already in the channel, the response is slightly different.

<code class="docutils literal notranslate">already_in_channel</code> will be true, and a limited <code class="docutils literal notranslate">channel</code> object will be returned. Bot users cannot join a channel on their own, they need to be invited by another user.

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/channels.join">channels.join</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Leaving a channel<a class="headerlink" href="#leaving-a-channel" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Maybe you’ve finished up all the business you had in a channel, or maybe you

joined one by accident. This is how you leave a channel.

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call(

"channels.leave",

channel="C0XXXXXXX"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/channels.leave">channels.leave</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Get a list of team members<a class="headerlink" href="#get-a-list-of-team-members" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

sc.api_call("users.list")

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/users.list">users.list</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Uploading files<a class="headerlink" href="#uploading-files" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

with open('thinking_very_much.png') as file_content:

sc.api_call(

"files.upload",

channels="C3UKJTQAC",

file=file_content,

title="Test upload"

)

</pre></div>

</div>

See <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/methods/files.upload">users.list</a> for more info.

</div>

<h2>Web API Rate Limits<a class="headerlink" href="#web-api-rate-limits" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>

Slack allows applications to send no more than one message per second. We allow bursts over that

limit for short periods. However, if your app continues to exceed the limit over a longer period

of time it will be rate limited.

Here’s a very basic example of how one might deal with rate limited requests.

If you go over these limits, Slack will start returning a HTTP 429 Too Many Requests error,

a JSON object containing the number of calls you have been making, and a Retry-After header

containing the number of seconds until you can retry.

import time

sc = SlackClient(slack_token)

# Simple wrapper for sending a Slack message

def send_slack_message(channel, message):

return sc.api_call(

"chat.postMessage",

channel=channel,

text=message

)

# Make the API call and save results to `response`

response = send_slack_message("C0XXXXXX", "Hello, from Python!")

# Check to see if the message sent successfully.

# If the message succeeded, `response["ok"]`` will be `True`

if response["ok"]:

print("Message posted successfully: " + response["message"]["ts"])

# If the message failed, check for rate limit headers in the response

elif response["ok"] is False and response["headers"]["Retry-After"]:

# The `Retry-After` header will tell you how long to wait before retrying

delay = int(response["headers"]["Retry-After"])

print("Rate limited. Retrying in " + str(delay) + " seconds")

time.sleep(delay)

send_slack_message(message, channel)

</pre></div>

</div>

See the documentation on <a class="reference external" href="https://api.slack.com/docs/rate-limits">Rate Limiting</a> for more info.

</div>

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