Having issues with processing user input in private chat #4656

YePererva · 2025-01-25T08:05:41Z

YePererva
Jan 25, 2025

Hello everyone,

I'm practicing in writing the bot for telegram group that functions on the following "algorythm'/conditions:

group is public, but each join requires approve of admin (to trigger request join event)
bot is already in group, as admin, with permission to add users via invite link
when new user requests to join the group (clicks "Apply to join the group"), bot should:
- start a separate (private) chat with user, with asking to solve the riddle (a.k.a. captcha)
- wait or user's input
- compare it with expected result
  - if it is correct - approve
  - otherwise - decline
- clear the private chat

I strugle with processing user input from the created private chat. My "bot" creates the private conversation with newcomer at join request, sends to the candidate the message, but doesn't accept the responce. The logging doesn't capture the fact that user is responding.

The currenc code is:

from os import getenv
from enum import Enum
import logging

from telegram import Update, Bot
from telegram.ext import ApplicationBuilder, CommandHandler, ChatJoinRequestHandler, ConversationHandler, MessageHandler
from telegram.ext import Updater, ContextTypes, filters

passphrase=r"I want to join the channel"

TOKEN = getenv('TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN')

logging.basicConfig(
        format='%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s',
        level=logging.INFO)

class States(Enum):
    WAITING_FOR_VERIFICATION = 1

async def start(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    await update.message.reply_text(f'I am the bot, type me something!')

# Processing user's join request
async def join_request(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):

    logging.info(f"Captured attempt of user to join the group.\n\tUser : {update.effective_user.id}\n\tGroup: {update.effective_chat.id}")

    # sending user a private message
    await context.bot.send_message(
        chat_id=update.effective_user.id,text=
        f"Dummy captcha. Just respond '{passphrase}' (without brackets) to this message"
    )

    # Store chat join request details in context for later use
    context.user_data['join_request_chat_id'] = update.effective_chat.id
    context.user_data['join_request_user_id'] = update.effective_user.id
    
    return States.WAITING_FOR_VERIFICATION

async def verify_user_response(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
    logging.info(f"Verification state triggered")
    logging.info(f"Update details: {update}")
    logging.info(f"Context user data: {context.user_data}")

    user_response = update.message.text
    logging.info(f"Captured responce of user : {update.effective_user.id}\n\tResponce: {user_respo
8000
nse}")
    
    if user_response == passphrase:
        # Approve join request using stored details
        await context.bot.approve_chat_join_request(
            chat_id=context.user_data['join_request_chat_id'], 
            user_id=context.user_data['join_request_user_id']
        )
        await update.message.reply_text("Verification successful! You'll be forwarded to group now.")
        logging.info(f"User passed the verification and added to group:\n\t {update.effective_user.id}")
        return ConversationHandler.END
    else:
        # Decline join request
        await context.bot.decline_chat_join_request(
            chat_id=context.user_data['join_request_chat_id'], 
            user_id=context.user_data['join_request_user_id']
        )
        await update.message.reply_text("Verification failed. You cannot join the group.")
        logging.info(f"User FAILED the verification and NOT added to group:\n\t {update.effective_user.id}")
        return ConversationHandler.END


if __name__ == '__main__':

    default_bot = Bot(TOKEN)

    logging.info("Succesfully retrieved token")

    app = ApplicationBuilder().bot(default_bot).build()
    
    logging.info("Succesfully created application")

    # Create a handler for private mesage to user

    conv_handler = ConversationHandler(
        entry_points=[ChatJoinRequestHandler(join_request)],
        states={
            States.WAITING_FOR_VERIFICATION: [
                # Only plain text, no edited messages, no commands in privat conversation
                MessageHandler( filters.TEXT & ~filters.COMMAND & ~filters.UpdateType.EDITED_MESSAGE, verify_user_response)
            ]
        },
        fallbacks=[]
    )

    # Commands    
    app.add_handler(CommandHandler("start", start))

    # Conversations
    app.add_handler(conv_handler)

    # Finally run!
    
    app.run_polling(allowed_updates=Update.ALL_TYPES)

Please, advice.

Used versions:

Python 3.13.1
python-telegram-bot 21.10
Running from under venv and VSCodium

Poolitzer · 2025-01-25T08:51:31Z

Poolitzer
Jan 25, 2025
Collaborator

The conversation handler is bound to the group chat, since per_chat is True. I would personally probably make a conversation handler with a message handler with a user filter to which I add a user id when I expect a captcha response (and remove when the conversation flow is done).

If you want to be able to debug these issues yourself, set the logging level to debug to see where the update is handled (or in this case, isn't)

2 replies

YePererva Jan 25, 2025
Author

Any example for such approach in WIKI or documentation?

Poolitzer Jan 28, 2025
Collaborator

Not that I can think of no.

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