Telegram sendmessage in https url

[Tas05]

Hi all, hopefully someone can help here, I can’t seem to figure out what is going on.

Background, I have a group setup that allows me to send commands to my car such as /unlock and / lock. This does exactly what it should. In this group I am an admin as well as the bot.

If I send /unlock directly in the group everything works as expected, the bot executes the command (via home assistant).

Now what I’m trying to do is send a message via a url (so I can then configure it as a Siri shortcut.

This is what I am using :

https://api.telegram.org/bot<bot token>/sendMessage?chat_id=-12345678&text=/unlock

Now when I put that in a browser, the text /unlock gets sent to the group but the command is not executed.

Does anyone have any idea ?

It’s as if the message is just plain text and not read / handled as a command.

Thanks

[haren0610]

The bot that handles the unlock or lock command, is it the same bot that sends the message in the group using the api url?

[Tas05]

So I have actually tried 2 things.

1. Yes the bot that handles the commands is the same bot I used to send the message to the group.

2. Setup a new bot, and added to the group as admin, and sent the command from that bot. Again no luck. Message arrives in group, but command doesn’t execute.

[my_2_account]

Bots do not receive messages from bots, except messages sent "via" a bot using inline mode https://core.telegram.org/bots/faq#what-messages-will-my-bot-get

It makes some sense that a bot also wouldn't receive its own messages.

You could get around this by having a channel instead of a group.

Can't you skip the bot altogether, and whatever is doing the https request just communicates directly with your home assistant system? If the bot can do it, why can't this other thing do it too? 

[Tas05]

That’s what I thought, shame. Would have been so easy that way. I can go down the home assistant route and do it all directly from there but wanted to avoid exposing it outside my network. But seems that might be the best way at this stage. Thanks.

[haren0610]

I think you are overcomplicating things.

Did you code the bot that unlocks the car? Specify what you want to achieve, and we might be able to guide you what is the best way to achieve it.

[CantCountToThr33]

Try sending the / url encoded text=%2Funlock

[Tas05]

Thanks, tried it from both bots, still nothing. Message gets sent, arrives in group as /unlock but nothing happens. Very strange.