.. _faq: === FAQ === Let's start the quick references section with some useful tips to keep in mind, with the hope that you will understand why certain things work the way that they do. .. contents:: Code without errors doesn't work ================================ Then it probably has errors, but you haven't enabled logging yet. To enable logging, at the following code to the top of your main file: .. code-block:: python import logging logging.basicConfig(format='[%(levelname) 5s/%(asctime)s] %(name)s: %(message)s', level=logging.WARNING) You can change the logging level to be something different, from less to more information: .. code-block:: python level=logging.CRITICAL # won't show errors (same as disabled) level=logging.ERROR # will only show errors that you didn't handle level=logging.WARNING # will also show messages with medium severity, such as internal Telegram issues level=logging.INFO # will also show informational messages, such as connection or disconnections level=logging.DEBUG # will show a lot of output to help debugging issues in the library See the official Python documentation for more information on logging_. How can I except FloodWaitError? ================================ You can use all errors from the API by importing: .. code-block:: python from telethon import errors And except them as such: .. code-block:: python try: await client.send_message(chat, 'Hi') except errors.FloodWaitError as e: # e.seconds is how many seconds you have # to wait before making the request again. print('Flood for', e.seconds) My account was deleted/limited when using the library ===================================================== The library will only do things that you tell it to do. If you use the library with bad intentions, Telegram will hopefully ban you. However, you may also be part of a limited country, such as Iran or Russia. In that case, we have bad news for you. Telegram is much more likely to ban these numbers, as they are often used to spam other accounts, likely through the use of libraries like this one. The best advice we can give you is to not abuse the API, like calling many requests really quickly. We have also had reports from Kazakhstan and China, where connecting would fail. To solve these connection problems, you should use a proxy. Telegram may also ban virtual (VoIP) phone numbers, as again, they're likely to be used for spam. If you want to check if your account has been limited, simply send a private message to `@SpamBot`_ through Telegram itself. You should notice this by getting errors like ``PeerFloodError``, which means you're limited, for instance, when sending a message to some accounts but not others. For more discussion, please see `issue 297`_. How can I use a proxy? ====================== This was one of the first things described in :ref:`signing-in`. How do I access a field? ======================== This is basic Python knowledge. You should use the dot operator: .. code-block:: python me = await client.get_me() print(me.username) # ^ we used the dot operator to access the username attribute result = await client(functions.photos.GetUserPhotosRequest( user_id='me', offset=0, max_id=0, limit=100 )) # Working with list is also pretty basic print(result.photos[0].sizes[-1].type) # ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ # | | | | \ type # | | | \ last size # | | \ list of sizes # access | \ first photo from the list # the... \ list of photos # # To print all, you could do (or mix-and-match): for photo in result.photos: for size in photo.sizes: print(size.type) AttributeError: 'coroutine' object has no attribute 'id' ======================================================== You either forgot to: .. code-block:: python import telethon.sync # ^^^^^ import sync Or: .. code-block:: python async def handler(event): me = await client.get_me() # ^^^^^ note the await print(me.username) sqlite3.OperationalError: database is locked ============================================ An older process is still running and is using the same ``'session'`` file. This error occurs when **two or more clients use the same session**, that is, when you write the same session name to be used in the client: * You have an older process using the same session file. * You have two different scripts running (interactive sessions count too). * You have two clients in the same script running at the same time. The solution is, if you need two clients, use two sessions. If the problem persists and you're on Linux, you can use ``fuser my.session`` to find out the process locking the file. As a last resort, you can reboot your system. If you really dislike SQLite, use a different session storage. There is an entire section covering that at :ref:`sessions`. event.chat or event.sender is None ================================== Telegram doesn't always send this information in order to save bandwidth. If you need the information, you should fetch it yourself, since the library won't do unnecessary work unless you need to: .. code-block:: python async def handler(event): chat = await event.get_chat() sender = await event.get_sender() What does "bases ChatGetter" mean? ================================== In Python, classes can base others. This is called `inheritance `_. What it means is that "if a class bases another, you can use the other's methods too". For example, `Message ` *bases* `ChatGetter `. In turn, `ChatGetter ` defines things like `obj.chat_id `. So if you have a message, you can access that too: .. code-block:: python # ChatGetter has a chat_id property, and Message bases ChatGetter. # Thus you can use ChatGetter properties and methods from Message print(message.chat_id) Telegram has a lot to offer, and inheritance helps the library reduce boilerplate, so it's important to know this concept. For newcomers, this may be a problem, so we explain what it means here in the FAQ. Can I send files by ID? ======================= When people talk about IDs, they often refer to one of two things: the integer ID inside media, and a random-looking long string. You cannot use the integer ID to send media. Generally speaking, sending media requires a combination of ID, ``access_hash`` and ``file_reference``. The first two are integers, while the last one is a random ``bytes`` sequence. * The integer ``id`` will always be the same for every account, so every user or bot looking at a particular media file, will see a consistent ID. * The ``access_hash`` will always be the same for a given account, but different accounts will each see their own, different ``access_hash``. This makes it impossible to get media object from one account and use it in another. The other account must fetch the media object itself. * The ``file_reference`` is random for everyone and will only work for a few hours before it expires. It must be refetched before the media can be used (to either resend the media or download it). The second type of "`file ID `_" people refer to is a concept from the HTTP Bot API. It's a custom format which encodes enough information to use the media. Telethon provides an old version of these HTTP Bot API-style file IDs via ``message.file.id``, however, this feature is no longer maintained, so it may not work. It will be removed in future versions. Nonetheless, it is possible to find a different Python package (or write your own) to parse these file IDs and construct the necessary input file objects to send or download the media. Can I use Flask with the library? ================================= Yes, if you know what you are doing. However, you will probably have a lot of headaches to get threads and asyncio to work together. Instead, consider using `Quart `_, an asyncio-based alternative to `Flask `_. Check out `quart_login.py`_ for an example web-application based on Quart. Can I use Anaconda/Spyder/IPython with the library? =================================================== Yes, but these interpreters run the asyncio event loop implicitly, which interferes with the ``telethon.sync`` magic module. If you use them, you should **not** import ``sync``: .. code-block:: python # Change any of these...: from telethon import TelegramClient, sync, ... from telethon.sync import TelegramClient, ... # ...with this: from telethon import TelegramClient, ... You are also more likely to get "sqlite3.OperationalError: database is locked" with them. If they cause too much trouble, just write your code in a ``.py`` file and run that, or use the normal ``python`` interpreter. .. _logging: https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html .. _@SpamBot: https://t.me/SpamBot .. _issue 297: https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/297 .. _quart_login.py: https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/tree/v1/telethon_examples#quart_loginpy