Clearing chat history in a Node.js Telegram bot

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1

Hey everyone! I’m new to Node.js and I’m working on a Telegram bot. I want to add a feature where typing ‘cls’ clears the chat history. I’ve tried using bot.deleteMessage(), but it’s not working as expected. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

bot.on('message', (msg) => {
  const chatId = msg.chat.id;
  const userInput = msg.text;

  if (userInput === 'cls') {
    // Attempt to clear chat
    clearChat(chatId);
  }
});

function clearChat(chatId) {
  // Logic to clear chat goes here
  console.log('Clearing chat for', chatId);
}

Any ideas on how to implement this properly? I’m using the node-telegram-bot-api library. Thanks in advance for your help!

2

hey grace, clearing chat history in telegram bots can be tricky. instead of deleteMessage(), try using getChatHistory() to fetch messages, then loop through and delete each one. might be slow for lots of messages tho. also, make sure ur bot has necessary permissions in the chat. good luck!

3

Clearing chat history in Telegram bots can be challenging due to API limitations. One alternative approach you could consider is simulating a clear chat effect by sending a large blank message. Here’s how you might implement it:

function clearChat(chatId) {
  const blankMessage = '\u200b'.repeat(4000);
  bot.sendMessage(chatId, blankMessage, { parse_mode: 'HTML' })
    .then(() => bot.sendMessage(chatId, 'Chat cleared!'))
    .catch(error => console.error('Error clearing chat:', error));
}

This method sends a message filled with zero-width space characters, effectively pushing previous messages out of view. It’s not a true clear, but it provides a similar visual effect. Remember to handle potential errors and consider user feedback. Additionally, be mindful of Telegram’s rate limits when implementing any chat-clearing solution.

4

I’ve dealt with a similar issue in my Telegram bot project. One approach that worked for me was using the ‘deleteMessage’ method in a loop. Here’s a rough idea:

async function clearChat(chatId) {
  try {
    const messages = await bot.getChatHistory(chatId, { limit: 100 });
    for (const message of messages) {
      await bot.deleteMessage(chatId, message.message_id);
    }
    console.log('Chat cleared for', chatId);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error clearing chat:', error);
  }
}

Keep in mind that this method has limitations. It can only delete messages from the last 48 hours, and there’s a rate limit on deletions. Also, ensure your bot has admin rights in the chat.

For a better user experience, you might want to send a confirmation message before clearing, and perhaps add a progress indicator if dealing with many messages. Hope this helps!