How to handle user input after clicking an InlineKeyboardButton in Python-Telegram-Bot?

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1

I’m building a Telegram bot using Python-Telegram-Bot and have transitioned from text commands to using InlineKeyboardButtons for the menu. Here’s what I’m trying to achieve:

  1. A user opens the menu
  2. InlineKeyboardButtons appear, including an option for a game called ‘Jokenpo’
  3. On clicking ‘Jokenpo’, the bot sends a greeting along with the game rules
  4. The bot should then enter a game loop, waiting for the input ‘rock’, ‘paper’, or ‘scissors’

The issue I’m facing is that after the button click, only the greeting and rules message is sent, and the bot does not wait for further user input. With CommandHandlers, it worked perfectly, but now with InlineKeyboardButtons and CallbackContext, I’m not sure how to manage the flow.

Below is a simplified version of my code:

from telegram import InlineKeyboardButton, InlineKeyboardMarkup
from telegram.ext import CommandHandler, MessageHandler, Filters, ConversationHandler

GAME_STATE = 1

def menu(update, context):
    buttons = [[InlineKeyboardButton('Jokenpo', callback_data='jokenpo')]]
    update.message.reply_text('Menu:', reply_markup=InlineKeyboardMarkup(buttons))


def handle_button(update, context):
    query = update.callback_query
    if query.data == 'jokenpo':
        return jokenpo_start(update, context)


def jokenpo_start(update, context):
    update.callback_query.message.reply_text('Jokenpo mode. Please type rock, paper, or scissors to proceed.')
    return GAME_STATE


def jokenpo_game(update, context):
    # Game logic here
    pass


# In your main function
conv_handler = ConversationHandler(
    entry_points=[CommandHandler('menu', menu)],
    states={
        GAME_STATE: [MessageHandler(Filters.text, jokenpo_game)]
    },
    fallbacks=[]
)

dp.add_handler(conv_handler)

How can I modify my code so it properly waits for user input after clicking the button?

2

I have encountered issues when moving from command-based interactions to inline buttons. In my experience, the key is to properly handle callback queries inside the ConversationHandler. Instead of only using MessageHandlers, you must set up a CallbackQueryHandler to acknowledge button presses by calling query.answer(). This adjustment allows the bot to correctly transition into the appropriate game state and wait for further input from the user. Refining your state transitions and error handling, such as importing CallbackQueryHandler, should help resolve the issue.

3

hey man, i had a similar issue. try adding a CallbackQueryHandler to ur ConversationHandler. it should look smth like this:

states={
GAME_STATE: [
CallbackQueryHandler(jokenpo_start, pattern=‘^jokenpo$’),
MessageHandler(Filters.text, jokenpo_game)
]
}

this should fix ur problem. good luck!

4

I’ve been in your shoes before, and I can tell you that transitioning from text commands to inline buttons can be tricky. One thing that worked for me was modifying the ConversationHandler to include both CallbackQueryHandler and MessageHandler. Here’s what I did:

  1. I added a new state for the initial button press.
  2. In the states dictionary, I included CallbackQueryHandler for the button click and MessageHandler for the game input.
  3. I also made sure to call query.answer() in the callback handler to acknowledge the button press.

This approach allowed my bot to properly handle the button click and then wait for the user’s game input. It might take some trial and error, but once you get it working, it’s pretty smooth sailing from there. Just remember to test thoroughly and handle potential edge cases!