Python Telegram Bot Issue: Invalid Button Data Error

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1

I’m stuck with a problem in my Python Telegram bot. I’m using the telegram and telegram.ext libraries. The bot throws a Button_data_invalid error when I try to add an inline keyboard with callback_data.

Here’s what I’m doing:

player_info = f"{query.from_user.first_name}(@{query.from_user.username})"
message = f"<b>🏆Challenge</b>\n{player_info} is ready!\nLooking for an opponent..."
button_data = {"action":"find_opponent","player":player_info,"msg":message}
keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup([[InlineKeyboardButton("Accept", callback_data=button_data)]])

bot.update_message_text(
    text=message,
    inline_message_id=query.inline_message_id,
    parse_mode=ParseMode.HTML,
    reply_markup=keyboard
)

The error only happens when I use dynamic data for callback_data. It works fine with static text. Any ideas what might be causing this? I’m really confused and could use some help!

2

I’ve encountered this issue before, and it can be quite frustrating. The problem lies in how you’re passing the callback_data. Telegram has a limit on the size and type of data that can be stored in callback_data.

Instead of passing a dictionary, try serializing your data into a string. You can use JSON or a custom format. Here’s an example:

import json

player_info = f"{query.from_user.first_name}(@{query.from_user.username})"
message = f"<b>🏆Challenge</b>\n{player_info} is ready!\nLooking for an opponent..."
button_data = json.dumps({"action": "find_opponent", "player": player_info, "msg": message})
keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup([[InlineKeyboardButton("Accept", callback_data=button_data)]])

This approach should resolve the ‘Button_data_invalid’ error. Remember to parse the JSON string back into a dictionary when handling the callback query. Also, keep an eye on the total size of your callback_data, as Telegram has a 64-byte limit.

3

hey, i had a similar issue. the problem is telegram expects callback_data to be a string, not a dict. try this:

import urllib.parse

button_data = urllib.parse.urlencode({“action”:“find_opponent”,“player”:player_info,“msg”:message})
keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup([[InlineKeyboardButton(“Accept”, callback_data=button_data)]])

this should work. good luck!

4

The issue you’re encountering is related to how Telegram handles callback data. Telegram expects callback_data to be a string, not a dictionary. To resolve this, you need to serialize your data.

One approach is to use JSON serialization:

import json

button_data = json.dumps({"action":"find_opponent","player":player_info,"msg":message})
keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup([[InlineKeyboardButton("Accept", callback_data=button_data)]])

When handling the callback, you’ll need to deserialize:

data = json.loads(query.data)

Remember, Telegram has a 64-byte limit for callback_data. If your data exceeds this, consider using a database to store the full data and only pass an identifier in the callback_data.