In group chats with simultaneous messages, how can my Telegram bot target a specific message or user? Is there a feature for direct replies or tagging?
In my experience, the ideal approach is to use the reply_to_message_id parameter that the Telegram Bot API provides. This lets the bot associate its response with a specific message in a group chat, ensuring that the reply is clearly linked to the correct message. For targeting a specific user, their unique ID can be extracted from incoming messages, which allows the bot to address their input indirectly. This method has worked well in practice, especially in scenarios where multiple messages are posted simultaneously.
you could use inline keyboards along with callback queries. make the bot ask for a specific button press so that it deals with the corresponding callback data and user id. works pretty well when multiple msgs are posted at once
In my experience, another way to target a specific message is by using message forwarding combined with message linking in groups that support it. When a message is forwarded from a chat, it retains its original unique ID and context, which can be useful for referencing it later. Additionally, using message links in supergroups allows you to create direct pointers to individual messages. This method also helps when you need to refer back to a user’s input without directly replying, giving you more flexibility in managing conversations in busy chats.