I’m struggling to send a video with a thumbnail using my Telegram bot. The error message I’m getting is Can't parse inputmedia: media not found. I’m using Python 3.11.6 and the python-telegram-bot library version 20.7.
Here’s a simplified version of my code:
video = InputFile('video.mp4')
thumb = InputFile('thumb.jpg')
media = InputMediaVideo(media=video, thumb=thumb)
await bot.send_media_group(chat_id=123456, media=[media])
The paths for the video and thumbnail are correct, and I can confirm the files exist. The code runs up to the send_media_group call, but then it fails. Any ideas on what might be causing this issue or how to fix it?
I’ve dealt with this exact problem before, and it can be frustrating. One thing that worked for me was using URL paths instead of local files. If your video and thumbnail are hosted online, try something like this:
video = ‘https://example.com/your-video.mp4’
thumb = ‘https://example.com/your-thumbnail.jpg’
media = InputMediaVideo(media=video, thumb=thumb)
This approach bypasses any local file system issues. Also, make sure your bot has the right to send videos in the chat. Sometimes Telegram’s permissions can be tricky.
If that doesn’t work, you might want to check the file formats. Telegram can be picky about what it accepts. MP4 for video and JPEG for thumbnails are usually safe bets.
Lastly, if you’re still stuck, try sending the video and thumbnail separately first to see if one of them is causing the issue. It’ll help narrow down the problem.
hey mate, had similar issues before. try using open() for your files:
video = InputFile(open(‘video.mp4’, ‘rb’))
thumb = InputFile(open(‘thumb.jpg’, ‘rb’))
also double check file permissions. sometimes that can mess things up. good luck!
I encountered a similar issue when working with Telegram bots. One thing that helped me was ensuring the file paths were absolute rather than relative. Try using the full path to your video and thumbnail files.
Another potential solution is to use the file_id instead of the local file. If you’ve previously uploaded the video or thumbnail to Telegram, you can use the file_id for subsequent sends. This approach is more efficient and less prone to errors.
Lastly, make sure your bot has the necessary permissions in the chat where you’re trying to send the media. Sometimes permission issues can cause unexpected errors. If all else fails, you might want to try debugging with smaller files to isolate the problem.
