#TelegramBot #Python #SQLite #DataExport #CSV #API

Lesson: Creating a Telegram Bot to Export Channel Members to a CSV File

This tutorial guides you through building a Telegram bot from scratch. When added as an administrator to a channel, the bot will respond to an /export command from the channel owner, exporting the list of members (Username, User ID, etc.) to a CSV file and storing a log of the action in a SQLite database.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to Telegram's privacy policy, bots CANNOT access users' phone numbers. This field will be marked as "N/A".

---

#Step 1: Bot Creation and Project Setup

First, create a bot via the @BotFather on Telegram. Send it the /newbot command, follow the instructions, and save the HTTP API token it gives you.

Next, set up your Python environment. Install the necessary library: python-telegram-bot.

pip install python-telegram-bot

Create a new Python file named bot.py and add the basic structure. Replace 'YOUR_TELEGRAM_API_TOKEN' with the token you got from BotFather.

import logging
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application, CommandHandler, ContextTypes

# Enable logging
logging.basicConfig(format="%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s", level=logging.INFO)

TOKEN = 'YOUR_TELEGRAM_API_TOKEN'

def main() -> None:
    """Start the bot."""
    application = Application.builder().token(TOKEN).build()

    # We will add command handlers here in the next steps
    # application.add_handler(CommandHandler("export", export_members))

    print("Bot is running...")
    application.run_polling()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

# Hashtags: #Setup #TelegramAPI #PythonBot #BotFather

---

#Step 2: Database Setup for Logging (database.py)

To fulfill the requirement of using a database, we will log every export request. Create a new file named database.py. This separates our data logic from the bot logic.

import sqlite3
from datetime import datetime

DB_NAME = 'bot_logs.db'

def setup_database():
    """Creates the database table if it doesn't exist."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(DB_NAME)
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('''
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS export_logs (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
            chat_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
            chat_title TEXT,
            requested_by_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
            requested_by_username TEXT,
            timestamp TEXT NOT NULL
        )
    ''')
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

def log_export_action(chat_id, chat_title, user_id, username):
    """Logs a successful export action to the database."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(DB_NAME)
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
    cursor.execute(
        "INSERT INTO export_logs (chat_id, chat_title, requested_by_id, requested_by_username, timestamp) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
        (chat_id, chat_title, user_id, username, timestamp)
    )
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

# Hashtags: #SQLite #DatabaseDesign #Logging #DataPersistence

---

#Step 3: Implementing the Export Command and Permission Check

Now, we'll write the core function in bot.py. This function will handle the /export command. The most crucial part is to check if the user who sent the command is the creator of the channel. This prevents any admin from exporting the data.

#PDF #EPUB #TelegramBot #Python #SQLite #Project

Lesson: Building a PDF <> EPUB Telegram Converter Bot

This lesson walks you through creating a fully functional Telegram bot from scratch. The bot will accept PDF or EPUB files, convert them to the other format, and log each transaction in an SQLite database.

---

Part 1: Prerequisites & Setup

First, we need to install the necessary Python library for the Telegram Bot API. We will also rely on Calibre's command-line tools for conversion.

Important: You must install Calibre on the system where the bot will run and ensure its ebook-convert tool is in your system's PATH.

pip install python-telegram-bot==20.3

#Setup #Prerequisites

---

Part 2: Database Initialization

We'll use SQLite to log every successful conversion. Create a file named database_setup.py and run it once to create the database file and the table.

# database_setup.py
import sqlite3

def setup_database():
    conn = sqlite3.connect('conversions.db')
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    
    # Create table to store conversion logs
    cursor.execute('''
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS conversions (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
            user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
            original_filename TEXT NOT NULL,
            converted_filename TEXT NOT NULL,
            conversion_type TEXT NOT NULL,
            timestamp DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
        )
    ''')
    
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    print("Database setup complete. 'conversions.db' is ready.")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    setup_database()

#Database #SQLite #Initialization

---

Part 3: The Main Bot Script - Imports & Basic Commands

Now, let's create our main bot file, converter_bot.py. We'll start with imports and the initial /start and /help commands.

# converter_bot.py
import logging
import os
import sqlite3
import subprocess
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application, CommandHandler, MessageHandler, filters, ContextTypes

# Enable logging
logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s', level=logging.INFO)

# --- Bot Token ---
TELEGRAM_TOKEN = "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN"

# --- Command Handlers ---
async def start(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    user = update.effective_user
    await update.message.reply_html(
        rf"Hi {user.mention_html()}! Send me a PDF or EPUB file to convert.",
    )

async def help_command(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    await update.message.reply_text("Simply send a .pdf file to get an .epub, or send an .epub file to get a .pdf. Note: Conversion quality depends on the source file's structure.")

#TelegramBot #Python #Boilerplate

---

Part 4: The Core Conversion Logic

This function will be the heart of our bot. It uses the ebook-convert command-line tool (from Calibre) to perform the conversion. It's crucial that Calibre is installed correctly for this to work.