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Notifications via Telegram

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Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a Telegram bot, obtain the Bot Token and Chat ID, and configure them in Overcharts to receive notifications directly on Telegram.

Step 1: Create your bot on Telegram #

  1. Open Telegram and search for the @BotFather bot. This is the official Telegram bot for creating and managing your bots.
  2. Start a conversation with @BotFather by clicking on Start.
  3. Once the conversation starts, type the command: /newbot. This command will begin the process of creating a new bot.
  4. Choose a name for your bot. The name will be visible to users interacting with the bot.
  5. Next, choose a username for the bot. The username must be unique and end with “bot” (e.g., tetrisbot or tetris_bot).
  6. Once completed, @BotFather will send you a message with the Bot Token, which is a long string of characters. Copy this token, as you will need it to configure the bot in Overcharts.
    Here’s an example of how a Bot Token looks: 123456789:ABCDEF1234567890abcdef1234567890
  7. VERY IMPORTANT! After creating your bot, search for it on Telegram using the username you chose (the one ending with “bot”) and start a chat by sending a message to the bot. This activation step is ESSENTIAL, otherwise the bot will NOT be able to send you notifications.

Step 2: Obtain your Chat ID #

To obtain your Chat ID, you can use @userinfobot, a Telegram bot that will provide you with your Chat ID.

  1. Search for and start a conversation with @userinfobot on Telegram.
  2. Once the conversation starts, @userinfobot will automatically provide you with your Chat ID.
  3. Copy your Chat ID, which will be a numeric string (e.g., 123456789).

Step 3: Set the Bot Token and Chat ID in Overcharts #

  1. Open Overcharts and go to Preferences from the main Overcharts window > Tools menu > Preferences.
  2. In the Alert > Telegram section, you will find the properties to configure the sending of notifications via Telegram:
    • Enable Telegram Notifications: Enable this option to allow notifications to be sent via Telegram.
    • Bot Token: Enter the Bot Token you obtained from @BotFather (Step 1), making sure to respect the case sensitivity!
    • Chat ID: Enter the Chat ID you obtained from @userinfobot (Step 2).
  3. After correctly entering the Bot Token and Chat ID, you can test the notification sending by clicking the ‘Click Here to Send‘ button next to the ‘Send Test Message‘ property. If everything is set up correctly, you should receive a message on Telegram within a few seconds.
    If you do NOT receive any message, it’s likely because:
    – You made a mistake copying the Bot Token or the Chat ID;
    – Or you have not sent an initial message to your bot. After creating your bot, you MUST send a message to the bot on Telegram to activate it.

If for any reason you do not receive notifications, repeat the process from the beginning. We CANNOT assist you with this. All information we can provide is already included on this page.