telebot (KyleJamesWalker) Telegram Bot Library

0.0.5 · abandoned · verified Thu Apr 16

This `telebot` library (version 0.0.5) by KyleJamesWalker is a minimalist Telegram bot library featuring simple route decorators for message handling. It was last updated in 2018 and appears to be abandoned, meaning it might not be compatible with the latest Telegram API changes and could have unaddressed issues. Crucially, it shares a package name with the significantly more popular and actively maintained `pyTelegramBotAPI` library, leading to frequent user confusion.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'telebot.TeleBot'
```
cause You installed `KyleJamesWalker/telebot` but are trying to use API calls (like `TeleBot` class) from the `pyTelegramBotAPI` library.

fix If you intended to use `pyTelegramBotAPI`, run `pip uninstall telebot` and then `pip install pyTelegramBotAPI`. If you intended to use `KyleJamesWalker/telebot`, use `from telebot import bot` and `my_bot = bot(TOKEN)` instead.
```
AttributeError: 'TeleBot' object has no attribute 'handle_message'
```
cause You installed `pyTelegramBotAPI` but are trying to use the decorator-based routing (`@handle_message`) specific to the `KyleJamesWalker/telebot` library.

fix If you intended to use `KyleJamesWalker/telebot`, run `pip uninstall pyTelegramBotAPI` and then `pip install telebot`. If you intended to use `pyTelegramBotAPI`, use its `bot.message_handler(commands=['start'])` decorator or similar methods instead of `@handle_message`.
```
TypeError: 'module' object is not callable
```
cause You have installed `KyleJamesWalker/telebot`, and its `bot` is a module, not a callable class named `TeleBot`.

fix If you intended to use `KyleJamesWalker/telebot`, initialize it with `from telebot import bot; my_bot = bot(TOKEN)`. If you intended to use `pyTelegramBotAPI`, ensure it's installed (`pip install pyTelegramBotAPI`) and use `from telebot import TeleBot; my_bot = TeleBot(TOKEN)`.

Warnings

breaking Critical Name Collision with `pyTelegramBotAPI`
Fix: This `telebot` package (KyleJamesWalker/telebot) is distinct from the more popular `pyTelegramBotAPI` (which is also imported as `telebot`). If you intended to use `pyTelegramBotAPI`, ensure you `pip install pyTelegramBotAPI` and use its corresponding API (e.g., `from telebot import TeleBot`). Do not mix code from both libraries, as they are incompatible.
deprecated Library is Abandoned and Potentially Outdated
Fix: This library has not been updated since 2018. It may not be compatible with current Telegram API changes, have unpatched security vulnerabilities, or contain bugs. Consider using a more actively maintained library like `pyTelegramBotAPI` or `python-telegram-bot` for robust applications.
gotcha Basic Error Handling and Features
Fix: The library is minimalist and lacks many advanced features (e.g., file uploads, inline queries, webhook support, sophisticated error handling) that are common in more mature Telegram bot libraries. For advanced use cases, you may need to implement them manually or choose a more feature-rich library.

Install

pip install telebot Install the KyleJamesWalker/telebot library

Imports

bot
wrong:
```
from telebot import TeleBot
```
correct:
```
from telebot import bot
```
This `telebot` package by KyleJamesWalker is distinct from the more popular `pyTelegramBotAPI` which typically uses `TeleBot` as its primary class.
handle_message
wrong:
```
from telebot.ext import MessageHandler
```
correct:
```
from telebot import handle_message
```
This `handle_message` decorator is specific to the KyleJamesWalker/telebot library's routing mechanism, not to other Telegram bot libraries.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize the bot, define command handlers using decorators, and start the polling loop for the `KyleJamesWalker/telebot` library. Ensure you have a valid Telegram Bot Token from BotFather, ideally passed via an environment variable.

import os
from telebot import bot, handle_message

# This token should be obtained from BotFather on Telegram.
# For local testing, you can hardcode it, but for deployment use environment variables.
BOT_TOKEN = os.environ.get('TELEBOT_TOKEN', 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE')

# Initialize the bot
my_bot = bot(BOT_TOKEN)

@handle_message("/start")
def start_command(message):
    my_bot.post_message(message["chat"]["id"], "Hello! I am your simple bot.")

@handle_message("/hello")
def hello_command(message):
    my_bot.post_message(message["chat"]["id"], "Hi there!")

@handle_message("default") # This acts as a fallback for any other message
def default_message(message):
    my_bot.post_message(message["chat"]["id"], "I received: " + message["text"])

if __name__ == "__main__":
    if BOT_TOKEN == 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE':
        print("WARNING: Please replace 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE' with your actual bot token or set the TELEBOT_TOKEN environment variable.")
    print("Starting KyleJamesWalker/telebot (version 0.0.5). Press Ctrl+C to stop.")
    print("Using token ending in:", BOT_TOKEN[-4:])
    # The run() method starts an infinite loop for polling
    my_bot.run()

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