ExportRobot

ExportRobot is a Telegram bot designed to save your messages into a single HTML file. This file preserves the formatting, sender information, attachments, and other message essentials, allowing you to view your messages fully offline at any time, anywhere.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Demonstration Videos
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• Development
• License

Features

• 🌐 Offline Access: View saved messages offline without an internet connection.
• 🔍 Compressed Output: Utilizes gzip compression for message data, reducing file size.
• 📁 Single File Convenience: All messages and attachments are encapsulated in one HTML file for easy sharing and management.
• 📝 Complete Message Preservation: Retains formatting, sender info, and attachments.
• 📎 Attachment Inclusion: Includes various media attachments within the HTML file.
• 🤖 User-Friendly Interface: Simple commands to interact with the bot.
• ✏️ Customizable Export: Specify a filename for your saved messages.
• 📊 Progress Updates: Provides status updates during the export process.
• 💾 Local and Remote Saving Options: Save files locally or send them via Telegram.
• 👤 Profile Pictures Inclusion: Fetches and includes user profile pictures.

Demonstration Videos

1. Saving Messages: How to save messages using the ExportRobot bot:

   demo_saving.mp4

2. Viewing Saved HTML File: The saved HTML file in action, demonstrating offline viewing with full message preservation:

   demo_browser.mp4

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Qbject/exportrobot.git
   cd exportrobot

2. Set up a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use `venv\Scripts\activate`

3. Install the required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create a .env file in the project root and add your Telegram bot token:

   BOT_TOKEN=your-telegram-bot-token
   

Configuration

How to Get Your Telegram Bot Token

To get your Telegram bot token, follow these steps:

1. Open Telegram and search for the BotFather.
2. Start a chat with BotFather and send the command /start.
3. Send the command /newbot to create a new bot.
4. Follow the instructions to name your bot and create a unique username for it.
5. After you have successfully created your bot, BotFather will provide you with a message containing your bot token. This token will look something like 123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11.

• Environment Variables:

  • Add your Telegram bot token to the .env file:

    BOT_TOKEN=your-telegram-bot-token
    

• Command Line Parameters:

  • --local / -l: Local Mode for Personal Use - Specify a local directory to save the exported HTML files. This switches the bot to an entirely different mode suitable for personal use, bypassing Telegram for saving files.

    --local /path/to/directory

  • --max-msgs-to-save / -m: Set the maximum number of messages that can be saved in a single HTML file.

    --max-msgs-to-save 100

  • --max-attachment-size / -a: Set the maximum allowed size (in MB) for a single attachment.

    --max-attachment-size 10

Usage

1. Running the Bot:

   python src/export_robot.py

2. Interacting with the Bot:

   • Start the Bot:

     /start
     

   • Forward Messages:
     • Forward messages you want to save to the bot.
   • Save Messages:

     /save
     

     • Optionally, specify a filename:

       /export my_messages
       

3. Bot Operation:

   • The bot will gather the messages and attachments, embed them in the HTML template, and save or send the resulting file.

Development

Folder Structure

exportrobot
├── .env
├── .gitignore
├── requirements.txt
│
├── html_template
│   ├── compile_template.py
│   ├── initial_template.tgmsg.html
│   ├── lottie.js
│   ├── main.css
│   ├── template.tgmsg.html
│   ├── tgmsg.js
│
├── src
│   ├── export_robot.py
│   ├── template.tgmsg.html
│   ├── tgbot_err.txt
│   ├── tgbot_log.txt

• .env: Environment variables file.
• .gitignore: Specifies files to ignore in the repository.
• requirements.txt: Lists the dependencies required to run the project.
• html_template: Contains the HTML template and supporting files for generating the saved message files.
  • Template Generation: Develop the template in the html_template folder. The initial template (initial_template.tgmsg.html) should be compiled using compile_template.py and then copied as template.tgmsg.html for the bot to use at runtime.
• src: Contains the main bot script (export_robot.py) and related files.
• venv: Virtual environment directory (not tracked by Git).

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.