inlineQuery

The inlineQuery method in GramIO allows your bot to respond to inline queries sent by users. An inline query is a special type of message where users can search for content from your bot by typing in the message input field without directly interacting with the bot.

Telegram documentation

WARNING

You should enable this options via @BotFather. Send the /setinline command, select the bot and provide the placeholder text that the user will see in the input field after typing your bot’s name.

Basic Usage

Responding to an Inline Query with a Regular Expression

You can make your bot listen for specific inline queries that match a regular expression and respond with results. Here’s an example:

bot.inlineQuery(/find (.*)/i, async (context) => {
    if (context.args) {
        await context.answer([
            InlineQueryResult.article(
                "id-1",
                `Result for ${context.args.at(1)}`,
                InputMessageContent.text(
                    `This is a message result for ${context.args.at(1)} query`
                )
            ),
        ]);
    }
});

In this example:

• The bot listens for inline queries that match the pattern search (.*).
• If a match is found, the bot extracts the search term and returns a list of inline query results.

Parameters

• trigger: The condition that the inline query must meet. This can be a regular expression, a string, or a custom function.
  • Regular Expression: Matches queries that fit a specific pattern.
  • String: Matches an exact query string.
  • Function: Evaluates the query based on custom logic. Should return true to match.
• handler: The function that processes the inline query. It receives the context object, which includes details about the query and provides methods to respond.
• options: Additional options for handling the result selection.
  • onResult: A function that is triggered when the user selects an inline query result. It can be used to modify or update the message after selection. Use ChosenInlineResult under the hood.

IMPORTANT

You can modify only messages which contains InlineKeyboard. More about ChosenInlineResult.

How inlineQuery Works

1. Query Matching: When a user types an inline query, the inlineQuery method checks if the query matches the provided trigger. This can be a direct match (string), a pattern match (regular expression), or a condition check (function).

2. Handling the Query: If the query matches, the handler function is called. Inside this function, you can access the query parameters, generate results, and send them back to the user using context.answer().

3. Responding to Result Selection: If the onResult option is provided, the bot listens for when a user selects one of the inline query results. The provided function can then modify the message, for example, by editing the text.

Example: Custom Inline Query Handler

Here’s a more detailed example that demonstrates using both the inline query trigger and handling result selection:

bot.inlineQuery(
    /find (.*)/i,
    async (context) => {
        if (context.args) {
            await context.answer(
                [
                    InlineQueryResult.article(
                        "result-1",
                        `Result for ${context.args[1]}`,
                        InputMessageContent.text(
                            `You searched for: ${context.args[1]}`,
                            {
                                reply_markup: new InlineKeyboard().text(
                                    "Get Details",
                                    "details-callback"
                                ),
                            }
                        )
                    ),
                ],
                {
                    cache_time: 0,
                }
            );
        }
    },
    {
        onResult: (context) => context.editText("You selected a result!"),
    }
);

In this example:

• The bot listens for inline queries that start with find followed by a search term.
• The bot responds with an inline query result that includes a button labeled "Get Details."
• When the user selects this result, the bot edits the message to indicate that a selection was made.