Adding URL buttons in Telegram

URL buttons in Telegram are ordinary links displayed as buttons beneath messages and posts. Clicking a button opens the specified address.

What URL buttons can do

FLOWIN can automatically add URL buttons to all forwarded messages and posts or only to selected ones. This supports the following scenarios:

• Automatically forwarding messages from one chat to another and adding URL buttons.
• Forwarding messages that already have URL buttons.

For a new button, you set its label and link, then choose the forwards where it is needed. FLOWIN adds it beneath the message when sending it to the destination. Readers see the link as a separate button, such as “Furniture catalogue”.

Creating a URL button

Before creating a button, you need a configured and enabled forward. It must use “Copy” mode, and its sender must be a bot account connected using a token.

In this example, we will add a “Furniture catalogue” button. Replace the example address https://example.com/catalog with a link to your own catalogue.

0. Open @flow_in_bot, send the /start command, and click “Control panel”.

   

1. Open “Menu” → “Buttons” → “Url buttons” and click “Create”.

   

   

2. In the “Label” field, enter the text readers will see on the button, such as “Furniture catalogue”. In the “URL” field, enter the full page address, starting with https://. Click “Create”.

   

3. Click “Apply” next to the button you created. In the “Selecting forwards” window, select the forward you need and click “Save”.

   

   

4. Send a new message to the source and check it in the destination. A button with the specified label and link should appear beneath the forwarded message. FLOWIN will now add it to new messages in the selected forwards.

   

   

How to edit a URL button

You can edit an existing button’s settings in the same list. The settings are explained in the “URL button settings” section.

1. Click “Change” next to the button you want to edit.

   

2. Edit the fields you need and click “Save”. For example, fill in “Description” to make the button easier to find. Once the window closes, check the updated details in the list.

   

   

URL button settings

All the main settings are in the window opened by clicking “Change”. The label and URL are required; the colour and description let you customise the button further.

Label

“Label” is the text on the button.

You can use meta tags: special placeholders that FLOWIN replaces with data from the specific message. For example, <src-chat-name> inserts the name of the source chat.

Color

“Color” sets the button’s appearance. The options are “Default”, “Blue”, “Red” and “Green”. “Default” uses Telegram’s standard appearance; the other options apply the selected colour.

URL

“URL” sets the link that opens when the button is clicked. For a fixed address, enter the full link, including https:// or http://.

The address can also depend on the message. This field supports two types of substitution:

• <src-message-link> inserts a link to the original message. If the source is private, the reader needs access to it.
• <regexp>…</regexp> extracts a link from the text using a regular expression, which is a search pattern. If the substitution does not produce a valid link, the button is not added.

Description

“Description” is for your own notes about the button and does not affect how it works. You can leave this field empty.

How to add a button only to selected messages

By default, the button is added to all eligible messages in the selected forwards. You can limit when it is added by attaching a filter to the URL button itself. For example, a filter can allow the button only for text containing the word “catalogue”.

The filter checks the message and determines whether to add the button. If the condition is not met, the message is forwarded without this button. Attaching a filter to a forward has a different effect: it can stop the message itself from being forwarded. For more on creating a filter and choosing where to attach it, see the filter guide.

Available actions for URL buttons

Next to each button, “Change” opens the main settings and “More” provides additional actions:

• “Apply” opens the selection of forwards where the button is needed.
• “Duplicate” creates a copy of the button’s settings.
• “Select project” adds the button to a project.
• “Delete” deletes the button.

Once the button is applied, “Apply” in the row is replaced by “Forwards” and the number of attached forwards, such as “Forwards [1]”. This control also opens the forward selection window. There, you can select or deselect forwards and then save your changes.