How to create an inline search menu
Inline search allows you to quickly get information from a chatbot. You can create a menu with goods or services that appears after typing in a command in the search line. You can also add a search menu to your flow scenario.
In this article, we will talk about how to create and use an inline search menu.
Turn on the inline mode in BotFather
First, you need to turn on the inline mode in your bot’s settings.
Open Telegram, log in to your account, and find the official @BotFather bot.
Enter the /mybots command, and select your bot. Click Bot Settings > Inline Mode.
Click Turn on.
Create an inline search menu
Go to your SendPulse account, and open your Telegram bot.
Go to Bot settings > Inline search menu, and click Add inline search menu.
Enter commands that will trigger search results in your chatbot. Commands must include only Latin letters and be up to 256 characters long. You can also use these commands to add inline search menus to your flows.
Click + Add item, and type in the following:
| Title | Product name (up to 30 characters). You can use variables. |
| Description | Enter a short description (up to 200 characters). You can use variables. |
| Flow | Select the chatbot flow that will trigger when a subscriber selects this item. |
Click Add.
Afterward, you can add other items to your menu that will appear when subscribers type in commands. To do this, click + Add item, and follow the previous steps.
You can add up to 50 inline menu items.
On the right, you can see what your menu items will look like to subscribers.
How to use your inline search menu
You can add an inline search menu to your flow that will appear when subscribers click your button.
Chatbot subscribers can also access this menu in other groups or channels even if your bot is not their member.
In a flow
Go to the flow builder of your chatbot, where you added the inline search menu. Add the Message element, and select the Launch inline search connecting element. Enter a button name, and select an inline search menu using a command name.
Once a user clicks this button, they will see your inline search menu.
In a chat
If the inline mode is turned on, subscribers can trigger your chatbot in groups where it is a member and chats with other subscribers by typing in @ and then entering a command.
If a subscriber does this in a chat with your bot, they will receive the first message from your linked flow.
If a subscriber does this in a group or private chat, they will receive a message with the link to your chatbot. If another group member or contact clicks this link, they will start a chat with your bot. Clicking Start will launch the flow you added in the menu settings for that item.
Last Updated: 03.09.2024
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