# 📱 Telegram Setup Guide
*Create your bot and connect it to RustPlus Raid Alarms*
---
## 📺 Video Tutorials
> **Prefer video guides?** Watch these step-by-step tutorials:
| Tutorial | Topic | Duration |
|----------|-------|----------|
| 🤖 [**Making a Telegram Bot**](https://youtu.be/_w4VcagV8EA?si=f3G6vHn-Wmlz5Elu) | Create bot with @BotFather | ~5 min |
| ➕ [**Add IFTTT to Telegram**](https://youtu.be/4NVHvA1kXG0?si=S8XAn8CaeG9b0atQ) | Connect IFTTT for Rust+ | ~3 min |
| 📢 [**Add IFTTT Bot to Channel**](https://youtu.be/Wex5833rA3k?si=c-wSmEe3KMh-tOGg) | Configure channel posting | ~2 min |
---
## ✅ Prerequisites
- ✔️ Telegram account (mobile or desktop app)
- ✔️ A Telegram channel or group for raid alarms
---
## 🤖 Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot
📺 Video Guide: Making a Bot
### Instructions
1. **Open Telegram** and start a chat with [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather)
2. **Send** the command `/newbot`
3. **Follow the prompts:**
- Choose a **display name** (e.g., "My Raid Alarm Bot")
- Choose a **username** ending in "bot" (e.g., "my_raid_alarm_bot")
4. **BotFather will respond** with your bot token:
```
123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz
```
> ⚠️ **Keep this token secure!** Anyone with it can control your bot.
---
## ➕ Step 2: Add Bots to Your Channel/Group
Add your bot and IFTTT bot as admins
**📺 [Video Guide: Add IFTTT to Channel](https://youtu.be/Wex5833rA3k?si=c-wSmEe3KMh-tOGg)**
### Add Your Bot
1. Open your target channel or group
2. Go to **Settings** → **Administrators** → **Add Admin**
3. Search for your bot by username
4. Grant the bot permission to **Post Messages** (minimum required)
### Add IFTTT Bot (for Rust+ integration)
**📺 [Video Guide: Add IFTTT Bot](https://youtu.be/4NVHvA1kXG0?si=S8XAn8CaeG9b0atQ)**
1. Add [@IFTTT](https://t.me/ifttt) bot to Telegram
2. Connect your Telegram account to IFTTT
3. Add IFTTT bot as admin to your channel (same as above)
4. Now IFTTT can post Rust+ raid alerts to your channel!
---
## 🔢 Step 3: Get Your Chat ID
Find your channel/group numeric ID
You need the numeric ID of your channel/group. Choose one method:
### 🤖 Method A: Using a Bot (Easiest)
1. Forward any message from your channel to [@userinfobot](https://t.me/userinfobot) or [@RawDataBot](https://t.me/RawDataBot)
2. The bot will reply with the message details
3. Look for `chat.id` or `Chat ID`
- Channels start with `-100` (e.g., `-1001234567890`)
- Groups are shorter (e.g., `-123456789`)
### 🌐 Method B: Using Telegram API
1. Post a test message in your channel/group
2. Visit this URL in your browser (replace ``):
```
https://api.telegram.org/bot/getUpdates
```
3. Look for the `"chat":{"id":...}` field in the JSON response
4. Copy the numeric ID (including the minus sign)
> 💡 **Tip**: Always include the minus sign when copying the Chat ID!
---
## ⚙️ Step 4: Configure the App
Connect your bot to the application
1. **Launch** RustPlus Raid Alarms
2. Click the **Settings** button (⚙️) in the top toolbar
3. **Enter your credentials:**
- **Bot Token**: Paste the token from Step 1
- **Chat ID**: Paste the ID from Step 3
4. Click **Save**
5. ✅ The status pill should turn **green** when connected successfully
> ⚠️ **Connection failed?** Double-check your token and chat ID for typos.
---
## ✅ Step 5: Test the Connection
Verify everything is working
1. ✉️ **Send a test message** to your channel/group
2. 📡 **Check the app** - it should receive the message (monitor the Telegram service status)
3. 💡 **Plugin trigger** - If you have the LED plugin configured, it should activate on matching keywords
**Success indicators:**
- 🟢 Green status pill in main window
- 📥 Messages appear in the application
- 💡 LED/Plugins trigger as configured
---
## 🎯 Next Steps
Expand your raid alarm system
### Recommended Setup
| Task | Guide | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| 🔗 **IFTTT Integration** | [IFTTT + Rust+ Setup](IFTTT_RUST_SETUP.md) | Automatically send raid alarms from your Rust server |
| 💡 **LED Controller** | [LED Plugin Guide](plugins/LED_CONTROLLER.md) | Set up WLED, Govee, or Hue lights |
| 📞 **Phone Calls** | [Twilio Plugin Guide](plugins/TWILIO_CALLER.md) | Get called when raided (requires Twilio account) |
| 🔊 **Audio Alerts** | [Audio Plugin Guide](plugins/AUDIO_ALERT.md) | Play custom MP3 files on raid |
| 💬 **Discord Webhooks** | [Discord Plugin Guide](plugins/DISCORD_WEBHOOK.md) | Send formatted alerts to Discord |
| 🎮 **Auto-Connect** | [Rust Connect Plugin](plugins/RUST_CONNECT.md) | Launch Rust and connect to your server |
### Advanced Configuration
- 🔍 **Keyword Filtering**: Enable in Settings to only trigger on specific words (e.g., "raid", "attack", "offline")
- ⏰ **Quiet Hours**: Configure time windows to disable notifications
- 🔌 **Custom Plugins**: See [Plugin Development Guide](PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT.md)
---
## 🔧 Troubleshooting
Common issues and solutions
### 🤖 Bot Token Issues
| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| ❌ Invalid token format | Tokens must contain exactly one colon (`:`) in format `nnnnnnn:xxxxxxxxxxx` |
| 🔑 Token doesn't work | Regenerate with BotFather: `/revoke` then `/newbot` |
| 🔒 Token exposed | Immediately revoke and create a new bot |
### 🔢 Chat ID Issues
| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| 📺 Channel IDs | Must start with `-100` (e.g., `-1001234567890`) |
| 👥 Group IDs | Shorter negative numbers (e.g., `-123456789`) |
| ❌ Wrong ID | Copy entire ID including the minus sign (`-`) |
| 🔍 Can't find ID | Use [@userinfobot](https://t.me/userinfobot) or [@RawDataBot](https://t.me/RawDataBot) |
### 🌐 Connection Issues
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------|-----|
| 🔴 Red status pill | Incorrect credentials | Verify bot token and chat ID |
| 📭 No messages received | Bot not admin | Add bot as admin with "Post Messages" permission |
| ⚠️ Polling errors | Network/firewall | Check internet connection and firewall settings |
| ⏱️ Timeout errors | API unreachable | Wait a few minutes, app auto-retries |
### 👮 Permission Issues
| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| 🚫 Bot can't read messages | Make bot an admin with minimum "Post Messages" permission |
| 📭 IFTTT messages not appearing | Add [@IFTTT](https://t.me/ifttt) bot as admin to your channel |
| 🔇 Bot doesn't respond | Check bot is not blocked by Privacy Mode (disable in BotFather) |
---
📚 **Still having issues?** Check the [Full Troubleshooting Guide](TROUBLESHOOTING.md) or [open an issue](https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/RustPlusRaidAlarms/issues).