BotFire : sendPhoto Method Documentation

The sendPhoto method in the BotFire PHP library is designed to send photos via a Telegram bot. It offers a flexible interface to send images either by passing a URL or file ID as a string or by using the Photo class for advanced control over the message.

Overview

The sendPhoto method enables developers to send photos to Telegram users or chats. It supports both simple and advanced use cases, allowing you to send a photo with minimal code or customize the message with additional parameters like captions, formatting, and reply markups.

Method Signature

use Botfire\Bot;

Bot::sendPhoto(Photo|string $photo);

• Parameter: $photo - Accepts either a string (URL or Telegram file ID of the photo) or an instance of the Photo class.
• Return: Sends the photo to the specified chat and returns the result.

Simple Usage

For basic photo sending, you can pass a string containing either the URL of the photo or its Telegram file_id. If the chat_id is not specified, the library automatically assigns the current client's chat_id.

use Botfire\Bot;

// Send a photo using a URL
Bot::sendPhoto('https://your-site.com/test.png');

// Send a photo using a file ID
Bot::sendPhoto('AgACAgIAAxkBAAIB...');

Advanced Usage with Photo Class

For more control, use the Photo class to create a photo message with additional parameters such as captions, chat IDs, or custom formatting.

use Botfire\Bot;
use Botfire\Models\Photo;

// Create a photo message
$photo = Photo::create('https://your-site.com/test.png');
$photo->chatId(123456789); // Specify the chat ID

// Send the photo
Bot::sendPhoto($photo);

You can also send a local file from the server using the Bot::inputFile method:

use Botfire\Bot;
use Botfire\Models\Photo;

// Load a local file
$file = Bot::inputFile('image-photo.jpg');

// Create a photo message with a caption
$photo = Photo::create($file);
$photo->chatId(123456789);
$photo->caption('This is a test photo with a caption.');

// Send the photo
Bot::sendPhoto($photo);

Using Markdown for Captions

The Photo class supports caption formatting using Markdown, MarkdownV2, or HTML. The ParseMode helper class provides constants for these formats.

use Botfire\Bot;
use Botfire\Helper\ParseMode;
use Botfire\Models\Photo;

$photo = Photo::create('https://your-site.com/test.png');
$photo->chatId(123456789);
$photo->caption('This is a *bold* test photo with a caption.');
$photo->parseMode(ParseMode::MarkdownV2);

Bot::sendPhoto($photo);

Available Parse Modes (defined in ParseMode class):

• ParseMode::Markdown
• ParseMode::HTML
• ParseMode::MarkdownV2

Photo Class Methods

The Photo class provides a chainable interface to customize the photo message. Below is a detailed list of available methods, organized for clarity:

• businessConnectionId(string $business_connection_id)
  Sets the business connection ID for the message.
  Example: $photo->businessConnectionId('biz_123');

• chatId(string|int $chat_id)
  Sets the chat_id for the message.
  Example: $video->chatId(123456789)

• messageThreadId(int $message_thread_id)
  Specifies the message thread ID for sending in a thread.
  Example: $photo->messageThreadId(456);

• parseMode(string $parse_mode)
  Sets the parse mode for the caption (Markdown, MarkdownV2, or HTML).
  Example: $photo->parseMode(ParseMode::MarkdownV2);

• caption(string|MarkdownBuilder $caption)
  Adds a caption to the photo. If a MarkdownBuilder instance is provided, it automatically sets parseMode to MarkdownV2.
  Example: $photo->caption('This is a *bold* caption.');

• captionEntities($caption_entities)
  Specifies entities for the caption (e.g., for custom formatting).
  Example: $photo->captionEntities([['type' => 'bold', 'offset' => 0, 'length' => 4]]);

• entities($entities)
  Sets entities for the message content.
  Example: $photo->entities([['type' => 'text_link', 'offset' => 0, 'length' => 4, 'url' => 'https://example.com']]);

• linkPreviewOptions($link_preview_options)
  Configures link preview options for the message, such as enabling or disabling link previews.
  Example: $photo->linkPreviewOptions(['is_disabled' => true]);

• disableNotification(bool $disable_notification)
  Disables notifications for the message if set to true.
  Example: $photo->disableNotification(true);

• protectContent(bool $protect_content)
  Protects the content from being forwarded or saved if set to true.
  Example: $photo->protectContent(true);

• allowPaidBroadcast(bool $allow_paid_broadcast)
  Allows the message to be sent as a paid broadcast if set to true.
  Example: $photo->allowPaidBroadcast(true);

• messageEffectId(string $message_effect_id)
  Sets a message effect ID for visual effects.
  Example: $photo->messageEffectId('effect_789');

• hasSpoiler(bool $has_spoiler)
  Marks the photo as a spoiler, blurring it until viewed if set to true.
  Example: $photo->hasSpoiler(true);

• showCaptionAboveMedia(bool $show_caption_above_media)
  Displays the caption above the photo if set to true.
  Example: $photo->showCaptionAboveMedia(true);

• replyParameters($reply_parameters)
  Configures reply parameters for the message.
  Example: $photo->replyParameters(['message_id' => 123]);

• replyMarkup(InlineKeyboard|ReplyKeyboard $reply_markup)
  Adds a custom keyboard or inline buttons to the message.
  See the keyboard documentation

Example with Advanced Options

use Botfire\Bot;
use Botfire\Models\Photo;
use Botfire\Helper\ParseMode;
use Botfire\Keyboards\InlineKeyboard;

$keyboard = new InlineKeyboard();
$keyboard->row([
    InlineButton::button('Click Me', 'action_click'),
    InlineButton::link('Visit Website', 'https://example.com'),
]);

$photo = Photo::create('https://your-site.com/test.png');
$photo->chatId(123456789)
      ->caption('Check out this *photo*')
      ->parseMode(ParseMode::MarkdownV2)
      ->disableNotification(true)
      ->hasSpoiler(true)
      ->linkPreviewOptions(['is_disabled' => true])
      ->replyMarkup($keyboard);

Bot::sendPhoto($photo);

Notes

• If the chat_id is not set, the library automatically uses the chat_id of the current client.
• The Photo class methods are chainable, allowing for concise and readable code.
• For local files, ensure the file path provided to Bot::inputFile is accessible on the server.