Telegram

For some time now, Telegram messaging has been possible on RISC OS, by using ChatCube.

But ChatCube only works (AFAIK, anyway) as a desktop app. I’ve discovered that it is also possible to send messages to a Telegram group from RISC OS, using curl and the Telegram bot API. This makes it possible, for example, to get notifications from a RISC OS app. It probably only makes sense to do so for an app that’s running continuously and needs to notify someone if an error or unusual condition occurs.

Using curl, it takes several seconds between hitting return and the message turning up in one’s Telegram app or ChatCube. The delay is mainly the time to invoke curl, if my memory serves me well. But faster clients are possible; the basic communication is https and all the data are textual. Short messages can go on the command line. Longer ones can go as JSON, I think, although I’ve not tried that.

AFAIK you’re correct Dave.

I started that Module project to allow an “in-memory” smaller version of cURL, which allows this and more. It’s perfect for interacting with APIs even from Obey files. I need to get back at it and finish it. Will be open sourced as everything else I am doing on RO.

Obviously, one can do also a BBC BAIC client using that module. It’s based on the existing RISC OS URLFetch and AcornHTTP etc. can do HTTPS.

You can definitely write a similar thing if you have time.

I think it’s a big advantage to have it as a module, just my 0.5c