Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/pranav-1804/TelegramBot

README.md

+**Overview**
+
+Develop a Telegram bot using Telethon to retrieve information about posts (new and historical), log them to the console, and save them to a CSV file.
+
+**Prerequisites**
+
+Python 3.8+ installed
+Access to a terminal/command prompt
+Git (optional, for cloning)
+
+
+**Getting Telethon API Credentials**
+Create a Telegram App
+Go to: https://my.telegram.org
+Log in with your Telegram account
+Navigate to “API development tools” (or “Create new application” if prompted)
+Create a new application:
+App title: any name
+Short name: a short identifier
+After saving, you will see:
+API_ID (integer)
+API_HASH (32-character hex string)
+Save Credentials Securely
+Note down the API_ID and API_HASH and do not share them publicly.
+
+
+
+Environment File (.env)
+
+Create a file named .env at the project root
+Add the following variables (replace with your actual values)
+API_ID=your_api_id_here
+API_HASH=your_api_hash_here
+SESSION=session_name
+INVITE_LINK=invite_link_of_channel_
+
+Tips:
+
+Keep .env out of version control by adding it to .gitignore.
+
+SESSION is the session name used by Telethon (e.g., “telegram_bot”).
+INVITE_LINK is a private/public invite link or join link for the target channel.
+
+
+**Setting Up a Virtual Environment (venv)**
+
+
+Create Virtual Environment
+macOS/Linux:
+python3 -m venv venv
+
+Windows (CMD/PowerShell):
+py -m venv venv
+
+Activate the Virtual Environment
+macOS/Linux:
+source venv/bin/activate
+
+Windows (CMD):
+venv\Scripts\activate
+
+Windows (PowerShell):
+.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
+
+**Install Dependencies**
+
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+
+**Running the Project**
+Ensure the virtual environment is activated
+Confirm .env is present with correct values
+
+
+Run the program script
+python services/telegram_listener.py
+Verify the Bot Is Running
+Check console output for post messages (new and historical)
+Confirm CSV file is created/updated with captured post data