Telegram Message Fetcher

This project uses the Telethon library to connect to a Telegram user account and fetch messages from all dialogs (chats, groups, and channels). It saves the last 1000 messages (or any specified limit) from each dialog into a text file.

Features

• Connects to a Telegram account using the Telegram API.
• Fetches messages from all private chats, groups, and channels.
• Saves messages to a file (telegram_messages.txt), with each dialog separated for easy reading.
• Includes detailed logging for debugging and troubleshooting.

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• A Telegram account with an API ID and API Hash (see instructions below).
• Telethon library.
• python-dotenv library.

Setup

1. Clone the repository (or create your project directory).

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/telegram-message-fetcher.git
   cd telegram-message-fetcher

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install telethon python-dotenv

3. Get Telegram API credentials:

   • Go to my.telegram.org and log in with your phone number.
   • Navigate to API development tools and create a new application.
   • Copy the API ID and API Hash.

4. Create a .env file:

   • In the root of your project directory, create a file named .env.
   • Add the following environment variables, replacing the values with your credentials:

     API_ID=your_api_id
     API_HASH=your_api_hash
     PHONE=your_phone_number

Usage

1. Run the script:

   python3 main.py

2. Output:

   • The script will fetch messages from all dialogs in your Telegram account and save them to telegram_messages.txt.
   • Each dialog will be separated by a header with the chat title and ID.
   • Only the last 1000 messages from each dialog will be saved (you can adjust this limit in the code).

Configuration

• MESSAGE_LIMIT: Set the maximum number of messages to fetch per dialog. Adjust this in the code as needed.

Example Output (telegram_messages.txt)

--- Messages from Example Chat (ID: 123456789) ---
2024-11-01 12:34:56 - 987654321: Hello, this is a test message.
2024-11-01 12:35:10 - 123456789: [Non-text message]
...

--- Messages from Example Group (ID: 987654321) ---
2024-11-01 15:00:00 - 654321987: Welcome to the group!
2024-11-01 15:10:05 - 123987456: [Non-text message]
...

Troubleshooting

• No messages in output file: Ensure dialogs are being fetched and messages contain text or relevant content.
• Session errors: If you're prompted for 2FA, enter the password to complete the login.
• Connection issues: Ensure you have an active internet connection and correct API credentials.

Notes

• Privacy and Permissions: Ensure you have permission to fetch and store messages, especially from groups and channels.
• Rate Limits: Avoid running the script too frequently to prevent triggering Telegram's rate limits.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.