Completely overhaul the documentation

readthedocs/examples/chats-and-channels.rst

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+===============================
+Working with Chats and Channels
+===============================
+
+
+.. note::
+
+    These examples assume you have read :ref:`full-api`.
+
+.. contents::
+
+
+Joining a chat or channel
+=========================
+
+Note that :tl:`Chat` are normal groups, and :tl:`Channel` are a
+special form of :tl:`Chat`, which can also be super-groups if
+their ``megagroup`` member is ``True``.
+
+
+Joining a public channel
+========================
+
+Once you have the :ref:`entity <entities>` of the channel you want to join
+to, you can make use of the :tl:`JoinChannelRequest` to join such channel:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import JoinChannelRequest
+    client(JoinChannelRequest(channel))
+
+    # In the same way, you can also leave such channel
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import LeaveChannelRequest
+    client(LeaveChannelRequest(input_channel))
+
+
+For more on channels, check the `channels namespace`__.
+
+
+__ https://lonamiwebs.github.io/Telethon/methods/channels/index.html
+
+
+Joining a private chat or channel
+=================================
+
+If all you have is a link like this one:
+``https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAFFszQPyPEZ7wgxLtd``, you already have
+enough information to join! The part after the
+``https://t.me/joinchat/``, this is, ``AAAAAFFszQPyPEZ7wgxLtd`` on this
+example, is the ``hash`` of the chat or channel. Now you can use
+:tl:`ImportChatInviteRequest` as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from telethon.tl.functions.messages import ImportChatInviteRequest
+    updates = client(ImportChatInviteRequest('AAAAAEHbEkejzxUjAUCfYg'))
+
+
+Adding someone else to such chat or channel
+===========================================
+
+If you don't want to add yourself, maybe because you're already in,
+you can always add someone else with the :tl:`AddChatUserRequest`, which
+use is very straightforward, or :tl:`InviteToChannelRequest` for channels:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    # For normal chats
+    from telethon.tl.functions.messages import AddChatUserRequest
+
+    # Note that ``user_to_add`` is NOT the name of the parameter.
+    # It's the user you want to add (``user_id=user_to_add``).
+    client(AddChatUserRequest(
+        chat_id,
+        user_to_add,
+        fwd_limit=10  # Allow the user to see the 10 last messages
+    ))
+
+    # For channels (which includes megagroups)
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import InviteToChannelRequest
+
+    client(InviteToChannelRequest(
+        channel,
+        [users_to_add]
+    ))
+
+
+Checking a link without joining
+===============================
+
+If you don't need to join but rather check whether it's a group or a
+channel, you can use the :tl:`CheckChatInviteRequest`, which takes in
+the hash of said channel or group.
+
+
+Admin Permissions
+=================
+
+Giving or revoking admin permissions can be done with the :tl:`EditAdminRequest`:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import EditAdminRequest
+    from telethon.tl.types import ChatAdminRights
+
+    # You need both the channel and who to grant permissions
+    # They can either be channel/user or input channel/input user.
+    #
+    # ChatAdminRights is a list of granted permissions.
+    # Set to True those you want to give.
+    rights = ChatAdminRights(
+        post_messages=None,
+        add_admins=None,
+        invite_users=None,
+        change_info=True,
+        ban_users=None,
+        delete_messages=True,
+        pin_messages=True,
+        invite_link=None,
+        edit_messages=None
+    )
+    # Equivalent to:
+    #     rights = ChatAdminRights(
+    #         change_info=True,
+    #         delete_messages=True,
+    #         pin_messages=True
+    #     )
+
+    # Once you have a ChatAdminRights, invoke it
+    client(EditAdminRequest(channel, user, rights))
+
+    # User will now be able to change group info, delete other people's
+    # messages and pin messages.
+    #
+    # In a normal chat, you should do this instead:
+    from telethon.tl.functions.messages import EditChatAdminRequest
+
+    client(EditChatAdminRequest(chat_id, user, is_admin=True))
+
+
+
+.. note::
+
+    Thanks to `@Kyle2142`__ for `pointing out`__ that you **cannot** set all
+    parameters to ``True`` to give a user full permissions, as not all
+    permissions are related to both broadcast channels/megagroups.
+
+    E.g. trying to set ``post_messages=True`` in a megagroup will raise an
+    error. It is recommended to always use keyword arguments, and to set only
+    the permissions the user needs. If you don't need to change a permission,
+    it can be omitted (full list `here`__).
+
+
+Restricting Users
+=================
+
+Similar to how you give or revoke admin permissions, you can edit the
+banned rights of a user through :tl:`EditBannedRequest` and its parameter
+:tl:`ChatBannedRights`:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import EditBannedRequest
+    from telethon.tl.types import ChatBannedRights
+
+    from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+
+    # Restricting a user for 7 days, only allowing view/send messages.
+    #
+    # Note that it's "reversed". You must set to ``True`` the permissions
+    # you want to REMOVE, and leave as ``None`` those you want to KEEP.
+    rights = ChatBannedRights(
+        until_date=timedelta(days=7),
+        view_messages=None,
+        send_messages=None,
+        send_media=True,
+        send_stickers=True,
+        send_gifs=True,
+        send_games=True,
+        send_inline=True,
+        embed_links=True
+    )
+
+    # The above is equivalent to
+    rights = ChatBannedRights(
+        until_date=datetime.now() + timedelta(days=7),
+        send_media=True,
+        send_stickers=True,
+        send_gifs=True,
+        send_games=True,
+        send_inline=True,
+        embed_links=True
+    )
+
+    client(EditBannedRequest(channel, user, rights))
+
+
+You can also use a ``datetime`` object for ``until_date=``, or even a
+Unix timestamp. Note that if you ban someone for less than 30 seconds
+or for more than 366 days, Telegram will consider the ban to actually
+last forever. This is officially documented under
+https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#restrictchatmember.
+
+
+Kicking a member
+================
+
+Telegram doesn't actually have a request to kick a user from a group.
+Instead, you need to restrict them so they can't see messages. Any date
+is enough:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from telethon.tl.functions.channels import EditBannedRequest
+    from telethon.tl.types import ChatBannedRights
+
+    client(EditBannedRequest(
+        channel, user, ChatBannedRights(
+            until_date=None,
+            view_messages=True
+        )
+    ))
+
+
+__ https://github.com/Kyle2142
+__ https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/490
+__ https://lonamiwebs.github.io/Telethon/constructors/channel_admin_rights.html
+
+
+Increasing View Count in a Channel
+==================================
+
+It has been asked `quite`__ `a few`__ `times`__ (really, `many`__), and
+while I don't understand why so many people ask this, the solution is to
+use :tl:`GetMessagesViewsRequest`, setting ``increment=True``:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+
+    # Obtain `channel' through dialogs or through client.get_entity() or anyhow.
+    # Obtain `msg_ids' through `.get_messages()` or anyhow. Must be a list.
+
+    client(GetMessagesViewsRequest(
+        peer=channel,
+        id=msg_ids,
+        increment=True
+    ))
+
+
+Note that you can only do this **once or twice a day** per account,
+running this in a loop will obviously not increase the views forever
+unless you wait a day between each iteration. If you run it any sooner
+than that, the views simply won't be increased.
+
+__ https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/233
+__ https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/305
+__ https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/409
+__ https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon/issues/447