Description
Built for Teams Who Live in Telegram
If your operations crew, sales desk, or community moderators already watch a Telegram group all day, the Gravity Forms Telegram Add-On puts form submissions where they will actually be seen. Nobody has to check an inbox or open the WordPress dashboard. A submission comes in, a bot posts it, and the right people read it in the chat they already have open.
The add-on connects a Telegram bot to Gravity Forms and sends a message to a group, channel, or person every time a submission matches a feed. You write the message yourself with merge tags, so the post can carry exactly the fields your team needs and nothing else. This Gravity Forms Telegram Add-On WordPress plugin is aimed at people who want a direct, readable alert without routing data through an outside automation service.
Standout Capability: Messages With Files Attached
The most useful part of the add-on is that it does not stop at text. Pick one or more File Upload fields in a feed and the uploaded files travel with the message. Images arrive in the chat as photos, so a moderator can see a damage report or a product shot straight away. Everything else, such as PDFs, spreadsheets, and documents, arrives as a file attachment the team can open or download from Telegram.
Picture a repair shop whose form asks customers to upload a photo of a cracked screen. The technician group receives the customer’s name, the device model, and the picture in a single post. Or a recruiting form where each CV lands in a hiring channel as a document, next to the applicant’s role and contact details. The team can discuss it on the spot, without anyone logging in to find the entry.
Format the message the way you want it
Each feed lets you choose how the message is written: plain text, HTML, or Markdown. Plain text is the safest choice for simple alerts. HTML and Markdown let you bold a customer name, set a field label in italics, or lay out a short summary that is quick to scan on a phone. You fill in the body with merge tags, so every value from the submission can appear exactly where you place it.
Conditional logic decides what gets sent
A feed only runs when its conditions are met. If a form collects everything from sales questions to complaints, you can build one feed that posts to the sales chat when a dropdown says “Pricing” and another that posts to the support chat when it says “Problem with an order”. Entries that match nothing simply do not trigger a message, which keeps busy chats from filling with noise.
Complete Feature Set
- Bot-based delivery. Create a bot with @BotFather, paste its HTTP API token under Forms → Settings → Telegram, and the connection is made.
- Chat detection. The Detect chats button lists chats the bot can already reach, so you choose from a list instead of hunting for numeric IDs.
- Default chat with per-feed overrides. Set one default chat in the settings. A feed can use it by leaving Chat ID empty, or point to a different chat, either detected or entered directly.
- Test messages. Send a test from the Telegram settings page and from each feed, so you can confirm the bot can post before a real submission arrives.
- Merge tag messages. Write the body with Gravity Forms merge tags in plain text, HTML, or Markdown.
- Photo and file attachments. Choose which File Upload fields to include. Images go as photos, other files as documents.
- Conditional logic. Run a feed only for submissions that meet the rules you set.
- Entry notes. The entry records which chat received the message, giving you a quick audit trail.
- Error reporting on the entry. If Telegram rejects the message or a file, the error is written to the entry, and the add-on includes guidance on what to change.
Groups, channels, and individuals
The bot can post to a group, to a channel, or to a single person. Groups and channels need the bot added as an administrator with permission to post messages. For an individual, that person has to message the bot first, which is how Telegram permits a bot to start a conversation. Once they do, the chat shows up in the detected list like any other.
Open code you can adapt
The add-on is released under the GPL, so a developer on your team can read the code, adjust it for an unusual workflow, or extend it alongside the rest of a Gravity Forms setup. Agencies maintaining several client sites can do the same without license restrictions getting in the way.
How It Fits Your Workflow
Setup follows the order you would expect. In Telegram, you create the bot and add it to the chat. In WordPress, you open Forms → Settings → Telegram, enter the token, and save. Choose Detect chats, select your default chat, save again, and use Send test message to confirm a post arrives.
Then you move to the form itself. Open Settings → Telegram and choose Add New. Name the feed, decide whether it uses the default chat or a specific one, pick a message format, and write the message with merge tags. Select any File Upload fields you want included, and switch on conditional logic if only some submissions should be delivered. Each feed has its own test button, so you can check the layout before the form goes live.
After that, nothing more is needed day to day. A visitor submits the form, the add-on sends the message and any chosen files, and a note on the entry records the destination chat. When something goes wrong, for example the bot lost its admin rights or a file was refused, the failure appears on that entry rather than vanishing silently.
One thing to know up front: this add-on is not officially supported, and you will see a Labs notice on its settings screen. That notice is expected and does not signal a fault with your setup.
Ideal Use Cases
Small businesses with a shared team chat
A bakery, a plumbing company, or a local studio can post each new booking request to the staff group. Whoever is nearest their phone sees it and replies. Conditional logic can separate urgent callouts from routine quotes by sending them to different chats.
Support and operations teams
Incident forms, equipment reports, and internal requests often include screenshots or photos. Sending those as real photos in Telegram means the on-call person sees the problem immediately, and the discussion that follows happens in the same thread.
Community managers and publishers
Sites that take story tips, event submissions, or membership applications can route them to a private channel for editors. Using HTML or Markdown formatting, the message can put the submitter’s name and topic at the top so a long queue stays easy to skim.
Agencies managing client forms
An agency can give each client their own bot and chat, then build feeds per form with the message layout the client prefers. Because the code is GPL, any specific adjustments can be made directly instead of requested from a vendor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the add-on send to a person instead of a group?
Yes. The recipient has to send a message to your bot first, because Telegram does not allow bots to open conversations with people who have not contacted them. After that, the chat appears when you use Detect chats, and you can set it as the default or select it in a single feed.
How are uploaded files delivered?
You choose which File Upload fields a feed includes. Image files arrive in the chat as photos, and everything else arrives as a document. Fields you do not select are not sent, so you control exactly what leaves the site.
What if I need different submissions to go to different chats?
Create several feeds on the same form. Each feed can have its own chat ID and its own conditional logic. A feed that leaves Chat ID empty uses your default chat, while others can target a different group or channel.
How do I know whether a message was delivered?
The entry gets a note naming the chat that received the message. If Telegram refuses the message or an attached file, the error is added to the entry along with guidance on what to change. You can also send a test message from the settings page and from each feed before relying on it.
Can I change how the message looks?
Every feed has a format setting for plain text, HTML, or Markdown, and the message body is built from merge tags. You decide the order of fields, the labels, and any emphasis. Because the plugin is GPL-licensed, developers can also modify the code itself if a project needs behavior beyond what the settings offer.
