Adding a Keyboard to Your Bot¶

Now let’s improve our first bot by adding a keyboard.

Keyboards allow users to tap buttons instead of typing commands.
This makes bots easier to use and more user-friendly.

What We Are Building¶

We will update the /start command to:

Send a welcome message
Show buttons on the screen
Let users choose what to do next

What is a Keyboard?¶

A keyboard is a set of buttons shown below the message input field.

When a user taps a button, the button text is sent back to the bot as a normal message.

This means:

No typing required
Fewer mistakes
Better user experience

Step 1 — Open the Command¶

Go to your bot panel on TeleBotHost
Open the Commands section
Find the existing /start command
Click the pencil (edit) icon to update it

Step 2 — Add the Keyboard¶

Update the command fields like this:

Command: /start

Answer: Hello 👋 Choose one of the options below to continue.

Keyboard : Help, About

This creates two buttons in a single row.

Keyboard Layout Basics¶

Keyboards are simple to define using text.

Buttons in the same row are separated by commas
New rows are created using a new line

Warning

A keyboard always requires an Answer.
Buttons cannot be sent without a message, so make sure the Answer field is filled whenever you use a keyboard.

Examples:

Yes,No → one row with two buttons
Yes\nNo → two rows with one button each
Yes,No\nBoth → two rows, First row: Yes, No , Second row: Both

Tip

You can mix rows and button counts freely to design your menu.

How Keyboard Buttons Work¶

When a user taps a keyboard button:

Telegram sends the button text as a message
TBL treats it like normal text input
A matching command can respond to it

For example, tapping Help sends the message Help.

Creating the Help Command¶

Now let’s make the Help button actually do something.

Add a new command with these details:

Command : Help

Answer : Here’s what I can help you with: - Use the buttons to navigate - Tap About to learn more about me - Send /start anytime to restart

No logic is needed yet.

Creating the About Command¶

Next, create the About command.

Add another command with:

Command : About

Answer : I’m a simple Telegram bot built using TBL on TeleBotHost. I use commands and keyboards to guide users easily.

This gives users basic information about your bot.

Why Keyboards Are Useful¶

Keyboards are great for:

Menus
Navigation
Guided user flows
Reducing confusion for new users

Tip

Use keyboards for common actions instead of forcing users to remember commands.

Test the Keyboard and Commands¶

Open your bot in Telegram
Send /start
You should see the buttons
Tap Help and About
Each button should show its response

If everything works, your bot menu is complete 🎉

What You Learned¶

With this update, you learned:

How to add a keyboard to a command
How keyboard buttons send text messages
How to handle buttons using normal commands
How to build a simple menu-based bot

What’s Next¶

Next, you can:

Add a Back button
Create multi-level menus
Combine keyboards with reply-based input
Add logic to commands

Your bot is now interactive and user-friendly.