Send a WhatsApp Message Template (MTM)
In this code snippet you learn how to send a WhatsApp Message Template Message (MTM) using the Messages API.
IMPORTANT: If a customer messages you, you have 24 hours to respond to the customer with a free-form message. After this period you must use a message template (MTM). If a customer has not messaged you first, then the first time you send a message to a user, WhatsApp requires that the message contains a template. This is explained in more detail in the Understanding WhatsApp topic.
Example
Ensure the following variables are set to your required values using any convenient method:
Key | Description |
---|---|
BASE_URL |
For production use the base URL is https://api.nexmo.com/ . For sandbox testing the base URL is https://messages-sandbox.nexmo.com/ . |
MESSAGES_API_URL |
For production use the Messages API endpoint is https://api.nexmo.com/v0.1/messages . For sandbox testing the Messages API endpoint is https://messages-sandbox.nexmo.com/v0.1/messages . |
WHATSAPP_NUMBER |
The WhatsApp number that has been allocated to you by Vonage. For sandbox testing the number is 14157386170. |
TO_NUMBER |
Replace with the number you are sending to. E.g. 447700900001
|
WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE |
The namespace ID found in your WhatsApp Business Account. Only templates created in your own namespace will work. Using an template with a namespace outside of your own results in an error code 1022 being returned. For sandbox testing the supported namespace is 9b6b4fcb_da19_4a26_8fe8_78074a91b584 . |
WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME |
The name of the template created in your WhatsApp Business Account. For sandbox testing the verify template is currently available. Refer to this table for new templates as they become available. |
NOTE: Don't use a leading +
or 00
when entering a phone number, start with the country code, for example, 447700900000.
Prerequisites
Write the code
Add the following to send-mtm.sh
:
curl -X POST $MESSAGES_API_URL \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer' $JWT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"from":{
"type":"whatsapp",
"number":"$WHATSAPP_NUMBER"
},
"to":{
"type":"whatsapp",
"number":"$TO_NUMBER"
},
"message":{
"content":{
"type":"template",
"template":{
"name": "'$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE':'$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME'",
"parameters":[
{
"default":"Vonage Verification"
},
{
"default":"64873"
},
{
"default":"10"
}
]
}
},
"whatsapp": {
"policy": "deterministic",
"locale": "en-GB"
}
}
}'
Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
bash send-mtm.sh
Prerequisites
npm install @vonage/server-sdk@beta
Write the code
Add the following to send-template.js
:
const Vonage = require('@vonage/server-sdk');
const vonage = new Vonage(
{
apiKey: VONAGE_API_KEY,
apiSecret: VONAGE_API_SECRET,
applicationId: VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID,
privateKey: VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH,
},
{
apiHost: BASE_URL,
}
);
vonage.channel.send(
{ type: 'whatsapp', number: TO_NUMBER },
{ type: 'whatsapp', number: WHATSAPP_NUMBER },
{
content: {
type: 'template',
template: {
name: `${WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE}:${WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME}`,
parameters: [
{
default: 'Vonage Verification',
},
{
default: '64873',
},
{
default: '10',
},
],
},
},
whatsapp: {
policy: 'deterministic',
locale: 'en',
},
},
(err, data) => {
if (err) {
console.error(err);
} else {
console.log(data.message_uuid);
}
}
);
Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
node send-template.js
Try it out
When you run the code a WhatsApp message template (MTM) is sent to the destination number.