Export chats

[alskdjfj]

Now that unigram X can store all the chats in a local cache, it would be wonderful if we could export our conversations as a file (an xml file for example), with also all the pictures, videos, files, gifs just by selecting with a button which chats do you want to export. In the xml file, there could be info about:

• message content

• message time

• status of the message

This feature could be also active for secret chats.

[FrayxRulez]

Sorry but I'm closing this for now

[alskdjfj]

Can I ask you why? At least you could provide us a reasonable answer.

[alighamari]

@alskdjfj Is there any export ability in other clients?

[alskdjfj]

No that I know. That is why I was asking for it since it is a very active project but it seems that every project related with telegram doesn't want to add this ability, which is quite strange...

[alighamari]

@alskdjfj Thats the point, this is a telegram side ability, ask them in twitter for this. Also telegram is a fully cloud based messenger why you need that? In WhatsApp may you need them but not in telegram

[alskdjfj]

Excuse me but, you are totally wrong.

1) if you have the ability to store and get the text from the storage to show it, that is to fill an itemlist, I don't understand why you couldn't write it in an xml file. It is not as difficult and to me it is an issue that has to be covered by the coders of any Telegram project and since all data has been storages it is no more a problem of that "official coders don't allow you to do this" (at least from a coding side). The official program won't do it as said several times by their developers. So it is a matter of other unofficial Telegram projects. 2) Telegram doesn't need to be fully cloud messenger. Secret chats aren't stored in telegram servers (supposedly). 3) I will be always owner of my work and so on, I must have the tools to be owner. If I want to keep tracked my conversations in external files to Telegram servers it is my decision. I cannot understand how "Telegram" can be so "secure", more than WhatsApp but later, you cannot store and delete data from Telegram servers. It sounds to me very strange. Moreover, what if the cloud is hacked? What if it is erased? Years ago I was user of Grooveshark (music webpage). They had to close suddenly because of a judicial decision. They didn't say anything to users and neither they allowed you to download after closing the lists from users (but you could when it was working). Everyone who didn't export their playlists lost all of them. I don't want to feel again this. 4) In fact, I'd like to use secret chats but at the same time, being able to store my data.

[FrayxRulez]

Secret chats are supposed to be secure. How can they be if I allow you to export them to a plain text file?

[alskdjfj]

Are they more secured because they are "closed" in your phone/pc? Anyone who got access to your device will be able to get them, even if this option isn't there. Even if Alice or Bob want, they can show their messages to other people giving the opportunity to check their devices, getting screenshots or even taking a camera and taking pictures of the conversation.

Secure conversation doesn't mean Alice or Bob can't have copies from their messages but that no Charlie will intercept them. Of course Charlie can break into your system and read any plain text that you have, but this is responsibility of Alice and Bob. You can always introduce the plain text into a 7z file secured by pass that user will know or use something like GNUPG. No?

Btw, I didn't pretend to be rude if anyone got offended by my answers.

[ferferga]

There are another specific tools/ways for this: https://github.com/tvdstaaij/telegram-history-dump

https://telegram.wiki/general/exporting-chats

[IlluminatiWave]

Almost a year has passed since this thread.

Currently official Telegram already supports the export of chat. I suppose it would be that it does not have much that came out yet do not want to introduce it, just as it can be a problem of Tlib, I say, if it is the case, just tell us and we will understand c:

I think it's about time 🤔

[PatrykMis]

I hope to see this feature in Unigram as official Telegram app has ability to do it but it is not accessible for visually impaired using screen readers.

[Simon818]

I accidentally found my way to this thread while trying to find a way to accomplish the same thing. A lot of the GitHub projects are quite abandoned and i'm not sure if any of them actually work anymore. It seems the only official way is to export chats using the desktop client, which I also cannot do.

[MarcAnt01]

I accidentally found my way to this thread while trying to find a way to accomplish the same thing. A lot of the GitHub projects are quite abandoned and i'm not sure if any of them actually work anymore. It seems the only official way is to export chats using the desktop client, which I also cannot do.

Why? Telegram Desktop runs on every version of Windows supported by Unigram

[Simon818]

Because Telegram desktop is very not accessible as previously stated. Last I checked, the screen reader sees a blank window. None of the custom controls have proper accessibility coded into them. It's a problem on all platforms but desktop is by far the worst.

[Elshara]

To be honest, exporting chat history is a very crucial part of the GDPR requirements to have your data accessible offline at any time. Perhaps a workaround for this feature, would simply be to add an option to save conversation to device when right clicking on a user, group or channel. This will ensure that you could at least achieve the same functionality from the app itself, as the majority of what people are looking for these days, relate to bookmarks, references and it could all be saved under saved messages in the cloud. That way when you want to perform an account backup, that's where you'd go to do that. If your saved messages watches all your chats for you, it could be a user specific option you could opt into in settings. Then when you export chat history, you can export media, saved interactions and bookmarks to live threads as well. If the telegram API allows for it, you can even clone imported exported chats this way to make moving groups an easier task given the fact that telegram's auto invitation feature was recently added. This could literally help save huge channels, groups and contacts lists if your phone or device was compromised, so it's a security issue as well. You could also use the same functionality to make offline changes to settings, if you're worried about people tracking your real time movements...so for instance, hiding when you're typing, online or otherwise engaged...because there's a saved version of events reestablished in a virtual database using the power of saved messages alone. This could be a literal huge investment into telegram for the ability alone to sort real time data in a way that works with the system you have access to. And yes, I'd pay for this as a premium feature without a doubt.

[Elshara]

I would also add, that the current way desktop telegram implements this feature, lacks any usable information to work with. All it will do, is give an HTML5 text chat window with no links to interact with any existing message data. If I am a member of a group, and an admin decides one day to for whatever reason, accidentally or on purpose, remove my data without my consent...I have no way of knowing, cross referencing with an offline database any changes made to my data I already posted. So, anyone looking at it, deleting it, editing it, etc. No notification types of this crucial kind of data statistics are visible to me, and they should be. Because this is the kind of usable, workable and functional solution that will be able to give you peace of mind. Not only as a platform user, but as an online citizen in complete control of what data you do in fact post anywhere on telegram at least. And one of those important changes not only relies on controlling who can see exported data, but whether or not your post was referenced outside of its intended audience. Such as when containing messages was forwarded, and to whom, when, where and why. By whom, and how could this be preventable if necessary to ensure if you rely on telegram, there are no such security leaks that are as visibly obvious. Even when copying messages, you should be notified when this under-the-hood activity happens. Data exporting is the key to all of it. Because it's what you can control that happens to your data, which sets a precedent for what is possible with it and who can access it with your consent to freely do so.

[snowman]

feels bad

1. small UI & font size, not scale-able per app basis
2. db.sqlite is not parse-able, even I am the data owner, I have phone & SMS verification & password, no way
3. Twitter press o can show current post in detail, neither Telegram or Unigram has the ability to keyboard driven to browse messages, you have to use mouse click click click, keep press tab is tedious

[x011]

@alskdjfj Thats the point, this is a telegram side ability, ask them in twitter for this. Also telegram is a fully cloud based messenger why you need that? In WhatsApp may you need them but not in telegram

What about cases where an account expires or is blocked?

[x011]

Can I ask you why? At least you could provide us a reasonable answer.

To backup user conversations.