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

Find the description for all variables used in each code snippet below:

Key	Description
`VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID`	The Vonage Application ID.
`VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH`	Private key path.
`VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH`	Private key path.
`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`	There are two versions of the API, each with their own endpoints. For production the previous Messages API endpoint was `https://api.nexmo.com/v0.1/messages`, the new one is `https://api.nexmo.com/v1/messages`. For sandbox testing the Messages API endpoint is `https://messages-sandbox.nexmo.com/v0.1/messages` or `https://messages-sandbox.nexmo.com/v1/messages`, depending on which version you have set in the sandbox dashboard.
`WHATSAPP_NUMBER`	The WhatsApp number that has been allocated to you by Vonage. For sandbox testing the number is 14157386102.
`VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER`	Refer to `WHATSAPP_NUMBER` above.
`VONAGE_NUMBER`	Refer to `WHATSAPP_NUMBER` above.
`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.
`WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME`	The name of the template created in your WhatsApp Business Account.

NOTE: Don't use a leading + or 00 when entering a phone number, start with the country code, for example, 447700900000.

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

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 '{
   "to": "$TO_NUMBER",
   "from": "$WHATSAPP_NUMBER",
   "channel": "whatsapp",
   "message_type": "template",
   "whatsapp": {
     "policy": "deterministic",
     "locale": "en-GB"
   },
   "template":{
      "name": "'$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE':'$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME'",
      "parameters":[
         "Vonage Verification",
         "64873",
         "10"
      ]
   }
}'

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

bash send-mtm.sh

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

npm install @vonage/server-sdk

Create a file named send-template.js and add the following code:

const { Vonage } = require('@vonage/server-sdk');
const { WhatsAppTemplate } = require('@vonage/messages');

const vonage = new Vonage({
  applicationId: VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID,
  privateKey: VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY,
});

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send-template.js:

vonage.messages.send(
  new WhatsAppTemplate({
    template: {
      name: `${WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE}:${WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME}`,
      locale: 'en',
      parameters: [
        'Vonage Verification',
        '64873',
        '10',
      ],
    },
    to: TO_NUMBER,
    from: WHATSAPP_NUMBER,
  }),
)
  .then(({ messageUUID}) => console.log(messageUUID))
  .catch((error) => console.error(error));

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

node send-template.js

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

Add the following to build.gradle:

implementation 'com.vonage:server-sdk-kotlin:1.1.2'

Create a file named SendWhatsappTemplate and add the following code to the main method:

val client = Vonage {
    applicationId(VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID)
    privateKeyPath(VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH)
}

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to the main method of the SendWhatsappTemplate file:

val messageId = client.messages.send(
    whatsappTemplate {
        to(TO_NUMBER)
        from(VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER)
        policy(Policy.DETERMINISTIC)
        locale(Locale.ENGLISH_UK)
        name("$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE:$WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME")
        parameters(listOf(
            "Vonage Verification",
            "64873",
            "10"
        ))
    }
)

View full source

Run your code

We can use the application plugin for Gradle to simplify the running of our application. Update your build.gradle with the following:

apply plugin: 'application'
mainClassName = project.hasProperty('main') ? project.getProperty('main') : ''

Run the following gradle command to execute your application, replacing com.vonage.quickstart.kt.messages.whatsapp with the package containing SendWhatsappTemplate:

gradle run -Pmain=com.vonage.quickstart.kt.messages.whatsapp.SendWhatsappTemplate

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

Add the following to build.gradle:

implementation 'com.vonage:server-sdk:8.15.1'

Create a file named SendWhatsappTemplate and add the following code to the main method:

VonageClient client = VonageClient.builder()
		.applicationId(VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID)
		.privateKeyPath(VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH)
		.build();

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to the main method of the SendWhatsappTemplate file:

var response = client.getMessagesClient().sendMessage(
		WhatsappTemplateRequest.builder()
			.from(VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER).to(TO_NUMBER)
			.policy(Policy.DETERMINISTIC).locale(Locale.ENGLISH_UK)
			.name(WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE+':'+WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME)
			.parameters(List.of(
					"Vonage Verification",
					"64873",
					"10"
			))
			.build()
);
System.out.println("Message sent successfully. ID: "+response.getMessageUuid());

View full source

Run your code

We can use the application plugin for Gradle to simplify the running of our application. Update your build.gradle with the following:

apply plugin: 'application'
mainClassName = project.hasProperty('main') ? project.getProperty('main') : ''

Run the following gradle command to execute your application, replacing com.vonage.quickstart.messages.whatsapp with the package containing SendWhatsappTemplate:

gradle run -Pmain=com.vonage.quickstart.messages.whatsapp.SendWhatsappTemplate

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

Install-Package Vonage

Write the code

Add the following to SendWhatsAppMtm.cs:


var credentials = Credentials.FromAppIdAndPrivateKeyPath(appId, privateKeyPath);

var vonageClient = new VonageClient(credentials);

var request = new WhatsAppTemplateRequest
{
    To = to,
    From = brandName,
    WhatsApp = new MessageWhatsApp
    {
        Policy = "deterministic",
        Locale = "en-GB",
    },
    Template = new MessageTemplate
    {
        Name = "whatsapp:hsm:technology:nexmo:mytemplate",
        Parameters =  new List<object>
        {
            "Vonage Verification",
            "64873",
            "10",
        },
    }
};

View full source

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

composer require vonage/client

Create a file named send-mtm.php and add the following code:

$keypair = new \Vonage\Client\Credentials\Keypair(
    file_get_contents(VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH),
    VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID
);

$client = new \Vonage\Client($keypair);

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send-mtm.php:

$custom = [
    "name" => WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE . ":" . WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME,
    "parameters" => [
        "Vonage Verification",
        "64873",
        "10",
    ],
];

$whatsApp = new \Vonage\Messages\Channel\WhatsApp\WhatsAppCustom(
    TO_NUMBER,
    FROM_NUMBER,
    $custom
);

$client->messages()->send($whatsApp);

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

php send-mtm.php

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

pip install vonage

Write the code

Add the following to send-template.py:

from vonage import Auth, Vonage
from vonage_messages.models import (
    WhatsappTemplate,
    WhatsappTemplateResource,
    WhatsappTemplateSettings,
)

client = Vonage(
    Auth(
        application_id=VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID,
        private_key=VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH,
    )
)

message = WhatsappTemplate(
    to=TO_NUMBER,
    from_=WHATSAPP_NUMBER,
    template=WhatsappTemplateResource(
        name=f'{WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE}:{WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME}',
        parameters=["Vonage Verification", "64873", "10"],
    ),
    whatsapp=WhatsappTemplateSettings(
        locale="en-GB",
        policy="deterministic",
    ),
)

response = client.messages.send(message)
print(response)

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

python send-template.py

Prerequisites

If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.

gem install vonage

Create a file named send-mtm.rb and add the following code:

client = Vonage::Client.new(
  application_id: VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID,
  private_key: File.read(VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH)
)

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send-mtm.rb:

message = Vonage::Messaging::Message.whatsapp(
  type: 'template',
  message: {
    name: "#{WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE}:#{WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_NAME}",
    parameters: [
       "Vonage Verification",
       "64873",
       "10"
    ]
  },
  opts: {
    whatsapp: {
     policy: "deterministic",
     locale: "en-GB"
   }
  }
)

client.messaging.send(
  from: VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER,
  to: TO_NUMBER,
  **message
)

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

ruby send-mtm.rb

Try it out

When you run the code a WhatsApp message template (MTM) is sent to the destination number.

Further information

WhatsApp documentation for Message Templates