Chatbots using Whatsapp: How to set up Twilio

Here we explain how to setup Twilio in order to use Whatsapp as a messaging platform for the Chatbot generator.

Twilio Sandbox for WhatsApp allows you to prototype with WhatsApp immediately, without waiting for your Twilio number to be approved for WhatsApp.

Summary

• Creating the account
• Joining the sandbox
• Configuring inbound message webhooks
• Configuration Settings

Creating the account

First, create a new account in Twilio.

You'll be asked to verify your email:

Then, you'll be asked to verify your phone number:

Joining the sandbox

You'll have to go through some steps:

Here you can skip to dashboard:

Then go through  "All Product & Services" and select "Programmable Messaging". In a new window that appears, you have to select "WhatsApp" and it asks you if you want to activate the Sandbox.

To activate the sandbox, a page like this one appears:

Select a number from the available sandbox numbers:

There's a learn tutorial which you can follow easily.

The sandbox is pre-provisioned with a Twilio phone number.
Send “join <your sandbox keyword>” to your Sandbox number in WhatsApp to join your Sandbox.

After joining, you will receive a message from the sandbox:

See here for more details.

Configuring inbound message webhooks

When customers send you a WhatsApp message, Twilio sends a web hook to your application.

On the sandbox page you have to configure the URL that Twilio sends a web hook to for inbound messages.

The Chatbot generator creates a webhook (see Howto: Chatbots using WhatsApp), under the instance's module. 

After building it, configure the URL as follows:

http://<server>/<baseURL>/<InstanceModule>.WhatsappWebhook.aspx (.NET) or http://<server>/<baseURL>/<InstanceModule>.WhatsappWebhook (Java)

This has to be configured going through "Programmable Messaging -> Settings -> Whatsapp sandbox settings". Note that the machine where the webhook is hosted, has to be visible from Internet:

Configuration Settings

In the console page, you have the Account SID and an Authorization Token. These credentials are needed to the interaction with Twilio.

Account SID - Used to identify yourself in API requests
Auth Token  - Used to authenticate REST API requests

Note:

If you have joined your Sandbox > 24 hours ago, you will need to send a fresh inbound message to your WhatsApp number in order to then send yourself a media message. Otherwise, you'll get the "ERROR - 63016
Failed to send freeform message because you are outside the allowed window. Please use a Template."