Let R/Python send messages when the algorithms are done training

As Data Scientists, we often train complex algorithms in order to tackle certain business problems and generate value. These algorithms, however, can take a while to train. Sometimes they take a couple of hours, hours which I’m not going to spend just sitting and waiting. But regularly checking whether the training is done, is also not the most efficient way.

Now I started to use Telegram to send me notifications from R and Python to let me know when training is done. Furthermore, I’m also using it for example to send me notifications when pipelines / ETLs fail, which allows me to repair them as soon as they fail.

It’s really easy, so I thought I’ll share my code!

First, after you’ve installed Telegram, search for the BotFather, which is a bot from the app itself. When you text /newbot, and follow the instructions, it will create your first bot and gives you a token. Copy this!

Next step is to find the id to send messages to. Find your bot in Telegram and say something. Then, go to your browser and go to https://api.telegram.org/bot<token>/getUpdates, where it should show you your chat id.

Finally install the necessary packages for R [install.packages(‘telegram’)] and / or Python [pip install telegram]. And you’re ready!

For R, use the following function:
send_telegram_message <- function(text, chat_id, bot_token){ require(telegram) bot <- TGBot$new(token = bot_token) bot$sendMessage(text = text, chat_id = chat_id) }

And this one for Python:
def send_telegram_message(text, chat_id, bot_token): import telegram bot = telegram.Bot(token=bot_token) bot.send_message(chat_id=chat_id, text = text )