Sending Structured Messages via the Open Messaging API

What You Will Build

• You will build a Python script that sends structured message cards (including buttons and quick replies) to a Genesys Cloud user via the Open Messaging API.
• This tutorial utilizes the Genesys Cloud Open Messaging API (/api/v2/openmessaging/...) and the genesyscloud Python SDK.
• The primary language covered is Python 3.9+, with reference to the underlying JSON payloads for other SDKs.

Prerequisites

• OAuth Client: A Genesys Cloud OAuth Client with the following scopes:
  • openmessaging:send (Required for sending messages)
  • openmessaging:read (Optional, for verifying conversation status)
  • users:read (Required to locate the target user ID)
• SDK Version: genesyscloud Python SDK v2.4.0 or higher.
• Runtime: Python 3.9 or higher.
• Dependencies:
  • genesyscloud
  • python-dotenv (for secure credential management)
  • requests (for low-level debugging if needed)

Install dependencies:

pip install genesyscloud python-dotenv requests

Authentication Setup

Genesys Cloud uses OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials flow for server-to-server communication. The genesyscloud SDK handles token acquisition and refresh automatically when you initialize the configuration.

Create a .env file in your project root:

GENESYS_CLOUD_REGION=us-east-1
GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

Initialize the SDK client in your Python script. This step establishes the authenticated session.

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from genesyscloud.auth import OAuthClientCredentialsProvider
from genesyscloud.platform_client import PlatformClientBuilder

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

def get_platform_client():
    """
    Initializes and returns a configured PlatformClient.
    """
    region = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_REGION")
    client_id = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_ID")
    client_secret = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_SECRET")

    if not all([region, client_id, client_secret]):
        raise ValueError("Missing required environment variables: GENESYS_CLOUD_REGION, GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_ID, GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_SECRET")

    # Configure the OAuth provider
    oauth_provider = OAuthClientCredentialsProvider(
        client_id=client_id,
        client_secret=client_secret,
        region=region
    )

    # Build the platform client
    platform_client = PlatformClientBuilder().build(oauth_provider)
    
    return platform_client

Implementation

Step 1: Locate the Target User ID

The Open Messaging API requires a Channel ID to route messages. For internal testing or bot-to-user flows, this is typically a user: channel. You must first resolve the Genesys Cloud User ID for the recipient.

Endpoint: GET /api/v2/users
Scope: users:read

from genesyscloud.api import UsersApi

def find_user_by_email(platform_client, email_address):
    """
    Searches for a user by email address and returns their ID.
    """
    users_api = UsersApi(platform_client)
    
    # Query users with the specific email
    # page_size=1 is sufficient as emails are unique within a tenant
    response, status_code, headers = users_api.get_users(
        email=email_address,
        page_size=1
    )

    if status_code != 200 or not response.entities:
        raise Exception(f"User with email {email_address} not found.")

    user_id = response.entities[0].id
    return user_id

# Example usage:
# user_id = find_user_by_email(platform_client, "recipient@example.com")
# channel_id = f"user:{user_id}"

Step 2: Construct the Structured Message Payload

The core of Open Messaging is the message object. To send structured content, you must use the card type within the content array. A card can contain text, images, and actions (buttons).

Key Concepts:

1. type: "card": Indicates this is a structured UI element, not plain text.
2. cardType: "basic": The simplest card format. Supports title, subtitle, image, and buttons.
3. actions: An array of button objects. Each button has a type (postBack, imBack, or openUrl) and a payload.
   • postBack: Sends a JSON payload back to the bot/webhook without displaying the text in the chat bubble.
   • imBack: Displays the text in the chat bubble and sends it to the bot.
   • openUrl: Opens a URL in the browser.

Endpoint: POST /api/v2/openmessaging/channels/{channelId}/messages
Scope: openmessaging:send

Here is how to construct the JSON payload programmatically using the SDK models.

from genesyscloud.models import (
    OpenMessage,
    OpenMessageContent,
    OpenMessageCard,
    OpenMessageCardAction,
    OpenMessageCardImage
)

def create_structured_message_payload(channel_id):
    """
    Constructs an OpenMessage object containing a card with buttons.
    """
    # Define the card image (optional)
    card_image = OpenMessageCardImage(
        url="https://example.com/logo.png",
        alt_text="Company Logo"
    )

    # Define the actions (buttons)
    # Action 1: PostBack - sends a hidden payload
    action_postback = OpenMessageCardAction(
        type="postBack",
        title="Approve",
        payload='{"action": "approve", "id": "12345"}'
    )

    # Action 2: ImBack - sends visible text
    action_imback = OpenMessageCardAction(
        type="imBack",
        title="Reject",
        payload="Reject Request"
    )

    # Action 3: OpenUrl - opens a link
    action_url = OpenMessageCardAction(
        type="openUrl",
        title="View Details",
        url="https://example.com/details/12345"
    )

    # Construct the Card Content
    card_content = OpenMessageCard(
        type="card",
        card_type="basic",
        title="Approval Request",
        subtitle="Please review the attached document.",
        image=card_image,
        actions=[action_postback, action_imback, action_url]
    )

    # Wrap the card in the OpenMessage structure
    message = OpenMessage(
        type="message",
        content=[card_content]
    )

    return message

Step 3: Send the Message via API

Now, send the constructed OpenMessage object to the target channel.

from genesyscloud.api import OpenMessagingApi
import json

def send_open_message(platform_client, channel_id, message_obj):
    """
    Sends the structured message to the specified channel.
    """
    open_messaging_api = OpenMessagingApi(platform_client)

    try:
        # The SDK serializes the OpenMessage object to JSON automatically
        response, status_code, headers = open_messaging_api.post_open_messaging_channels_messages(
            channel_id=channel_id,
            body=message_obj
        )

        if status_code == 202:
            print(f"Message sent successfully. Message ID: {response.id}")
            return response
        else:
            raise Exception(f"Failed to send message. Status: {status_code}, Body: {response}")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error sending message: {e}")
        raise

# Example Usage
# platform_client = get_platform_client()
# user_id = find_user_by_email(platform_client, "user@example.com")
# channel_id = f"user:{user_id}"
# message_obj = create_structured_message_payload(channel_id)
# send_open_message(platform_client, channel_id, message_obj)

Complete Working Example

This script combines all steps into a single executable module. It finds a user, builds a card with a post-back button, and sends it.

import os
import sys
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from genesyscloud.auth import OAuthClientCredentialsProvider
from genesyscloud.platform_client import PlatformClientBuilder
from genesyscloud.api import UsersApi, OpenMessagingApi
from genesyscloud.models import (
    OpenMessage,
    OpenMessageCard,
    OpenMessageCardAction
)

load_dotenv()

def initialize_client():
    region = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_REGION")
    client_id = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_ID")
    client_secret = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLOUD_CLIENT_SECRET")

    if not all([region, client_id, client_secret]):
        raise ValueError("Environment variables not set correctly.")

    oauth_provider = OAuthClientCredentialsProvider(
        client_id=client_id,
        client_secret=client_secret,
        region=region
    )
    return PlatformClientBuilder().build(oauth_provider)

def get_user_id(users_api, email):
    response, status_code, _ = users_api.get_users(email=email, page_size=1)
    if status_code != 200 or not response.entities:
        raise ValueError(f"User not found: {email}")
    return response.entities[0].id

def build_approval_card():
    """
    Creates a basic card with two buttons: Approve (PostBack) and Reject (ImBack).
    """
    approve_action = OpenMessageCardAction(
        type="postBack",
        title="Approve",
        payload='{"event": "approval", "status": "accepted"}'
    )
    
    reject_action = OpenMessageCardAction(
        type="imBack",
        title="Reject",
        payload="I reject this request."
    )

    card = OpenMessageCard(
        type="card",
        card_type="basic",
        title="Invoice #1001",
        subtitle="Amount: $500.00",
        actions=[approve_action, reject_action]
    )
    
    return OpenMessage(
        type="message",
        content=[card]
    )

def main():
    target_email = os.getenv("TARGET_USER_EMAIL")
    if not target_email:
        print("Please set TARGET_USER_EMAIL in .env")
        sys.exit(1)

    try:
        # 1. Initialize Client
        client = initialize_client()
        users_api = UsersApi(client)
        om_api = OpenMessagingApi(client)

        # 2. Get User ID
        user_id = get_user_id(users_api, target_email)
        channel_id = f"user:{user_id}"
        print(f"Target Channel: {channel_id}")

        # 3. Build Message
        message = build_approval_card()

        # 4. Send Message
        response, status_code, headers = om_api.post_open_messaging_channels_messages(
            channel_id=channel_id,
            body=message
        )

        if status_code == 202:
            print(f"Success! Sent Message ID: {response.id}")
        else:
            print(f"Failed with status {status_code}")
            print(f"Response: {response}")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
        sys.exit(1)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Common Errors & Debugging

Error: 400 Bad Request - “Invalid card type”

Cause: The type field inside the content object is not set to "card", or the card_type is invalid.
Fix: Ensure the model object has type="card" and card_type="basic". Do not use type="text" for cards.

Error: 403 Forbidden - “Insufficient permissions”

Cause: The OAuth token does not have the openmessaging:send scope.
Fix: Verify the Client ID in Genesys Cloud Admin has openmessaging:send selected in the Scopes configuration.

Error: 404 Not Found - “Channel not found”

Cause: The channel_id is malformed or the user does not exist.
Fix: Ensure the channel ID follows the format user:{userId}. Verify the user ID was retrieved correctly from the Users API.

Error: Button Payload Too Large

Cause: The payload string in a postBack action exceeds the maximum character limit (typically 2048 characters for JSON payloads in Open Messaging).
Fix: Keep payloads concise. Use identifiers (e.g., {"id": "123"}) rather than full data objects. Fetch full data using the ID in your backend handler.

Official References

• Genesys Cloud Open Messaging API Documentation
• Open Messaging Card Types Reference
• Python SDK Reference