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WhatsApp Business

Send WhatsApp messages: text, media, buttons, lists and approved templates. From your WhatsApp Business number, and upload and download media.

10 actions · 1 trigger · Paste an API token

Connect WhatsApp Business

  1. In the sidebar, open Connections and press Add connection.
  2. Type whatsapp business and choose WhatsApp Business.
  3. Fill in the fields. Each one says Required or Optional.
  4. Press Test and save. GoRunner checks the connection before it saves anything.

The sheet asks for:

Access token · Required

A system user’s access token (lasting), or a temporary one from API Setup for a first test (it ends within a day).

WhatsApp Business Account ID · Required

The WABA ID shown on API Setup (a number).

Phone number ID · Required

The ID of the phone number messages are sent from (API Setup › From; not the phone number itself).

App secret · Optional

The Meta app’s secret (App settings › Basic), which Meta signs its webhooks with. Optional; steps do not use it.

From your Meta app with the WhatsApp product (developers.facebook.com › your app › WhatsApp › API Setup): a system user’s access token (Meta Business Settings › System users › Generate token, with whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management; it does not expire), the WhatsApp Business Account ID and the sending phone number’s ID. Meta signs the webhooks it sends with the app secret (App settings › Basic); steps do not need it.

Connections says how to sign in again, rename or delete it. In a product that embeds GoRunner, Add connection can be missing: then your provider makes connections for you.

Start a workflow

Add a trigger and choose WhatsApp Business. The trigger uses the same connection as the steps.

On Message or Status

Starts a run when the connection's WhatsApp number receives a message, or (if chosen) when a message it sent is sent, delivered, read or fails. Publishing points that number's own webhook address at this workflow (the connection needs the app secret, and the Meta app's webhooks must include the WhatsApp Business Account's messages field); while published, the number's messages come here instead of the app's or the account's webhook address, and unpublishing gives them back. Meta signs every delivery with the app secret: an unsigned or wrongly signed request starts nothing, and a delivery Meta sends again starts no second run. One delivery can carry several messages: they are all under messages.

Trigger On · Required

Which updates start a run.

Options: Incoming messages, Status of sent messages (sent, delivered, read, failed).

Take Over · Optional

If the number already has its own webhook address (another workflow or tool), or its WhatsApp Business Account has an alternate address, point the number here anyway. Unpublishing gives the account's alternate address back, but not a number address taken over: Meta checks an address with its owner's verify token, which only the owner knows.

Off by default.

A later step can use its data, such as {{trigger.business_account}}, {{trigger.contacts}}, {{trigger.from}} and 5 more. See Use data from earlier steps.

Do things in WhatsApp Business

Add a WhatsApp Business step, choose a Resource, then an Operation. Choose a row to see its fields.

Later steps read a step’s output by its name: see Use data from earlier steps.

Limits

  • A reply from WhatsApp Business can be up to 16 MB (a file download can have its own limit). A larger one fails the step; it is never cut short.
  • When WhatsApp Business says to slow down (429), the step waits as long as it asks, if the step’s time allows. Otherwise it fails and says when to try again.

Not in your list? See When an app isn’t here.

For developers

In the API, which calls apps pieces, WhatsApp Business is pieceId: "whatsapp" with actionId: "whatsapp", set by resource and an operation_… field, such as operation_media. Its trigger is whatsapptrigger / whatsapp_update. Get an app returns every field.

It can change something outside the run (writes_external). See How versions and side effects work.

WhatsApp Business › Message

Send

Sender Phone Number · Optional

The business number to use. Empty: the connection's phone number.

Recipient's Phone Number · Required

The number in international form, such as +4915112345678.

Type · Required

What to send. Outside 24 hours after the person last wrote, only a template can be sent (Send Template).

Options: Text, Image, Video, Audio, Document, Sticker, Location, Reply buttons, List, Link button, Reaction.

Default: Text.

Latitude · Required

Shows when Type is Location.

Media From · Optional

A file from an earlier step (uploaded first), a public link, or the id of media uploaded before.

Options: File, Link, Media ID.

Default: File.

Shows when Type is Image, Video, Audio, Document or Sticker.

React To · Required

The id (wamid.…) of the message to react to.

Shows when Type is Reaction.

Text · Required

The message, up to 4,096 characters (*bold*, _italic_, ~strike~ work). For buttons and link buttons: up to 1,024.

Shows when Type is Text, Reply buttons, List or Link button.

Emoji · Optional

The emoji, such as 👍. Empty removes your reaction.

Shows when Type is Reaction.

Longitude · Required

Shows when Type is Location.

File · Required

Upload a file, or switch to an expression to use one from an earlier step (such as {{steps.download.result}}). Images up to 5 MB (JPEG, PNG), video and audio up to 16 MB, documents up to 100 MB, stickers (WebP) up to 500 KB.

Shows when Type is Image, Video, Audio, Document or Sticker and Media From is File.

Media ID · Required

The id Media › Upload returned.

Shows when Type is Image, Video, Audio, Document or Sticker and Media From is Media ID.

Link · Required

A public https address of the file.

Shows when Type is Image, Video, Audio, Document or Sticker and Media From is Link.

Show Link Preview · Optional

Show a preview of the first link in the text.

Off by default.

Shows when Type is Text.

Header · Optional

A bold first line (up to 60 characters).

Shows when Type is Reply buttons, List or Link button.

Place Name · Optional

The place's name.

Shows when Type is Location.

Caption · Optional

Text shown with the image, video or document.

Shows when Type is Image, Video or Document.

Footer · Optional

A small last line (up to 60 characters).

Shows when Type is Reply buttons, List or Link button.

Address · Optional

The place's address.

Shows when Type is Location.

Filename · Optional

The document's name as the person sees it.

Shows when Type is Document.

Buttons · Required

One to three button labels, one per line (up to 20 characters each). A reply to a button carries its label, with its number (1, 2, 3) as the reply's id.

Shows when Type is Reply buttons.

Button Label · Required

The link button's label (up to 20 characters).

Shows when Type is Link button.

Menu Button · Required

The label of the button that opens the list (up to 20 characters).

Shows when Type is List.

Button Link · Required

The https address the button opens.

Shows when Type is Link button.

Sections · Required

The list: [{"title": "Shipping", "rows": [{"id": "express", "title": "Express", "description": "1–2 days"}]}]. Up to 10 rows in all; titles up to 24 characters.

Shows when Type is List.

Reply To · Optional

Send it as a reply to this message id (wamid.…).

Send Template

Sender Phone Number · Optional

The business number to use. Empty: the connection's phone number.

Recipient's Phone Number · Required

The number in international form, such as +4915112345678.

Template · Required

An approved template of the account.

Language · Optional

The template's language code (such as en_US), when Template is a name alone.

Parameters · Optional

The values for the template's placeholders, as Meta's components: [{"type": "body", "parameters": [{"type": "text", "text": "Ada"}, {"type": "text", "text": "1042"}]}]. Empty for a template without placeholders.

Reply To · Optional

Send it as a reply to this message id (wamid.…).

Mark as Read

Sender Phone Number · Optional

The business number to use. Empty: the connection's phone number.

Message ID · Required

The incoming message's id (wamid.…) to mark as read (its blue ticks show).

WhatsApp Business › Media

Upload

Sender Phone Number · Optional

The business number to use. Empty: the connection's phone number.

File · Required

Upload a file, or switch to an expression to use one from an earlier step (such as {{steps.download.result}}). Images up to 5 MB, video and audio up to 16 MB, documents up to 100 MB, stickers up to 500 KB. Meta keeps it 30 days.

Get Media URL and Download

Media ID · Required

The media's id (from an upload, or an incoming message's image/document/audio id).

Delete

Media ID · Required

The id of the uploaded media to delete.

WhatsApp Business › Template

Get Many

Status · Optional

Only templates in this state. Empty: all.

Options: APPROVED, PENDING, REJECTED, PAUSED, DISABLED, IN_APPEAL.

Name · Optional

Only templates whose name contains this.

Return All · Optional

Read every template, page by page (at most 1000; past that the step fails rather than stop early).

Off by default.

Limit · Optional

How many templates to return (1–1000).

Default: 50.

Shows when Return All is off.

WhatsApp Business › Phone Number

Get

Phone Number · Optional

The number to read. Empty: the connection's.

Get Many

Return All · Optional

Read every phone number, page by page (at most 1000; past that the step fails rather than stop early).

Off by default.

Limit · Optional

How many phone numbers to return (1–1000).

Default: 50.

Shows when Return All is off.