SMS - Tutorial: Send an SMS in Python using the Telesign SDK

This tutorial teaches you how to use the Telesign Python SDK to send an SMS. The complete sample code for this tutorial is available on GitHub here. 

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following before you start:

• Authentication credentials: Your Customer ID and API Key. If you need help finding these items, go to the support article How do I find my Customer ID and API Key.
• Testing device: A mobile phone on which you can receive SMS.
• Telesign Self-service Python SDK: Install the Self-service Python SDK. Source code and installation instructions are on GitHub.

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NOTE:

This tutorial uses Python 3.8.1. Please modify accordingly if you are using a different version of Python.

This tutorial use a Mac, please modify accordingly if you are using a different system.

Set up your project

1. Create a new directory for your project and then enter it. If you plan to create multiple Python projects that use Telesign, we recommend that you group them within a telesign_integrations directory.

   Terminal

   cd telesign_integrations
   mkdir sms
   cd sms
   

2. Create a new file called send_sms.py and open it in your editor:

   Terminal

   touch send_sms.py
   

Create code to send an SMS

1. Import your dependencies, including the Telesign SDK.

   Python

   from telesign.messaging import MessagingClient
   import os
   

2. Define variables to store your authentication credentials. For testing purposes, you can just overwrite the second parameter of each getenv function call below with your credentials or use environment variables.

   Python

   customer_id = os.getenv('CUSTOMER_ID', 'FFFFFFFF-EEEE-DDDD-1234-AB1234567890')
   api_key = os.getenv('API_KEY', 'ABC12345yusumoN6BYsBVkh+yRJ5czgsnCehZaOYldPJdmFh6NeX8kunZ2zU1YWaUw/0wV6xfw==')
   

3. Define a variable to hold the recipient's phone number. For this tutorial, hardcode your testing device's phone number or pull it from an environment variable.

   Python

   phone_number = os.getenv('PHONE_NUMBER', '11234567890')
   

4. Define variables for the message text and the Telesign abbreviation describing the message type. For purposes of this tutorial, use the "ARN" abbreviation (alerts, reminders, and notifications).

   Python

   message = "Your package has shipped! Follow your delivery at https://vero-finto.com/orders/3456"
   message_type = "ARN"
   

5. Instantiate a Telesign messaging client object with your authentication credentials.

   Python

   messaging = MessagingClient(customer_id, api_key)
   

6. Make the request and capture the response.

   Python

   response = messaging.message(phone_number, message, message_type)
   

7. Display the response body in the console for debugging purposes. In your production code, you would likely remove this.

   Python

   print(f"\nResponse:\n{response.body}\n")
   

Sample code

The complete sample code for this tutorial can be found on GitHub.