Adding new Model, Controller logic, and Views associated with WhatsAp…

.env.example

@@ -11,3 +11,6 @@ VONAGE_SERVER_HOSTNAME=''
 
 # RCS Brand Name, check formatting requirements. For instance, no spaces allowed
 RCS_SENDER_ID=''
+
+# WhatsApp Business Account Number (linked to your Vonage application)
+VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER=''

.ruby-version

@@ -1 +1 @@
-ruby-3.3.5
+ruby-3.4.6

WHATSAPP_SETUP.md

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+# WhatsApp Integration Setup Guide
+
+This guide will help you set up and use the WhatsApp messaging functionality that has been added to your Rails application.
+
+## What Was Added
+
+The following components have been integrated into your existing Rails app:
+
+### 1. Database
+- **Migration**: `db/migrate/20251015112429_create_whatsapp_messages.rb`
+- **Model**: `app/models/whatsapp_message.rb`
+- Stores WhatsApp message records with fields: `to`, `from`, `text`, `status`, `message_uuid`, `is_inbound`
+
+### 2. Controller
+- **File**: `app/controllers/outbound_whatsapp_controller.rb`
+- **Actions**:
+  - `new` - Display the form for sending WhatsApp messages
+  - `create` - Send a text WhatsApp message
+  - `interactive` - Send an interactive WhatsApp message with reply buttons
+
+### 3. View
+- **File**: `app/views/outbound_whatsapp/new.html.erb`
+- Contains forms for both text and interactive WhatsApp messages
+
+### 4. Routes
+Added to `config/routes.rb`:
+```ruby
+get  '/outbound_whatsapp/new', to: 'outbound_whatsapp#new', as: :new_outbound_whatsapp
+post '/outbound_whatsapp',     to: 'outbound_whatsapp#create', as: :outbound_whatsapp
+post '/outbound_whatsapp/interactive', to: 'outbound_whatsapp#interactive', as: :interactive_whatsapp
+```
+
+### 5. Environment Configuration
+Added `VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER` to `.env.example`
+
+## Setup Instructions
+
+### Step 1: Run the Migration
+```bash
+rails db:migrate
+```
+
+### Step 2: Configure Your Vonage WhatsApp Application
+
+1. Log in to your [Vonage Dashboard](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/)
+2. Create a new application (or use an existing one) and enable the **Messages** capability
+3. Add webhook URLs for:
+   - **Inbound**: `https://your-domain.com/inbound` (or use ngrok for testing)
+   - **Status**: `https://your-domain.com/status`
+4. Click **Generate public and private key**
+5. Move the downloaded `private.key` file to the root of your Rails app
+6. Note your **Application ID**
+7. Click **Save**
+8. Under the **Link external accounts** tab, link your WhatsApp number
+
+### Step 3: Update Your .env File
+
+Add the following to your `.env` file (create one if it doesn't exist):
+
+```bash
+VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID=your_application_id_here
+VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY=./private.key
+VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER=14157386102  # Your WhatsApp Business number
+```
+
+### Step 4: Test the Integration
+
+1. Start your Rails server:
+   ```bash
+   rails s
+   ```
+
+2. Navigate to: `http://localhost:3000/outbound_whatsapp/new`
+
+3. You should see two forms:
+   - **Send a WhatsApp Message** - For sending text messages
+   - **Try an Interactive Message** - For sending messages with reply buttons
+
+## Features
+
+### Text Messages
+Send simple text messages to any WhatsApp number. The form includes:
+- **From**: Your WhatsApp Business number (pre-filled from ENV)
+- **To**: Recipient's WhatsApp number (format: +14155551234)
+- **Message**: The text content to send
+
+### Interactive Messages
+Send messages with reply buttons that users can tap to respond. The example includes:
+- A header ("Delivery time")
+- Body text with a question
+- Footer text with additional info
+- Three reply buttons with different time slots
+
+You can customize the interactive message structure in the `interactive` action of `OutboundWhatsappController`.
+
+## How It Works
+
+1. **User fills out the form** and submits
+2. **Controller receives the data** and creates a `WhatsappMessage` record
+3. **Vonage client is initialized** with your credentials
+4. **Message is sent** via the Vonage Messages API
+5. **Response is checked** - if successful (HTTP 202), the `message_uuid` is saved
+6. **User is redirected** back to the form with a success notice
+
+## Next Steps
+
+As mentioned in the tutorial, this implementation covers sending messages. To build a complete WhatsApp integration, you'll want to add:
+
+1. **Inbound message handling** - Receive messages from users
+2. **Status webhooks** - Track message delivery and read status
+3. **Interactive response handling** - Process which button the user clicked
+
+These features would require additional controllers and webhook endpoints, similar to the existing `inbound_sms` and `sms_message_status` controllers in your app.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- **Make sure your WhatsApp number is linked** to your Vonage application
+- **Verify your .env file** has the correct credentials
+- **Check that private.key** is in the root directory
+- **Ensure the recipient number** is in E.164 format (e.g., +14155551234)
+- **For testing**, you can use the [Vonage Sandbox for WhatsApp](https://developer.vonage.com/en/messages/concepts/messages-api-sandbox)
+
+## Resources
+
+- [Vonage Messages API Documentation](https://developer.vonage.com/en/messages/overview)
+- [WhatsApp Business API Guide](https://developer.vonage.com/en/messages/concepts/whatsapp)
+- [Vonage Ruby SDK](https://github.com/Vonage/vonage-ruby-sdk)

app/controllers/outbound_whatsapp_controller.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+class OutboundWhatsappController < ApplicationController
+  def new
+    @whatsapp_message = WhatsappMessage.new
+  end
+
+  def create
+    @whatsapp_message = WhatsappMessage.new(safe_params)
+
+    if @whatsapp_message.save
+      deliver(@whatsapp_message)
+      redirect_to :new_outbound_whatsapp, notice: 'WhatsApp message sent!'
+    else
+      flash[:alert] = 'Something went wrong'
+      render :new
+    end
+  end
+
+  def interactive
+    unless params[:to].present?
+      redirect_to :new_outbound_whatsapp, alert: "Recipient number is required!"
+      return
+    end
+
+    interactive_message = {
+      from: ENV["VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER"],
+      to: params[:to],
+      channel: "whatsapp",
+      message_type: "custom",
+      custom: {
+        type: "interactive",
+        interactive: {
+          type: "button",
+          header: {
+            type: "text",
+            text: "Delivery time"
+          },
+          body: {
+            text: "Which time would you like us to deliver your order at?"
+          },
+          footer: {
+            text: "Please allow 15 minutes either side of your chosen time."
+          },
+          action: {
+            buttons: [
+              {
+                type: "reply",
+                reply: { id: "slot-1", title: "15:00" }
+              },
+              {
+                type: "reply",
+                reply: { id: "slot-2", title: "16:30" }
+              },
+              {
+                type: "reply",
+                reply: { id: "slot-3", title: "17:15" }
+              }
+            ]
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    response = vonage.messaging.send(**interactive_message)
+    Rails.logger.info("📤 Sent interactive message to #{params[:to]}: #{response.inspect}")
+
+    redirect_to :new_outbound_whatsapp, notice: "Interactive message sent to #{params[:to]}!"
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def safe_params
+    params.require(:whatsapp_message).permit(:to, :from, :text)
+  end
+
+  def vonage
+    Vonage::Client.new(
+      application_id: ENV["VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID"],
+      private_key: ENV["VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY"]
+    )
+  end
+
+  def deliver(whatsapp_message)
+    response = vonage.messaging.send(
+      message_type: "text",
+      text: whatsapp_message.text,
+      to: whatsapp_message.to,
+      from: whatsapp_message.from,
+      channel: "whatsapp"
+    )
+
+    if response.http_response.code == "202"
+      whatsapp_message.update(
+        message_uuid: response.entity.attributes[:message_uuid]
+      )
+    end
+  end
+end

app/models/whatsapp_message.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+class WhatsappMessage < ApplicationRecord
+end

app/views/outbound_whatsapp/new.html.erb

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+<div class="whatsapp-form">
+  <h1>Send a WhatsApp Message</h1>
+
+  <%= form_for @whatsapp_message, url: outbound_whatsapp_path do |f| %>
+    <div class="field">
+      <%= f.label :from, "From (Your WhatsApp Number)" %>
+      <%= f.text_field :from, value: ENV['VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER'], placeholder: '+14157386102' %>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="field">
+      <%= f.label :to, "To (Recipient WhatsApp Number)" %>
+      <%= f.text_field :to, placeholder: '+14155551234' %>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="field">
+      <%= f.label :text, "Message" %>
+      <%= f.text_area :text, rows: 4, placeholder: "Type your message..." %>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="actions">
+      <%= f.submit "Send Message" %>
+    </div>
+  <% end %>
+
+  <hr>
+  <h3>Try an Interactive Message</h3>
+  <p>Send a sample interactive WhatsApp message with reply buttons.</p>
+
+  <%= form_with url: interactive_whatsapp_path, method: :post, local: true do |f| %>
+    <div class="field">
+      <%= f.label :to, "To (Recipient WhatsApp Number)" %>
+      <%= f.text_field :to, placeholder: '+14155551234', required: true %>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="actions">
+      <%= f.submit "Send Interactive Message" %>
+    </div>
+  <% end %>
+</div>

config/routes.rb

@@ -29,4 +29,9 @@
 
   # For InboundCalls controller, create
   resources :inbound_calls, only: [:create]
+
+  # For OutboundWhatsapp controller, new & create & interactive
+  get  '/outbound_whatsapp/new', to: 'outbound_whatsapp#new', as: :new_outbound_whatsapp
+  post '/outbound_whatsapp',     to: 'outbound_whatsapp#create', as: :outbound_whatsapp
+  post '/outbound_whatsapp/interactive', to: 'outbound_whatsapp#interactive', as: :interactive_whatsapp
 end

db/migrate/20251015112429_create_whatsapp_messages.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+class CreateWhatsappMessages < ActiveRecord::Migration[8.0]
+  def change
+    create_table :whatsapp_messages do |t|
+      t.string :to
+      t.string :from
+      t.text :text
+      t.string :status
+      t.string :message_uuid
+      t.boolean :is_inbound
+
+      t.timestamps
+    end
+  end
+end