> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shortext.ny-corp.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Send a message (v1.0)

> The legacy POST /messages/send endpoint and the message types it supports.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Legacy endpoint. In v2.0, use [`POST /conversations`](https://docs.shortext.ny-corp.io/api-reference/guides/start-a-conversation) to write first and `POST /conversations/{id}/messages` to reply. See [Migrate to v2.0](https://docs.shortext.ny-corp.io/api-reference/guides/migrate-to-v2.md).

`POST https://shortext.ny-corp.io/api/messages/send`

| Field | Description |
| - | - |
| `channel` | `whatsapp` or `mail`. |
| `from` | The id of the sending channel: WhatsApp phone number id or mailbox id (`mbx_...`), as listed by `GET /api/v2.0/channels`. |
| `contact` | `identifier` (WhatsApp: E.164 without `+`) and `profile`, where `lastname` is **required**. See [Contact format](https://docs.shortext.ny-corp.io/api-reference/contact-format.md). |
| `message` | `type` and `content`, see [Message format](https://docs.shortext.ny-corp.io/api-reference/message-format.md). |

```json theme={null}
{
  "channel": "whatsapp",
  "from": "532867649916076",
  "contact": { "identifier": "237699999999", "profile": { "lastname": "Mbarga" } },
  "message": { "type": "text", "content": { "text": "Your order A-1042 has left our warehouse." } }
}
```

On WhatsApp, text, media and interactive messages are only delivered within 24 hours of the contact's last message; outside that window, send a template.

## What the messages look like

**Text**

Text messages contain a body of up to 4,096 characters. WhatsApp renders a preview of the first URL of the text when it can (the URL must start with `http://` or `https://`); otherwise it shows a clickable link.

![A text message on WhatsApp](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/text-message.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=ff3bc9d19810e66ad43a89d74f28cb69)

**Reply buttons**

Interactive reply buttons offer up to three predefined replies.

![A message with reply buttons](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/interactive-button-reply.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=d6be9cb4814b41f4259ddabd1aca47e6)

When the contact taps a button, their choice comes back as a message.

![The contact's choice](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/interactive-button-sample-response.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=851324f955fabca69c0715d228bbe036)

**Lists**

Interactive lists present options grouped in sections: up to 10 sections of 10 rows, with an optional header and footer.

![A list message](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/interactive-list.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=31cb53526683f337fa96d99cfe707d4a)

Tapping the button opens the list of options:

![The options of a list](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/interactive-list-modal.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=3d651940c94d2617fe5e17bcdad795fc)

The selected option comes back as a reply:

![The contact's selection](https://mintcdn.com/n-ycorp/_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI/images/interactive-list-reply.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_ZaOYbkIIjdke_qI\&q=85\&s=1dce5c0722a75df2b9837e4fd40b0b3b)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.