func get_channel(rtm *slack.RTM, lookfor string) (string, error) { has_hash := strings.HasPrefix(strings.Trim(lookfor, " "), "#") if has_hash { lookfor = strings.TrimPrefix(strings.Trim(lookfor, " "), "#") } t := time.Now() ts := t.Format("Mon Jan 2 15:04:05 -0700 MST 2006") // Try public channels first l, err := rtm.GetChannels(false) if err != nil { fmt.Printf("[%s] ERROR Channel list error: %s\n", ts, err) } for _, v := range l { if v.Name == lookfor { return v.ID, nil } } // Now private channels, or groups in slack terms g, err := rtm.GetGroups(false) if err != nil { fmt.Printf("[%s] ERROR Channel list error: %s\n", ts, err) } for _, v := range g { if v.Name == lookfor { return v.ID, nil } } return "", errors.New("No channel found with this name") }