How to Add an Interactive Bot in Discord

In this tutorial I'm going to show how to make an own interactive bot that works with some few commandoes.

Discord is a Skype/Whats-app social media app like that brings gamers together. They can have an own channel, check which game each member play, call each other and chat with each other. One of the possibilities is to add a bot to the server. This can either be an automated bot, or a bot that plays music for example.

Supplies

- Internet ofcourse (doh!)

- Discord app

- Node.js, npm

- Basic knowlegde of executing commands in Terminal

Step 1: Download the Discord App

Download the Discord app. This app is a multi-device app that can be downloaded from https://discordapp.com

The username you create has a unique number to it attached, seen as the picture above. You use this name + # to add other discord members.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Own Channel

In order for the bot to be created, we have to make our own server.

1. When you are logged into Discord you should see something like the pictures above:

2. For the server to create, we have to click the '+' in the bottom left corner highlighted in red.

Give your server a name and enter the server region. Optionally you could add an image to your server. Once you completed these steps, you should see the server listing in your tabs in the left, depending on the device you're on.

Step 3: Install Node.js and Npm

Once you've done creating your own server, discord asks to invite friends to your server. Skip this step (or invite friends to your discord channel using the invite link) and voilá! Your own server has been made.

1. Check for node.js and npm

First we need to make sure that we need to make a local project for the API to make calls. We also have to get a token for the bot. To do this, we have to add some lines in the terminal. To open terminal, press CMD + spacebar and search for terminal. If you done this correct, the terminal should show up as the image above.

To check whether you've installed node.js and npm, type the following code:

For node.js:

node -v

For npm:

npm -v

If you both have node.js installed and npm, you shoud see the version, if not, install both node.js and npm by entering the following code (node.js will be installed along with npm):

For npm:

npm install npm@latest -g

Step 4: Create the Bot

We need to make an application and bot in order for our bot to work. We also need to send it to our discord server.

1. Create the application & bot:

First, head to discordapp.com/developers/applications/me. Log in with your account. Click New Application to get started, and give your application a name then click create. On the left tab, select Bot. Create the bot. If the bot is created, you will receive a message in the picture above that the bot has been created.

2. Send the bot to your Discord server.

In General Information, copy your client ID, copy the ID and paste it in this URL, replacing the numbers:

https://discordapp.com/oauth2/authorize?&client_id...

Copy the URL with your client ID number in it into your browser. That’ll take you to a website where you can tell Discord where to send your bot. You’ll know it worked if you open Discord in an app or in your browser and navigate to your server. The channel will say a bot has joined the room, and you’ll see it on the right side menu under the list of online members.

Step 5: Create a Local Directory

We need to make a folder on your pc that will store all of your bot's files. Name it something like discordBot or something that can recognized easily.

1. Create a folder and three files

We have to create three in that folder.

Execute the following code in the terminal:

mkdir discordBot

Navigate though the folder by typing in the following code:

cd discordBot

Then type the following line:

npm init -y

This will create a package.json file inside the project folder.

Let’s start first by installing a well known Javascript library for interacting with Discord API called discord.js. Type in:

npm install --save discord.js

Ignore the warnings for now.

2. Creating a file for the token

Using any text editor, create a file and name it "auth.json".

Paste the following code:

{
“token”: “Your Bot Token”
}

Then, replace the "Your Bot Token" with your token. This can be found at: https://discordapp.com/developers/applications/

Save the file and make a new file.

The next file, name this file package.json, paste the following code:

{

“name”: “discordBot”,

“version”: “1.0.0”,

“description”: “My First Discord Bot”,

“main”: “bot.js”,

“author”: “Your Name”,

“dependencies”: {}

}

Replace the author name with the name you want.
Save this file as “package.json” in your Discord bot folder.

At last, the last .json file will be called bot.js and paste the following code:

const Discord = require('discord.js');
const client = new Discord.Client();
const auth = require('./auth.json');client.on('ready', () => {
    console.log(`Logged in as ${client.user.tag}!`);
});

client.on('message', msg => {
  if (msg.content === 'ping') {
    msg.reply('pong');
  }
});client.login(auth.token);

Save this last text file as “bot.js” in your Discord bot folder. I added a simple command that if you say "ping", the bot will reply with "Pong!"