# Python Discord Bot Guide

This guide demonstrates how to create a Discord bot using the `discord.py` library. It covers setting up the bot, handling events, and creating commands.

**Modules Used:**
*   `discord.py`: The API wrapper for Discord.
*   [[programming/python/modules/python-dotenv-module|python-dotenv]]: To securely manage the bot token.

## Prerequisites

1.  Create an application in the Discord Developer Portal.
2.  Create a Bot user within the application.
3.  Copy the **Token**.
4.  Enable **Message Content Intent** in the Bot settings (required for reading command arguments).
5.  Invite the bot to your server using the OAuth2 URL generator (Scopes: `bot`, Permissions: `Send Messages`, `Read Message History`).

## Installation

```bash
pip install discord.py python-dotenv
```

## Setup

Create a `.env` file in your project directory to store your token:

```text
DISCORD_TOKEN=your_actual_token_here
```

## The Code

Save this as `bot.py`. This example uses the `commands` extension, which is the standard way to build bots.

```python
import discord
from discord.ext import commands
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# 1. Load environment variables
load_dotenv()
TOKEN = os.getenv('DISCORD_TOKEN')

# 2. Setup Intents
# Intents allow the bot to subscribe to specific buckets of events
intents = discord.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True # Required to read message content

# 3. Create Bot Instance
# command_prefix is what triggers the bot (e.g., !ping)
bot = commands.Bot(command_prefix='!', intents=intents)

# --- Events ---

@bot.event
async def on_ready():
    print(f'{bot.user} has connected to Discord!')

@bot.event
async def on_message(message):
    # Prevent bot from replying to itself
    if message.author == bot.user:
        return

    # Process commands (required if overriding on_message)
    await bot.process_commands(message)

# --- Commands ---

@bot.command(name='ping', help='Responds with Pong!')
async def ping(ctx):
    await ctx.send('Pong!')

@bot.command(name='echo', help='Repeats what you say')
async def echo(ctx, *, content):
    await ctx.send(content)

# Error Handling for Commands
@echo.error
async def echo_error(ctx, error):
    if isinstance(error, commands.MissingRequiredArgument):
        await ctx.send('You need to tell me what to echo! Usage: !echo <text>')

# 4. Run the Bot
if TOKEN:
    bot.run(TOKEN)
else:
    print("Error: DISCORD_TOKEN not found in .env")
```

## Usage

1.  Run the script:
    ```bash
    python bot.py
    ```
2.  In your Discord server, type `!ping`.

[[programming/python/python]]