I’m trying to build a configuration system for my Discord bot where users can customize settings for their server. I want to create interactive dropdown menus that let people pick different options like text channels, voice channels, user roles, and other server elements.
My plan is to have multiple dropdown menus that users go through step by step to set up their preferences. After they make all their choices, I need to store these settings somewhere (probably a database or JSON file) so I can retrieve them later when the bot needs to use those configurations.
Since each server should have its own unique settings, I need to make sure the configuration data is tied to specific guild IDs. Has anyone implemented something similar? What’s the best approach for handling the dropdown interactions and data storage?
Building a settings system for Discord bots is tricky. I’ve found that Discord’s SelectMenu component is your best bet for those interactive dropdowns. Structure your custom IDs with the guild ID + option type — it keeps everything organized. For storage, SQLite works fine when you’re starting out, but you’ll probably need PostgreSQL once you get more users. Don’t forget to add timeout handling to clear out incomplete configs — users love to start setup and then disappear halfway through.
try discord.py’s select menus for dropdowns - they work great! i use guild-specific sqlite tables instead of json since it’s cleaner for multiple servers. don’t forget to handle interaction timeouts or people get stuck with frozen dropdowns!
I built something like this last year and made some mistakes you can avoid. The real challenge isn’t the dropdowns - it’s keeping track of where users are in the multi-step process without losing their progress. I used a state machine that stores temp data in memory (keyed by user ID) and only saves to the database when they finish everything. Keeps your storage clean from half-finished setups. For dropdowns, pull the actual channels and roles from your server dynamically instead of hardcoding them. Also, check permissions first - don’t show users channels your bot can’t even access.