How can I implement a music playback feature in my Discord bot?

Other Questions Discord bot
1

I’m working on a Discord bot and want to add a music playing function. My goal is to start with playing local audio files before moving on to streaming from YouTube and other sources.

Here’s my current code:

MyBot.on('message', async message => {
  const args = message.content.slice(PREFIX.length).split(' ');
  
  if (args[0] === 'playtrack') {
    if (message.member.voice.channel) {
      try {
        const voiceChannel = await message.member.voice.channel.join();
        const musicPlayer = voiceChannel.play('localtrack.mp3');
        
        musicPlayer.on('start', () => {
          message.channel.send('Now playing: Local Track');
        });
        
        musicPlayer.on('error', err => console.error('Playback error:', err));
      } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error joining voice channel:', error);
        message.reply('Sorry, I had trouble joining the voice channel.');
      }
    } else {
      message.reply('You need to be in a voice channel to use this command!');
    }
  }
});

When I run this code, I get an error about an unhandled promise rejection. Can someone help me figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it? I’m new to working with Discord.js and async functions, so any advice would be appreciated!

2

I’ve implemented music playback in Discord bots before, and there are a few things to consider. First, ensure you’re using the latest version of discord.js, as the API has changed over time. You might need to use the createAudioPlayer() and createAudioResource() methods from @discordjs/voice. Also, handle the connection state properly - check if the bot is already connected before trying to join. Lastly, consider using a queue system for multiple tracks. This will make your bot more robust and user-friendly. If you’re still encountering issues, try logging more detailed error messages to pinpoint the exact problem.

3

I’ve been down this road before, and I can tell you it’s a bit tricky at first. One thing that really helped me was using a library like discord-player. It abstracts away a lot of the complexity and handles things like queues and stream management for you.

For your specific issue, make sure you’re properly handling the voice connection. Sometimes the bot can get stuck if it’s not cleanly disconnecting. Also, don’t forget to set up proper error handling for your audio stream.

Here’s a quick tip: use a try-catch block around your entire playback logic, not just the voice channel join. This way, you’ll catch any errors that pop up during playback too.

Lastly, if you’re planning to stream from YouTube later, look into ytdl-core. It’s a great library for that purpose. Just remember to keep your dependencies up to date, as Discord’s API changes can break things sometimes.

4

hey flyingstar, i had similar issues wen starting out. try adding a .catch() after ur voiceChannel.play() to handle errors. also, make sure u have ffmpeg installed and the file path is correct. if u still get stuck, check the discord.js docs for updated syntax. good luck with ur bot!