How to trigger a Discord bot action when a specific character is missing?

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1

Hey everyone! I’m trying to make a Discord bot that does something cool. I want it to check messages in a certain channel. If it doesn’t see a special character at the start of two messages in a row, it should do an action. Here’s what I’m thinking:

const string TRIGGER_CHAR = "!";
int missedCount = 0;

void CheckMessage(string message, string channelName)
{
    if (channelName != "my-special-channel") return;

    if (!message.StartsWith(TRIGGER_CHAR))
    {
        missedCount++;
        if (missedCount == 2)
        {
            SendAlert();
            missedCount = 0;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        missedCount = 0;
    }
}

void SendAlert()
{
    Console.WriteLine("Alert: Trigger character missing twice!");
    // Add code to send Discord message here
}

This is just a rough idea. I’m not sure how to hook it up to Discord or if it’s the best way. Any tips or better ways to do this? Thanks!

2

yo, ur code looks decent but maybe try using a discord lib like discord.py? it’ll make ur life easier trust me. also, u might wanna think bout edge cases like empty msgs or just spaces. oh and maybe add some config options for the trigger char and stuff. good luck man!

3

I’ve tackled a similar project before, and I can share some insights. Your approach is on the right track, but there are a few tweaks that could make it more robust.

First, consider using a Discord library like Discord.NET or DSharpPlus. These libraries handle the connection to Discord and provide event-based message handling, which is more efficient than checking every message manually.

You might want to implement a cooldown system to prevent spam if the trigger condition is met frequently. Also, consider adding a configuration option to customize the trigger character and the number of missed messages required.

One potential issue: your current code resets the counter when a valid message is received. This might miss scenarios where invalid messages are interspersed with valid ones. You could use a queue or a sliding window approach to track the last N messages instead.

Lastly, make sure to handle edge cases, like empty messages or messages that only contain whitespace. Testing thoroughly with various message patterns will help catch these scenarios.

4

Having worked on Discord bots, I can offer some advice. Your approach is solid, but consider using a dedicated Discord library like Discord.NET for C#. It’ll handle the connection and provide events for message handling.

For your specific requirement, you might want to use a Queue to keep track of the last two messages. This way, you can easily check if the last two were both missing the trigger character. Something like:

Queue<bool> lastTwo = new Queue<bool>(2);

client.MessageReceived += (message) => {
    if (message.Channel.Name != "my-special-channel") return;
    
    bool hasChar = message.Content.StartsWith(TRIGGER_CHAR);
    lastTwo.Enqueue(hasChar);
    if (lastTwo.Count > 2) lastTwo.Dequeue();
    
    if (lastTwo.Count == 2 && !lastTwo.Contains(true)) {
        SendAlert();
    }
};

This approach handles edge cases better and is more flexible. Remember to add error handling and logging for robustness.