How to Create a Leaderboard Bot Using the Discord API

Learn how to create a leaderboard bot using the Discord API with this comprehensive guide. Enhance your Discord server by integrating a customized bot to track and display user activity.

Discord bots are powerful tools that can automate tasks, manage communities, and add fun features to your server. One popular use case is a leaderboard bot, which tracks and ranks users based on their activity or achievements. This article will guide you through creating a leaderboard bot using the Discord API, ensuring that your server becomes more interactive and engaging.

Understanding the Discord API

The Discord API allows developers to interact with Discord servers, users, and channels programmatically. It provides endpoints for various functionalities, such as sending messages, managing roles, and tracking user activity. To create a leaderboard bot, you’ll need to understand how to use these endpoints effectively.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

              mkdir leaderboard-bot cd leaderboard-bot  

  npm init -y  

  npm install discord.js  

Creating a Discord Bot Account

Writing the Bot Code

Now that your environment is set up, it’s time to write the bot code. Create an index.js file in your project directory and open it in your text editor.

Initializing the Bot

Start by requiring the necessary modules and initializing the bot:

          const { Client, Intents } = require('discord.js'); const client = new Client({ intents: [Intents.FLAGS.GUILDS, Intents.FLAGS.GUILD_MESSAGES] });  client.once('ready', () => { console.log('Leaderboard Bot is online!'); });  client.login('YOUR_BOT_TOKEN');  

Replace 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN' with the token you obtained from the Discord Developer Portal.

Tracking User Activity

To create a leaderboard, you need to track user activity. For simplicity, let’s track the number of messages each user sends.

          const userActivity = {};  client.on('messageCreate', message => { if (message.author.bot) return;  if (!userActivity[message.author.id]) {     userActivity[message.author.id] = { username: message.author.username, messages: 0 }; }  userActivity[message.author.id].messages += 1; });  

Creating the Leaderboard Command

Next, create a command that displays the leaderboard. When a user types !leaderboard, the bot will send a message with the top users.

          client.on('messageCreate', message => { if (message.content === '!leaderboard') { const sortedUsers = Object.values(userActivity).sort((a, b) => b.messages - a.messages); let leaderboard = 'Leaderboard:\n';      sortedUsers.slice(0, 10).forEach((user, index) => {         leaderboard += `${index + 1}. ${user.username} - ${user.messages} messages\n`;     });      message.channel.send(leaderboard); } });  

Adding More Features

You can extend the bot with more features, such as tracking different types of activity or resetting the leaderboard periodically.

Tracking Other Activities

To make the leaderboard more comprehensive, you can track other activities like voice chat participation or reactions.

              client.on('voiceStateUpdate', (oldState, newState) => { if (newState.channelId && !oldState.channelId) { if (!userActivity[newState.id]) { userActivity[newState.id] = { username: newState.member.user.username, messages: 0, voice: 0 }; }      userActivity[newState.id].voice += 1; } });  

  client.on('messageReactionAdd', (reaction, user) => { if (user.bot) return;  if (!userActivity[user.id]) {     userActivity[user.id] = { username: user.username, messages: 0, reactions: 0 }; }  userActivity[user.id].reactions += 1; });  

Resetting the Leaderboard

You can reset the leaderboard periodically to keep the competition fresh. For example, reset it every week.

          const schedule = require('node-schedule');  const resetLeaderboard = schedule.scheduleJob('0 0 * * 0', () => { for (const userId in userActivity) { userActivity[userId].messages = 0; userActivity[userId].reactions = 0; userActivity[userId].voice = 0; } });  

Adding a Database

For a more robust solution, use a database to store user activity. This ensures data persistence even if the bot restarts.

                  npm install sqlite3  

  const sqlite3 = require('sqlite3').verbose(); const db = new sqlite3.Database('./leaderboard.db');  db.serialize(() => { db.run('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_activity (id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, username TEXT, messages INTEGER, reactions INTEGER, voice INTEGER)'); });  client.on('messageCreate', message => { if (message.author.bot) return;  db.get('SELECT * FROM user_activity WHERE id = ?', [message.author.id], (err, row) => {     if (err) {         console.error(err.message);     } else {         if (row) {             db.run('UPDATE user_activity SET messages = ? WHERE id = ?', [row.messages + 1, message.author.id]);         } else {             db.run('INSERT INTO user_activity (id, username, messages, reactions, voice) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)', [message.author.id, message.author.username, 1, 0, 0]);         }     } }); });  

FAQs

Conclusion

Creating a leaderboard bot using the Discord API is a rewarding project that can greatly enhance your Discord server's engagement. By tracking various user activities and presenting them in a competitive format, you encourage participation and interaction. With the foundational knowledge provided in this guide, you can extend and customize your bot to suit your server's unique needs. Happy coding!