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Your First Bot

Let's create a simple "ping" command using Solara.js. This example demonstrates the core file structure and the function-based scripting approach.

1. Project Setup​

Ensure you have Node.js installed. Create a new folder for your bot, navigate into it using your terminal, and initialize a new Node.js project:

mkdir my-solara-bot
cd my-solara-bot
npm init -y
npm install @getsolara/solara.js

2. Create bot.js​

This file initializes the Solara.js client, tells it where to find commands, and logs the bot in.

bot.js
 const { SolaraClient } = require('@getsolara/solara.js');
 const path = require('path'); // Helps with file paths

 // Set up the bot
 const bot = new SolaraClient({
     intents: [ "Guilds", "GuildMessages", "MessageContent", "GuildMembers" ], // What your bot needs to "see"
     partials: ["Channel", "Message"], // Helps with older messages/DMs
     SolaraOptions: {
         prefix: "!", // Your command prefix (like !help)
         token: "YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" // Your secret bot token (Never share your bot token!)
     }
 });

 // Tell Solara where your commands live
 const commandsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'commands');
 bot.loadCommands(commandsPath);

 // Tell Solara where your custom functions live (if you have any)
 const functionsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'functions');
 bot.loadFunctions(functionsPath);                    

 // When the bot is ready...
 bot.on('ready', () => {
     console.log(`${bot.user.tag} is online and ready to go!`);
 });

 // Log in to Discord!
 bot.login();

3. Create the Command File​

Solara.js loads commands from files within a specified directory. Create a commands folder in your project root. Inside commands, create a file named ping.js.

commands/ping.js
// This file defines the 'ping' command
module.exports = {
    name: "ping",
    aliases: ["p"], // Other ways to call the command
    description: "See how fast the bot responds.",
    type: "both", // Works as !ping AND /ping
    code: `Pong! My speed is $ping ms` // The actual bot code!
};

Your Project Structure:

my-solara-bot/
├── node_modules/
├── commands/
│   └── ping.js
├── bot.js
├── package.json
└── package-lock.json

4. Running the Bot​

Make sure you've replaced 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN' in bot.js with your actual bot token obtained from the Discord Developer Portal.

Run the bot from your terminal:

node bot.js

You should see output like:

Bot is starting...
Login successful!
Logged in as YourBotName#1234!
Prefix is: !
Loaded 1 commands.

Now, go to a Discord server where your bot is present (and has permissions to read and send messages) and type !ping. The bot should reply directly to your message with "Pong! My speed is ping ms".

Congratulations! You've built your first Solara.js bot using its core scripting and command loading features. Explore the Core Concepts section next to learn more about defining commands, using functions, and handling interactions.