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Expressions ​

Expressions are the building blocks of your bot's logic. They represent values and computations that your bot uses to make decisions and respond to users.

What are Expressions? ​

Think of expressions like variables in math or placeholders in a document. They represent data that your bot can work with - like who sent a message, what channel it was sent in, or how many points a user has.

Where do you use expressions?

  • In messages: reply "Hello, {user.username}"
  • In conditions: if points > 100
  • In calculations: let newPoints = points + 10

Built-in Variables ​

These are special variables that Newt provides automatically. You don't need to create them - they're always available in your handlers.

user ​

What it is: The user who triggered the event (sent a command, joined the server, etc.)

When it's available: In most event handlers (commands, reactions, etc.)

What you can do with it:

javascript
reply "Hello, {user.username}"

Available properties:

  • user.username - The user's display name (what you see in chat)
  • user.id - A unique number that identifies this user (never changes)
  • user.mention - A special string that mentions the user (like @username)

Example:

javascript
on command "whoami":
    reply "You are {user.username} (ID: {user.id})"

What this does:

  • User types: !whoami
  • Bot responds: "You are JohnDoe (ID: 123456789)"

member ​

What it is: The member object, which represents a user in a specific server

When it's available: In join/leave events and when working with server-specific data

Difference from user: A user is the same across all Discord servers, but a member is specific to one server (with server-specific roles, nickname, etc.)

javascript
on join:
    reply "Welcome, {member.user.username}!"

message ​

What it is: The message that triggered your bot

When it's available: In command handlers and message contains handlers

What you can do with it:

javascript
reply "You said: {message.content}"

Available properties:

  • message.content - The actual text of the message

Example:

javascript
on command "echo":
    reply "You said: {message.content}"

What this does:

  • User types: !echo hello world
  • Bot responds: "You said: !echo hello world"

channel ​

What it is: The channel where the event happened

When it's available: In most event handlers

What you can do with it:

javascript
say "Announcement" in channel "general"

Available properties:

  • channel.name - The name of the channel

Example:

javascript
on command "whereami":
    reply "You are in #{channel.name}"

server ​

What it is: The server (also called a "guild") where the event happened

When it's available: In most event handlers

What you can do with it:

javascript
for each member in server.members:
    say "Hello" in channel "general"

Available properties:

  • server.name - The name of the server
  • server.members - All members in the server

Example:

javascript
on command "serverinfo":
    reply "Welcome to {server.name}!"

args ​

What it is: Command arguments - the extra words users type after a command

When it's available: In command handlers

How it works:

  • If user types !greet John, then args[0] is "John"
  • If user types !greet John Doe, then args[0] is "John" and args[1] is "Doe"
javascript
on command "greet":
    reply "Hello, {args[0]}!"

Understanding array indexing:

  • args[0] - First argument (not args[1]!)
  • args[1] - Second argument
  • args[2] - Third argument
  • And so on...

Why start at 0? This is how most programming languages work - counting starts at 0 instead of 1.

Example:

javascript
on command "add":
    let sum = args[0] + args[1]
    reply "The sum is {sum}"

What this does:

  • User types: !add 5 3
  • Bot responds: "The sum is 8"

target ​

What it is: The first user mentioned in a message

When it's available: In command handlers

How it works:

  • If user types !kick @JohnDoe, then target is JohnDoe
  • Useful for commands that act on other users
javascript
on command "kick":
    kick target

Example:

javascript
on command "ban":
    ban target
    reply "Banned {target.username}"

What this does:

  • User types: !ban @TrollUser
  • Bot responds: "Banned TrollUser"

String Interpolation ​

What it is: Embedding variables directly into text strings

How it works: Use {variable} inside a string to insert the variable's value

javascript
reply "Hello, {user.username}! You have {points} points."

Why it's useful: Makes your messages dynamic and personalized

Example:

javascript
on command "status":
    reply "{user.username} has {points} points"

What this does:

  • User types: !status
  • Bot responds: "JohnDoe has 150 points"

Multiple variables:

javascript
reply "Hello {user.username}! You're in #{channel.name}"

Operators ​

Operators let you compare values, combine conditions, and do math.

Comparison Operators ​

What they do: Compare two values to see if they're equal, greater than, etc.

Available operators:

  • = - Equal to
  • != - Not equal to
  • < - Less than
  • > - Greater than
  • <= - Less than or equal to
  • >= - Greater than or equal to
javascript
if points > 100:
    reply "You have lots of points!"

if level = 10:
    reply "You reached level 10!"

Example:

javascript
on command "check":
    if points > 50:
        reply "You have more than 50 points"
    else:
        reply "You have 50 points or less"

Logical Operators ​

What they do: Combine multiple conditions together

Available operators:

  • and - Both conditions must be true
  • or - Either condition can be true
  • not - Reverses the condition (true becomes false, false becomes true)
javascript
if user has role "Admin" or user has role "Mod":
    reply "You have moderation powers"

if points > 100 and user has role "VIP":
    reply "VIP with bonus points!"

Example:

javascript
on command "admin":
    if user has role "Admin" and user has role "Owner":
        reply "You are the supreme admin!"
    else if user has role "Admin":
        reply "You are an admin"
    else:
        reply "You are not an admin"

Arithmetic Operators ​

What they do: Do math with numbers

Available operators:

  • + - Addition
  • - - Subtraction
  • * - Multiplication
  • / - Division
javascript
let newPoints = points + 10
let half = points / 2
let doubled = points * 2
let decreased = points - 5

Example:

javascript
on command "addpoints":
    let newTotal = points + args[0]
    store user.id points newTotal
    reply "Added {args[0]} points! Total: {newTotal}"

What this does:

  • User types: !addpoints 25
  • Bot responds: "Added 25 points! Total: 175"

Special Expressions ​

has ​

What it does: Check if a user has a specific role

Why it's useful: For permissions - only let certain users use certain commands

javascript
if user has role "Admin":
    reply "Admin access granted"

Example:

javascript
on command "ban":
    if user has role "Admin":
        ban target
        reply "Banned {target.username}"
    else:
        reply "You don't have permission to ban users"

or (fallback) ​

What it does: Provide a default value if something doesn't exist

Why it's useful: Prevents errors when data might be missing

javascript
let points = load user.id points or 0

How it works:

  • Try to load the user's points
  • If they don't have points saved, use 0 instead
  • This prevents "undefined" errors

Example:

javascript
on command "points":
    let points = load user.id points or 0
    reply "You have {points} points"

What this does:

  • First time user runs command: They have 0 points (default)
  • After earning points: Shows their actual total

Literals ​

Literals are fixed values you type directly into your code.

Strings ​

What they are: Text values

How to write them: Wrap text in quotes

javascript
reply "Hello"
reply 'World'

When to use single vs double quotes:

  • Both work the same way
  • Use double quotes by default
  • Use single quotes if your text contains double quotes

Numbers ​

What they are: Numeric values

How to write them: Just type the number

javascript
let count = 42
let price = 19.99
let negative = -5

Types of numbers:

  • Whole numbers: 42, 100, 0
  • Decimals: 19.99, 3.14, 0.5
  • Negative numbers: -5, -10.5

Colors ​

What they are: Hex color codes for embeds

How to write them: Start with # followed by 6 characters

javascript
say embed:
    color #5865F2

Common colors:

  • #5865F2 - Discord blurple
  • #57F287 - Discord green
  • #ED4245 - Discord red
  • #FEE75C - Discord yellow
  • #EB459E - Discord pink

Member Access (Dot Notation) ​

What it is: Accessing properties of an object using dots

How it works: object.property

javascript
user.username
message.content
channel.name
server.members

Why it's called "dot notation": Because you use dots to separate the object from its property

How to read it:

  • user.username = "the username property of the user object"
  • message.content = "the content property of the message object"

Nested access:

javascript
member.user.username

This means: "the username property of the user object, which is a property of the member object"

Common Questions ​

What's the difference between user and member? ​

  • user = The person across all of Discord (global)
  • member = The person in this specific server (with server-specific roles, nickname, etc.)

Can I create my own variables? ​

Yes! Use the let statement:

javascript
let myVariable = 42

What if I try to access a property that doesn't exist? ​

You'll get an error. Make sure you're using valid properties for each object type.

Can I do complex math? ​

Yes! You can combine operators:

javascript
let result = (points + bonus) * multiplier

Next Steps ​

Now that you understand expressions, learn about: