Emojis & Reactions

Emojis and custom emotes add personality and visual appeal to your bot’s messages. DiSky supports both standard Unicode emojis and custom server emotes, making it easy to create engaging, expressive interactions.

Understanding the Difference

Discord distinguishes between two types of emoji-like content:

• Emojis - Unicode characters built into Discord, usable by everyone
• Emotes - Custom images created by server owners, specific to guilds

Note

Emotes are guild-specific. To differentiate emotes with the same name, use their unique IDs.

Getting Emojis and Emotes

DiSky uses the reaction expression to get both emojis and emotes:

Unicode Emoji

# Get a standard emoji by name
set {_emoji} to reaction "joy"  # Returns 😂
set {_heart} to reaction "heart"  # Returns ❤️
set {_fire} to reaction "fire"  # Returns 🔥

DiSky automatically translates the name to the Unicode character.

Custom Emote (by ID)

# Get a custom emote by its ID
set {_emote} to reaction "123456789012345678"

Each emote ID is unique across Discord. This is the recommended way to get custom emotes.

Custom Emote (by Name)

# Get a custom emote by name
set {_emote} to reaction "Checkmark"

Caution

Getting emotes by name is not recommended. DiSky searches all guilds the bot is in, which can cause conflicts if multiple emotes share the same name.

Full Reference

# Get an emote using its full Discord reference
set {_emote} to reaction "<:Checkmark:123456789012345678>"

This method can be faster for retrieving many emotes at once, as DiSky parses the string and applies filters efficiently.

Using Emojis in Messages

Once you have an emoji or emote, use it in messages:

In Text Messages

set {_emoji} to reaction "wave"
reply with "Hello! %{_emoji}% Welcome to the server!"
# Output: Hello! 👋 Welcome to the server!

In Embeds

set {_star} to reaction "star"
set {_fire} to reaction "fire"

make embed:
    set title of embed to "%{_star}% Featured Content %{_star}%"
    set description of embed to "This content is %{_fire}%!"
    set embed color of embed to gold

reply with last embed

In Buttons

set {_check} to reaction "white_check_mark"

set {_btn} to new success button with id "confirm" named "Confirm" with reaction {_check}
reply with rich components {_btn}

You can also use the emoji name directly:

set {_btn} to new success button with id "confirm" named "Confirm" with reaction "✅"

In Dropdown Options

set {_dropdown} to new dropdown with id "choice"

add new option with value "opt1" named "Option 1" with reaction "1️⃣" to options of {_dropdown}
add new option with value "opt2" named "Option 2" with reaction "2️⃣" to options of {_dropdown}
add new option with value "opt3" named "Option 3" with reaction "3️⃣" to options of {_dropdown}

reply with rich components {_dropdown}

Adding Reactions to Messages

Add emoji reactions to messages for polls, feedback, or interactive features:

Basic Reaction

on message receive:
    if message contains "cool":
        set {_msg} to event-message
        set {_emoji} to reaction "sunglasses"

        add reaction {_emoji} to {_msg}

Multiple Reactions

command /poll <text>:
    trigger:
        post "📊 Poll: %arg-1%" to event-channel and store it in {_msg}

        # Add reaction options
        add reaction "👍" to {_msg}
        add reaction "👎" to {_msg}
        add reaction "🤷" to {_msg}

        reply with "Poll created!"

Using Custom Emotes

on message receive:
    if message contains "awesome":
        set {_msg} to event-message
        set {_customEmote} to reaction "123456789012345678"  # Your custom emote ID

        add reaction {_customEmote} to {_msg}

Reaction Events

Detect when users react to messages:

Basic Reaction Handler

on reaction add:
    set {_emoji} to event-reaction
    set {_user} to event-user
    set {_msg} to event-message

    broadcast "%{_user}% reacted with %{_emoji}%!"

Filtering by Specific Emoji

on reaction add:
    if event-reaction is reaction "star":
        # User reacted with ⭐
        broadcast "%event-user% starred a message!"

Poll System

command /createpoll <text>:
    trigger:
        post "📊 **Poll:** %arg-1%" to event-channel and store it in {_poll}

        # Add voting options
        add reaction "👍" to {_poll}
        add reaction "👎" to {_poll}

        # Store poll ID for tracking
        set {poll::%discord id of {_poll}%} to arg-1

        reply with "Poll created! React to vote."

on reaction add:
    if {poll::%discord id of event-message%} is set:
        # This is a poll message
        set {_reaction} to event-reaction

        if {_reaction} is reaction "thumbsup":
            broadcast "%event-user% voted YES"
        else if {_reaction} is reaction "thumbsdown":
            broadcast "%event-user% voted NO"

Super Reactions

Super reactions are enhanced reactions with animated effects. However, bots have limited interaction with them.

Bot Limitation

Bots cannot add super reactions, but they can detect them, get them, remove them, and check if users reacted with them. This is a Discord API limitation.

Working with Super Reactions

on reaction add:
    if event-reaction is super:
        broadcast "%event-user% used a super reaction!"

Reaction Emotes

Since DiSky v4.12.2, reaction events provide enhanced information through Reaction Emotes:

Checking Self Reactions

Detect if the bot reacted to its own message:

on reaction add:
    if event-reaction is self:
        broadcast "The bot reacted to its own message!"
    else:
        broadcast "%event-user% reacted to a message!"

Checking Super Reactions

Detect if a reaction is a super reaction:

on reaction add:
    if event-reaction is super:
        broadcast "Someone used a super reaction!"
        # Note: This is the ONLY way to detect super reactions

Tip

The reaction add event is the only way to know if a reaction is a super reaction!

Finding Emoji Names

To use Unicode emojis, you need their names. Here are common ones:

Common Emoji Names

# Faces
reaction "smile"        # 😄
reaction "joy"          # 😂
reaction "heart_eyes"   # 😍
reaction "thinking"     # 🤔
reaction "sunglasses"   # 😎

# Symbols
reaction "heart"        # ❤️
reaction "star"         # ⭐
reaction "fire"         # 🔥
reaction "sparkles"     # ✨
reaction "check"        # ✅

# Actions
reaction "wave"         # 👋
reaction "thumbsup"     # 👍
reaction "thumbsdown"   # 👎
reaction "clap"         # 👏
reaction "eyes"         # 👀

# Objects
reaction "book"         # 📖
reaction "gear"         # ⚙️
reaction "bell"         # 🔔
reaction "crown"        # 👑
reaction "trophy"       # 🏆

Tip

You can also use the Unicode character directly: reaction "👍" works the same as reaction "thumbsup"

Finding Custom Emote IDs

To get the ID of a custom emote:

In Discord

1. Type the emote in a message
2. Add a backslash before it: \:emote_name:
3. Send the message
4. Discord will show: <:emote_name:123456789012345678>
5. The numbers are the emote ID

In DiSky

# If the bot has access to the emote
set {_emote} to reaction "EmoteName"
set {_id} to discord id of {_emote}
broadcast "Emote ID: %{_id}%"

Practical Examples

Welcome Reactions

on guild member join:
    set {_welcome} to text channel with id "123456789"
    post "Welcome %mention tag of event-user%!" to {_welcome} and store it in {_msg}

    # Add welcome reactions
    add reaction "wave" to {_msg}
    add reaction "tada" to {_msg}
    add reaction "star" to {_msg}

Reaction Roles

command /reactionrole:
    trigger:
        create a new message and store it in {_msg}:
            make embed:
                set title of embed to "Get Your Roles!"
                set description of embed to "React to get roles:%nl%%nl%🎮 Gaming%nl%🎨 Art%nl%💻 Programming"
                set embed color of embed to blue
            add last embed to the embeds of the message

        post {_msg} to event-channel and store it in {_posted}

        # Add reactions
        add reaction "video_game" to {_posted}
        add reaction "art" to {_posted}
        add reaction "computer" to {_posted}

        # Store message ID for tracking
        set {reactionrole::message} to discord id of {_posted}

on reaction add:
    if discord id of event-message is {reactionrole::message}:
        set {_reaction} to event-reaction
        set {_user} to event-user

        if {_reaction} is reaction "video_game":
            add role with id "111111111" to roles of {_user}
        else if {_reaction} is reaction "art":
            add role with id "222222222" to roles of {_user}
        else if {_reaction} is reaction "computer":
            add role with id "333333333" to roles of {_user}

Interactive Help Menu

command /help:
    trigger:
        make embed and store it in {_embed}:
            set title of embed to "📚 Help Menu"
            set description of embed to "React with the category you need help with!"
            add field named "⚙️ Setup" with value "Bot configuration" to fields of embed
            add field named "📝 Commands" with value "Command list" to fields of embed
            add field named "🎮 Games" with value "Game commands" to fields of embed
            set embed color of embed to blue

        reply with {_embed} and store it in {_msg}

        # Add category reactions
        add reaction "gear" to {_msg}
        add reaction "pencil" to {_msg}
        add reaction "video_game" to {_msg}

on reaction add:
    # Check if it's a help message (you'd store this in practice)
    set {_reaction} to event-reaction

    if {_reaction} is reaction "gear":
        # Send setup help (ephemeral if in interaction context)
        reply with "⚙️ **Setup Help**: Run /config to configure the bot..."
    else if {_reaction} is reaction "pencil":
        reply with "📝 **Commands**: /help, /info, /stats..."
    else if {_reaction} is reaction "video_game":
        reply with "🎮 **Games**: /rps, /trivia, /guess..."

Emoji Status Board

command /status:
    trigger:
        make embed and store it in {_embed}:
            set title of embed to "Server Status"

            # Use emojis to show status
            set {_status} to "🟢 Online"  # Could be 🟡 Degraded or 🔴 Offline
            add field named "Bot Status" with value {_status} to fields of embed

            set {_api} to "🟢 Operational"
            add field named "Discord API" with value {_api} to fields of embed

            set embed color of embed to green
            set timestamp of embed to now

        reply with {_embed}

Counting Reactions

command /announcement <text>:
    trigger:
        post "📢 %arg-1%" to text channel with id "123456789" and store it in {_msg}

        # Add reactions for feedback
        add reaction "thumbsup" to {_msg}
        add reaction "thumbsdown" to {_msg}
        add reaction "eyes" to {_msg}  # Seen it

        # Store for later counting
        set {announcement::%discord id of {_msg}%} to now

# Later, count reactions
command /countreactions <text>:
    trigger:
        set {_msgId} to arg-1
        # In practice, you'd retrieve the message and count reactions
        reply with "Counting reactions for message %{_msgId}%..."

Best Practices

1. Use meaningful emojis - Choose emojis that clearly represent the action or meaning
2. Don’t overuse - Too many emojis can be overwhelming
3. Prefer IDs for custom emotes - More reliable than names
4. Test custom emotes - Ensure your bot has access to the emote’s guild
5. Handle missing emotes - Custom emotes might be deleted
6. Consider accessibility - Not all users can see custom emotes the same way

Troubleshooting

Emoji Not Displaying

Problem: Emoji shows as text or doesn’t appear.

Solutions:

• Verify the emoji name is correct
• Try using the Unicode character directly
• Check if it’s a Discord-supported emoji

Custom Emote Not Working

Problem: Custom emote doesn’t show or causes errors.

Solutions:

• Verify the bot is in the guild that owns the emote
• Check the emote ID is correct
• Ensure the emote wasn’t deleted
• Use the emote ID instead of name

Reaction Not Added

Problem: Bot doesn’t add reaction to message.

Solutions:

• Verify bot has “Add Reactions” permission
• Check the message exists and is accessible
• Ensure the emote/emoji is valid
• Try using a standard Unicode emoji first

Super Reactions Not Working

Problem: Bot can’t use super reactions.

Explanation: Bots cannot add super reactions - this is a Discord limitation. They can only detect and manage existing super reactions.

Next Steps

• Learn about Simple Messages
• Create Advanced Messages
• Build Interactive Components
• Upload Files with messages