command-handling: index.js vs deploy-commands.js

[Sckorpeo]

I am new to creating Discord bots and I am trying to understand the reason we need deploy-commands.js. I know this file pushes commands to our bot, but in the index.js file between lines 7 and 13 aren't we importing our commands to the bot? Why do we need to push commands to the bot using deploy-commands.js?

[BenjammingKirby]

deploy-commands.js registers the commands, it sends an api request to register whereas in index.js if you've followed the guide, it just reads your local files and stores them in a collection for future use

these two are very different and the reason why we don't register in index.js and use a separate script is to separate the register process from the bot process, think about it, if we were to register using index.js, the file that gets ran every time the bot turns on, we'd be sending needless api requests to register the commands that haven't even changed
to avoid that and to make sure that you only send the request when you have changes and want to update the commands, the deploy-commands.js approach is used

[Sckorpeo]

Okay thank you, I understand the second part of what you said. What I am still unsure of is; if we register the commands using the deploy-commands.js file, what is the point of pulling your local commands into the index.js file?

[BenjammingKirby]

if you've gone through the dynamically executing commands guide
here we're accessing those local commands that were stored, and then running it

	const command = client.commands.get(interaction.commandName);
	
	await command.execute(interaction);

what we do is, go through the command files, then store them in a Collection and when we receive interactions, search for the command in the collection, then run it
note that this snippet in the guide here

client.commands = new Collection();
const commandFiles = fs.readdirSync('./commands').filter(file => file.endsWith('.js'));

for (const file of commandFiles) {
	const command = require(`./commands/${file}`);
	// Set a new item in the Collection
	// With the key as the command name and the value as the exported module
	client.commands.set(command.data.name, command);
}

all this is doing is storing the data in a local collection, it doesn't call the API, unlike the deploy-ccommands.js

[Sckorpeo]

I have read through the guide, I guess my question is not clear. I understand what is going on with the code. I just don't understand why we need the collection in the index.js file if we registered the commands using deploy-commands.js. Does registering the commands with deploy-commands.js not register the execute function?

From what you have explained here is my understanding:

1. We send the API our list of commands to register the name/description and when we do "/" it will show up as a slash command.
2. We pull in the commands in the index.js so that when someone "/interacts" with them then the index.js file can pull the execute and perform the function.

Is this correct?

[BenjammingKirby]

nope, the execute function is not sent to the api, so this is correct, yes

From what you have explained here is my understanding:

1. We send the API our list of commands to register the name/description and when we do "/" it will show up as a slash command.
2. We pull in the commands in the index.js so that when someone "/interacts" with them then the index.js file can pull the execute and perform the function.

Is this correct?

we can't register the reaction of our bot, we can only register the commands' names, descriptions, options and all that.
Once someone uses the command, it emits interactionCreate to our bot, to which we react
the execute function for each command is basically how the bot would react to said specific command

[Sckorpeo]

Okay that makes a lot more sense. Thanks so much for your time.