Slash and prefix commands

Every command runs both ways. When to use which, and how to change the prefix.

Overview#

Iris is built on slash commands, and every one of them also answers to your server prefix. /ban @user spam and .ban @user spam run the same code and produce the same reply, so nothing in these docs is slash-only unless it says so.

The prefix is . on a new server. You can change it, or turn on mentioning Iris as a prefix, in bot settings.

text
/ban @user spam
.ban @user spam
@Iris ban @user spam

Which one to use#

Use slash whenUse the prefix when
You want the argument picker and validationYou are typing fast and know the arguments
The command opens a form or a designerYou are on mobile and the picker is slow to load
You are new to a command and want its description inlineSlash commands have not synced yet in a fresh server
Someone else should be able to see the command existsThe command is one of the config commands that only exists on the prefix

Writing arguments on the prefix path#

  • Members, channels and roles are accepted as a mention, an id, or an exact name.
  • The final text argument is greedy: it takes the rest of the message, so a ban reason or an announcement never needs quotes.
  • Yes and no arguments accept true, yes, on and enable, or their opposites.
  • Subcommands follow the group, exactly as they read in the docs: .giveaway create.
text
.warn @user posting in the wrong channel again
.slowmode set 10
.purge all 50

Where the two differ#

A handful of commands open a Discord modal, which only an interaction can do. Running one from the prefix returns a short note asking you to use the slash form instead of failing.

The reverse also happens. Module configuration that the dashboard replaced was retired from the slash picker, but kept on the prefix as a fallback for when the dashboard is not to hand. Those are the .x help entries on the commands page: .welcome, .starboard, .logging, .antilink, .custom and the rest. VoiceMaster is prefix only for the same reason, under .vcmaster.

text
.welcome help
.starboard config
.logging help

Changing the prefix#

  1. Open the dashboard and pick your server.
  2. Go to Server > Bot Settings.
  3. Set Prefix to what you want, up to 32 characters.
  4. Turn on Mention as Prefix if you also want @Iris ban ... to work.
  5. Save. The new prefix applies immediately, in this server only.

Common questions#

My slash commands are missing.

Discord syncs them on its own schedule, and a fresh invite can take a few minutes. Use the prefix in the meantime, and check Iris has Use Application Commands in the channel.

Does the prefix change for every server?

No. The prefix and the language are per server, so one server can run . while another runs !.

Is there a rate limit?

Yes, and it is the same on both paths. Running the same command repeatedly gets a short cooldown reply rather than being ignored.

Can I turn the prefix off entirely?

Not as a setting. Turning individual commands off for the whole server, on both paths at once, is what command management is for.