message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function

Understanding "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function"

If you're a Discord bot developer, you may have come across the error "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function". This error occurs when you try to use the fetchMessages() method on a Discord.js message object, but the method is undefined.

To understand why this error occurs, we need to take a closer look at the fetchMessages() method and how it works.

What is fetchMessages() in Discord.js?

The fetchMessages() method is a built-in method in Discord.js that allows you to fetch a collection of messages from a channel. This method takes an optional parameter that specifies the number of messages to fetch, and returns a promise that resolves with a collection of messages.

Why does "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function" occur?

The reason why "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function" occurs is because Discord.js v12 has removed the fetchMessages() method from the MessageManager class. Instead, you should use the messages property of a TextChannel object to fetch messages from a channel.

How to fix "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function"

To fix the "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function" error, you need to replace your current code with the correct way of fetching messages in Discord.js v12.

// Incorrect way (throws "message.channel.fetchMessages is not a function" error)
message.channel.fetchMessages({ limit: 10 })
  .then(messages => console.log(messages))
  .catch(console.error);

// Correct way
message.channel.messages.fetch({ limit: 10 })
  .then(messages => console.log(messages))
  .catch(console.error);

In the correct way, we use the messages property of the channel object instead of the fetchMessages() method on the message object. This will allow us to fetch messages from the channel without encountering any errors.

Additional ways to fetch messages in Discord.js

Aside from the fetchMessages() method, there are several other ways to fetch messages in Discord.js. Here are some of them:

• channel.messages.fetch(): This method fetches messages from a channel, similar to the fetchMessages() method. It takes an optional parameter that specifies the number of messages to fetch, and returns a promise that resolves with a collection of messages.
• channel.bulkDelete(): This method allows you to bulk delete messages from a channel. It takes an array of message IDs as its parameter, and returns a promise that resolves when the messages have been deleted.
• channel.lastMessage: This property returns the last message sent in a channel. It can be used to fetch the ID of the last message, which can then be used with other methods to fetch messages.

By using these methods effectively, you can easily fetch and manipulate messages in your Discord bot.