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EmbedBuilder

Builder system used to build MessageEmbed objects. Embeds allow you to send rich, formatted messages with titles, descriptions, fields, images, and more.

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Constructor

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EmbedBuilder()

Constructs a new EmbedBuilder instance. 
EmbedBuilder embed = new EmbedBuilder();

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EmbedBuilder(EmbedBuilder builder)

Creates an EmbedBuilder using fields from an existing builder. 
EmbedBuilder newEmbed = new EmbedBuilder(existingBuilder);

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EmbedBuilder(MessageEmbed embed)

Creates an EmbedBuilder using fields from an existing embed. 
EmbedBuilder newEmbed = new EmbedBuilder(existingEmbed);

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Static Methods

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fromData(DataObject data)

Creates an instance from a serialized DataObject. This is the inverse of MessageEmbed.toData(). 
DataObject data = // ... serialized embed data
EmbedBuilder embed = EmbedBuilder.fromData(data);

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Builder Methods

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setTitle(String title)

Sets the title of the embed. Parameters:
  • title - The title text (max 256 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setTitle("Welcome to JDA!");

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setTitle(String title, String url)

Sets the title with a clickable URL. Parameters:
  • title - The title text (max 256 characters)
  • url - The URL the title links to (must be http/https)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setTitle("JDA Documentation", "https://docs.jda.wiki");

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setUrl(String url)

Sets the URL of the embed. Used with title for clickable hyperlinks. If multiple embeds in a message use the same URL, Discord merges them into a gallery view. Parameters:
  • url - The URL (must be http/https, max 2048 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setUrl("https://github.com/discord-jda/JDA");

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setDescription(CharSequence description)

Sets the description of the embed. This is the main text content. Parameters:
  • description - The description text (max 4096 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setDescription("This is a detailed description of the embed.");

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appendDescription(CharSequence description)

Appends text to the existing description. Parameters:
  • description - The text to append (total max 4096 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setDescription("First line\n")
     .appendDescription("Second line\n")
     .appendDescription("Third line");

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getDescriptionBuilder()

Returns the StringBuilder used to build the description. Useful for advanced manipulation. Returns: StringBuilder with current description 
StringBuilder desc = embed.getDescriptionBuilder();
desc.append("Added text");

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setColor(Color color)

Sets the color of the embed’s side bar. Parameters:
  • color - The color (use null for default)
Returns: The builder instance 
import java.awt.Color;

embed.setColor(Color.BLUE);
embed.setColor(new Color(255, 0, 0)); // Red

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setColor(int color)

Sets the color using a raw RGB integer value. Parameters:
  • color - The raw RGB value
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setColor(0xFF5733); // Orange

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setTimestamp(TemporalAccessor temporal)

Sets the timestamp shown at the bottom of the embed. Parameters:
  • temporal - The timestamp (typically Instant or OffsetDateTime)
Returns: The builder instance 
import java.time.Instant;

embed.setTimestamp(Instant.now());

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setThumbnail(String url)

Sets a small thumbnail image in the top-right corner. Parameters:
  • url - The image URL (http/https or attachment://filename.ext)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setThumbnail("https://example.com/image.png");

// Using uploaded attachment
embed.setThumbnail("attachment://cat.png");
channel.sendFiles(FileUpload.fromData(file, "cat.png"))
       .setEmbeds(embed.build())
       .queue();

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setImage(String url)

Sets a large image displayed in the embed body. Parameters:
  • url - The image URL (http/https or attachment://filename.ext)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setImage("https://example.com/banner.png");

// Using uploaded attachment
embed.setImage("attachment://banner.png");
channel.sendFiles(FileUpload.fromData(file, "banner.png"))
       .setEmbeds(embed.build())
       .queue();

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setAuthor(String name)

Sets the author name displayed at the top of the embed. Parameters:
  • name - The author name (max 256 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setAuthor("Bot Name");

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setAuthor(String name, String url)

Sets the author with a clickable URL. Parameters:
  • name - The author name (max 256 characters)
  • url - The URL the name links to (must be http/https)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setAuthor("GitHub", "https://github.com");

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setAuthor(String name, String url, String iconUrl)

Sets the author with a URL and icon. Parameters:
  • name - The author name (max 256 characters)
  • url - The URL the name links to (must be http/https)
  • iconUrl - The icon image URL (http/https or attachment://)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setAuthor("User", "https://example.com", "https://example.com/avatar.png");

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setFooter(String text)

Sets the footer text displayed at the bottom of the embed. Parameters:
  • text - The footer text (max 2048 characters)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setFooter("Requested by User#1234");

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setFooter(String text, String iconUrl)

Sets the footer with an icon. Parameters:
  • text - The footer text (max 2048 characters)
  • iconUrl - The icon image URL (http/https or attachment://)
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.setFooter("JDA Bot", "https://example.com/icon.png");

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addField(String name, String value, boolean inline)

Adds a field to the embed. Fields are displayed in rows. Parameters:
  • name - The field name/title (max 256 characters)
  • value - The field value/content (max 1024 characters)
  • inline - Whether the field displays inline with others
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.addField("Field 1", "Value 1", true)
     .addField("Field 2", "Value 2", true)
     .addField("Long Field", "This field takes the full width", false);

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addField(MessageEmbed.Field field)

Adds a field object to the embed. Parameters:
  • field - The field to add
Returns: The builder instance 
MessageEmbed.Field field = new MessageEmbed.Field("Name", "Value", true);
embed.addField(field);

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addBlankField(boolean inline)

Adds an empty field for spacing. Parameters:
  • inline - Whether the blank field is inline
Returns: The builder instance 
embed.addField("Field 1", "Value", true)
     .addBlankField(true) // Spacing
     .addField("Field 2", "Value", true);

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clearFields()

Removes all fields from the embed. Returns: The builder instance 
embed.clearFields();

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getFields()

Returns a modifiable list of the embed’s fields. Returns: Mutable List<MessageEmbed.Field> 
List<MessageEmbed.Field> fields = embed.getFields();
fields.remove(0); // Remove first field

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clear()

Resets the builder to default state, removing all content. Returns: The builder instance 
embed.clear(); // Start fresh

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copyFrom(EmbedBuilder builder)

Copies all data from another builder. Parameters:
  • builder - The builder to copy from
embed.copyFrom(otherBuilder);

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copyFrom(MessageEmbed embed)

Copies all data from an existing embed. Parameters:
  • embed - The embed to copy from
embed.copyFrom(existingEmbed);

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Validation Methods

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isEmpty()

Checks if the embed is empty. Empty embeds cannot be built. Returns: true if empty 
if (embed.isEmpty()) {
    System.out.println("Add some content!");
}

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length()

Returns the total character length of the embed. Returns: Total character count 
int totalLength = embed.length();

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isValidLength()

Checks if the embed is within Discord’s length limits (6000 characters for bots). Returns: true if within limits 
if (!embed.isValidLength()) {
    System.out.println("Embed is too long!");
}

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build()

Builds and returns the final MessageEmbed. Validates all constraints. Returns: The completed MessageEmbed Throws:
  • IllegalStateException if embed is empty, too long, or has too many fields (max 25)
MessageEmbed completed = embed.build();
channel.sendMessageEmbeds(completed).queue();

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Constants

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ZERO_WIDTH_SPACE

A zero-width space character used for blank fields. 
String space = EmbedBuilder.ZERO_WIDTH_SPACE;

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Complete Example

import net.dv8tion.jda.api.EmbedBuilder;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.time.Instant;

public class EmbedExample {
    public void sendWelcomeEmbed(MessageChannel channel, Member member) {
        EmbedBuilder embed = new EmbedBuilder()
            .setTitle("Welcome to the Server!", "https://discord.com")
            .setDescription("We're glad to have you here.")
            .setColor(Color.GREEN)
            .setAuthor(member.getEffectiveName(), null, member.getAvatarUrl())
            .setThumbnail(member.getGuild().getIconUrl())
            .addField("Member Count", String.valueOf(member.getGuild().getMemberCount()), true)
            .addField("Join Date", member.getTimeJoined().format(DateTimeFormatter.ISO_LOCAL_DATE), true)
            .setFooter("Welcome!", member.getJDA().getSelfUser().getAvatarUrl())
            .setTimestamp(Instant.now());
        
        channel.sendMessageEmbeds(embed.build()).queue();
    }
}

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Limits

  • Title: 256 characters
  • Description: 4096 characters
  • Fields: Maximum 25 fields
  • Field Name: 256 characters
  • Field Value: 1024 characters
  • Footer: 2048 characters
  • Author: 256 characters
  • Total Length: 6000 characters (for bots)
  • URLs: 2048 characters

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See Also

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