Configuration

This guide covers all configuration options available in AnnouncementGUI.

📁 Configuration Files

AnnouncementGUI uses several configuration files:

• config.yml - Main plugin configuration

• gui-messages.yml - GUI messages and prompts

• guis/*.yml - GUI layout configurations

🔧 Main Configuration (config.yml)

Full Configuration Example

# AnnouncementGUI configuration

# Local server identifier for this instance
localServerId: "server-1"

# List of known server IDs admins can choose from in the GUI
servers:
  - "server-1"
  - "server-2"
  - "server-3"

# If true, servers will run announcements with target = ALL
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true

# How often (in seconds) the change poller checks for announcement updates on MySQL (lightweight, no special privileges needed)

# Only applies when using MySQL; defaults to 10 seconds for fast cross-server sync
changePollingIntervalSeconds: 10

# Storage configuration for announcements (shared across servers)
storage:
  type: sqlite # sqlite or mysql
  sqlite:
    file: announcements.db
  mysql:
    host: localhost
    port: 3306
    database: announcements
    username: root
    password: password
    params: "useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC"

⚙️ Configuration Options Explained

Server Configuration

localServerId

• Type: String

• Default: "server-1"

• Description: Unique identifier for this server instance. Used to target specific servers for announcements.

Example:

localServerId: "lobby"

servers

• Type: List of Strings

• Default: ["server-1", "server-2", "server-3"]

• Description: List of all server IDs in your network. These appear as options when creating announcements.

Example:

servers:
  - "lobby"
  - "survival"
  - "creative"
  - "skyblock"

enableAllServersAnnouncements

• Type: Boolean

• Default: true

• Description: When enabled, this server will run announcements that target "ALL" servers.

Example:

enableAllServersAnnouncements: true  # This server will run ALL announcements

Use Cases:

• Set to true on all servers for network-wide announcements

• Set to false on specific servers to exclude them from ALL announcements

Polling Configuration

changePollingIntervalSeconds

• Type: Integer

• Default: 10

• Description: How often (in seconds) the plugin checks for changes when using MySQL. Lower values = faster sync but more database queries.

Example:

changePollingIntervalSeconds: 5  # Check every 5 seconds (faster sync)

Recommendations:

• Small networks (2-5 servers): 5-10 seconds

• Medium networks (5-15 servers): 10-15 seconds

• Large networks (15+ servers): 15-30 seconds

Storage Configuration

SQLite Storage

When to use: Single server or servers sharing a filesystem.

storage:
  type: sqlite
  sqlite:
    file: announcements.db

Options:

• file: Name of the SQLite database file (stored in plugin folder)

Advantages:

• No additional setup required

• Simple and reliable

• Good for single servers

Limitations:

• Not ideal for multi-server networks

• No real-time cross-server sync

MySQL Storage

When to use: Multi-server networks requiring real-time synchronization.

storage:
  type: mysql
  mysql:
    host: localhost
    port: 3306
    database: announcements
    username: root
    password: "your_secure_password"
    params: "useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC"

Options:

• host: MySQL server hostname or IP address

• port: MySQL server port (default: 3306)

• database: Database name for announcements

• username: MySQL username

• password: MySQL password (use strong passwords!)

• params: Additional JDBC connection parameters

Common Parameters:

# Disable SSL (local network)
params: "useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC"

# Enable SSL
params: "useSSL=true&requireSSL=true&serverTimezone=UTC"

# Custom connection pool
params: "useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC&maxPoolSize=10"

Advantages:

• Real-time multi-server synchronization

• Centralized announcement management

• Automatic change detection

📝 GUI Messages Configuration (gui-messages.yml)

Full Configuration Example

# GUI Messages Configuration

# Used for chat prompts, confirmations, and other player-facing messages in the Announcement GUI system

# Prefix shown before all messages
prefix: "&7[&aAnnouncements&7]&r "

# Chat prompts when player is asked to type in chat
chat:
  promptMessage: "&7Type lines one by one. Type &aDONE &7when finished."
  promptInterval: "&7Type &ainterval seconds&7 (e.g., 300)."
  promptServer: "&7Type a &aserver id&7 from: &f%servers% &7or &aALL&7."
  promptName: "&7Type a short &aname &7for the announcement."
  lineAdded: "&aLine added.&7 Type more or &aDONE&7."
  linesSaved: "&aLines saved.&7 You can now set interval/server and save."
  emptyLineSkipped: "&cEmpty line skipped.&7 Type a message or &aDONE&7."

# Confirmation messages shown after actions
confirm:
  messageSet: "&aMessage set.&7 Reopen GUI and continue."
  intervalSet: "&aInterval set."
  intervalInvalid: "&cInvalid interval.&7 Enter a positive number."
  serverSet: "&aServer set."
  serverInvalid: "&cInvalid server.&7 Type a known server id or ALL."
  saved: "&aAnnouncement saved."
  cancelled: "&cCancelled."
  deleted: "&aAnnouncement deleted."
  nameSet: "&aName set."

# Command-related messages
command:
  playerOnly: "&cOnly players can use this."
  noPermission: "&cYou don't have permission."
  exportSuccess: "&aExported announcements successfully!"
  exportError: "&cFailed to export announcements."
  importUsage: "&cUsage: /announcegui import <filename> [replace|merge]"
  importFileNotFound: "&cFile not found in plugin folder."
  importEmpty: "&cNo announcements found in file."
  importSuccess: "&aImported announcements successfully!"
  importError: "&cFailed to import announcements."
  importParseError: "&cFailed to parse JSON file."

Message Customization

You can customize all messages using:

• Color Codes: Use & codes (e.g., &a for green, &c for red)

• Formatting: &l (bold), &o (italic), &n (underline), &m (strikethrough)

• Reset: &r to reset formatting

Message Placeholders

Some messages support placeholders:

• %servers%: Replaced with comma-separated list of server IDs

🎨 GUI Configuration Files

GUI layout files are located in plugins/AnnouncementGUI/guis/. These files control:

• GUI size and title

• Item positions and materials

• Item names and lore

• Click actions

Example GUI Configuration

name: "maingui"
rows: 4
title: "&8&l★ &r&8Announcement Manager"

items:
  create:
    slots: [11]
    material: "LIME_CONCRETE"
    name: "&a&l+ Create"
    lore:
      - "&7Create new announcement"
    action:
      type: "open_gui"
      target: "creategui"

Note: Modifying GUI files requires server restart/reload to take effect.

🔄 Reloading Configuration

1

Edit configuration files

Make the desired edits to config.yml, gui-messages.yml, or GUI files.

2

Restart the server (recommended)

A full server restart is recommended to apply all changes.

3

Optional: Use server reload

You may use your server's reload command, but this can cause issues. Prefer a restart for changes like storage type.

📋 Configuration Examples

Example 1: Single Server Setup

localServerId: "main"
servers:
  - "main"
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true
storage:
  type: sqlite
  sqlite:
    file: announcements.db

Example 2: Multi-Server Network (MySQL)

Server 1 (Lobby):

localServerId: "lobby"
servers:
  - "lobby"
  - "survival"
  - "creative"
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true
changePollingIntervalSeconds: 10
storage:
  type: mysql
  mysql:
    host: "192.168.1.100"
    port: 3306
    database: "minecraft_announcements"
    username: "mc_user"
    password: "secure_password"
    params: "useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC"

Server 2 (Survival):

localServerId: "survival"
servers:
  - "lobby"
  - "survival"
  - "creative"
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true
changePollingIntervalSeconds: 10
storage:
  type: mysql
  # ... same MySQL config as Server 1

Example 3: Hub Server (Only ALL Announcements)

localServerId: "hub"
servers:
  - "hub"
  - "game1"
  - "game2"
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true  # Only run ALL announcements
storage:
  type: mysql
  # ... MySQL config

Example 4: Game Server (Specific + ALL)

localServerId: "game1"
servers:
  - "hub"
  - "game1"
  - "game2"
enableAllServersAnnouncements: true  # Run both game1 and ALL announcements
storage:
  type: mysql
  # ... MySQL config

🔒 Security Best Practices

1. Use strong MySQL passwords

   password: "Use_A_Strong_P@ssw0rd_Here"

2. Create a dedicated MySQL user

   CREATE USER 'announcegui'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON announcements.* TO 'announcegui'@'%';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

3. Enable SSL for MySQL (if over internet)

   params: "useSSL=true&requireSSL=true&serverTimezone=UTC"

4. Restrict file permissions on config files

   chmod 600 plugins/AnnouncementGUI/config.yml

🐛 Configuration Troubleshooting

Issue: "Failed to connect to MySQL"

Solutions:

• Verify MySQL credentials

• Check MySQL server is running

• Ensure firewall allows connection

• Test with MySQL client: mysql -h HOST -u USER -p

Issue: Changes not syncing across servers

Solutions:

• Verify all servers use same MySQL database

• Check changePollingIntervalSeconds (increase if needed)

• Ensure all servers have storage.type: mysql

Issue: Announcements not running

Solutions:

• Check localServerId matches target server

• Verify enableAllServersAnnouncements: true for ALL announcements

• Ensure announcement is enabled in GUI

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Next Steps:

• Commands Guide - Learn available commands

• Multi-Server Setup - Detailed multi-server guide

• GUI Guide - How to use the interface