Features

Comprehensive overview of all AnnouncementGUI features and capabilities.

🎯 Core Features

Intuitive GUI-Based Management

What it does: Manage announcements through an easy-to-use graphical interface.

Key Benefits:

• No complex commands to memorize

• Visual feedback for all actions

• Step-by-step creation wizard

• Click-to-edit functionality

Interface Highlights:

• Main Menu: Hub for all announcement operations

• Creation Wizard: Guided announcement creation

• Edit Interface: Modify existing announcements

• List View: Browse all announcements with pagination

Scheduled Announcements

What it does: Automatically broadcast messages at configured intervals.

Features:

• Custom Intervals: Set any interval in seconds (e.g., 300 = 5 minutes)

• Precise Timing: Uses server scheduler for accurate timing

• Independent Schedules: Each announcement has its own schedule

• Enable/Disable Toggle: Turn announcements on/off without deletion

Example Use Cases:

• Welcome messages every 5 minutes

• Vote reminders every 10 minutes

• Event notifications every 30 minutes

• Tips and tricks every 15 minutes

Multi-Line Messages

What it does: Create announcements with multiple lines of text.

Features:

• Unlimited Lines: Add as many lines as needed

• Line-by-Line Input: Type one line at a time in chat

• Easy Editing: Modify messages line by line

• Line Management: Add, edit, or remove individual lines

Example:

Welcome to our server!
Type /help for commands
Visit our website: example.com

Rich Text Formatting

What it does: Style your announcements with colors and formatting.

Supported Formats:

MiniMessage (Recommended)

Modern, powerful formatting system:

<green>This is green text</green>
<bold><red>Bold red text</red></bold>
<gradient:red:blue>Gradient text</gradient>
<rainbow>Rainbow text</rainbow>
<hover:show_text:'Hover info'>Hover over me</hover>
<click:run_command:'/help'>Click me</click>

Legacy Color Codes

Traditional Minecraft color codes:

&aGreen text
&c&lBold red text
&7Gray text with &ereset to yellow

Available Options:

• Colors: All Minecraft colors

• Formatting: Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough

• Gradients: Smooth color transitions

• Rainbow: Animated rainbow text

• Hover text: Show tooltips

• Click actions: Run commands, open URLs

Multi-Server Support

What it does: Target announcements to specific servers or all servers.

Capabilities:

Server-Specific Announcements

Target: "lobby" → Only broadcasts on lobby server
Target: "survival" → Only broadcasts on survival server

Network-Wide Announcements

Target: "ALL" → Broadcasts on all servers

Configuration:

• Each server has a unique localServerId

• Admins select target from configured server list

• Servers can enable/disable "ALL" announcements

Benefits:

• Targeted messaging (e.g., survival-only announcements)

• Network-wide broadcasts (e.g., maintenance notices)

• Flexible server selection

Real-Time Cross-Server Synchronization

What it does: Automatically sync announcements across multiple servers.

How it Works:

• Uses MySQL for shared storage

• Lightweight polling detects changes

• No special database privileges required

• Configurable polling interval

Features:

• Create Once, Deploy Everywhere: Create on one server, appears on all

• Edit Anywhere: Changes made on any server sync to all

• Delete Anywhere: Deletions sync across network

• Toggle Anywhere: Enable/disable from any server

Sync Speed:

• Default: 10 seconds

• Configurable: 5-30 seconds recommended

• Near real-time synchronization

Requirements:

• MySQL database

• All servers connected to same MySQL instance

• changePollingIntervalSeconds configured

PlaceholderAPI Integration

What it does: Use dynamic placeholders in announcements.

Features:

• Player-Specific Values: Show player name, balance, rank, etc.

• Server Variables: Display TPS, player count, etc.

• External Plugin Data: Pull data from any PlaceholderAPI-compatible plugin

Common Placeholders:

%player_name% - Player's name
%player_displayname% - Player's display name
%vault_eco_balance% - Player's balance
%luckperms_prefix% - Player's rank prefix
%server_tps% - Server TPS
%server_online% - Online player count
%player_world% - Current world

Example Announcement:

<green>Welcome %player_name%!</green>
<yellow>Your balance: $%vault_eco_balance%</yellow>
<gray>Server TPS: %server_tps%</gray>

Performance:

• Auto-detects placeholders

• Per-player parsing for placeholder announcements

• Broadcast mode for non-placeholder announcements

• Optimized for minimal overhead

Requirements:

• PlaceholderAPI plugin installed

• Relevant expansions installed (e.g., Vault, LuckPerms)

Announcement Names/Labels

What it does: Give announcements descriptive names for easy identification.

Features:

• Optional: Names are not required

• Descriptive: Use clear names like "Welcome Message" or "Vote Reminder"

• Searchable: Easier to find specific announcements

• Organization: Keep your announcements organized

Best Practices:

✅ Good names:
- "Welcome Message - Every 5min"
- "Vote Reminder - Survival Only"
- "Event Announcement - ALL servers"

❌ Unclear names:
- "Announcement 1"
- "Test"
- "asdf"

Enable/Disable Toggle

What it does: Temporarily disable announcements without deleting them.

Use Cases:

• Seasonal Announcements: Disable holiday messages off-season

• Event Announcements: Enable during events, disable after

• Testing: Disable while configuring

• Maintenance: Disable during server maintenance

How to Use:

1. Open announcement in edit GUI

2. Click "Toggle Status" button

3. Announcement immediately starts/stops

Status Display:

• Enabled: Announcement is running

• Disabled: Announcement is paused

Import/Export Functionality

What it does: Backup and restore announcements via JSON files.

Export Features:

• Export all announcements to JSON

• Custom filename support

• Stores in plugin folder

• Includes all announcement data

Import Features:

• Import from JSON files

• Two modes: merge or replace

• Validates JSON before importing

• Preserves announcement structure

Use Cases:

• Backups: Regular backups before changes

• Migration: Move to new server

• Templates: Share announcement packs

• Testing: Test configurations safely

• Version Control: Track changes in Git

File Format:

[
  {
    "id": "unique-id",
    "name": "Announcement Name",
    "lines": ["Line 1", "Line 2"],
    "intervalSeconds": 300,
    "targetServerId": "ALL",
    "enabled": true
  }
]

Database Storage Options

What it does: Choose between SQLite or MySQL for storage.

SQLite:

• Best for: Single servers

• Setup: Zero configuration

• Performance: Fast for single server

• Portability: Single file database

• Backup: Simple file copy

MySQL:

• Best for: Multi-server networks

• Setup: Requires MySQL server

• Performance: Excellent for networks

• Sync: Real-time cross-server sync

• Centralized: One database for all servers

Switching: Can switch between SQLite and MySQL by:

1. Exporting announcements

2. Changing storage type in config

3. Importing announcements back

Pagination System

What it does: Browse large lists of announcements easily.

Features:

• 14 Announcements Per Page: Organized grid layout

• Navigation Buttons: Next/Previous page arrows

• Current Page Display: Shows current page number

• Smooth Navigation: Click to switch pages

Interface:

[<- Previous] Page 1 of 3 [Next ->]

Confirmation Dialogs

What it does: Prevent accidental deletions.

Features:

• Delete Confirmation: Confirm before deleting

• Clear Actions: "Confirm" vs "Cancel" buttons

• Visual Feedback: Different colors for actions

• Safe by Default: Must explicitly confirm

Actions Requiring Confirmation:

• Deleting announcements

• Replacing all announcements (import)

Chat Input System

What it does: Input values via chat for certain fields.

Features:

• Multi-Line Messages: Type "DONE" when finished

• Intervals: Type seconds (e.g., "300")

• Server Selection: Type server ID or "ALL"

• Names: Type descriptive name

User Experience:

1. Click item in GUI

2. Chat closes, prompt appears

3. Type value in chat

4. Confirmation message shown

5. Reopen GUI to continue

Validation:

• Intervals must be positive numbers

• Server IDs must match configured servers

• Empty lines are skipped in messages

Folia Support

What it does: Full compatibility with Folia server platform.

Features:

• Region-Based Threading: Works with Folia's threading model

• Async-Safe Operations: Database operations are async-safe

• Scheduler Adapter: Automatically detects Paper vs Folia

• Performance: Optimized for Folia's architecture

Benefits:

• Run on modern Folia servers

• Better performance on Folia

• Future-proof for new Minecraft versions

Customizable Messages

What it does: Customize all player-facing messages.

Configurable via gui-messages.yml:

• Prefix

• Chat prompts

• Confirmation messages

• Error messages

• Success messages

Customization Options:

• Colors and formatting

• Message content

• Language translation

• Server branding

Example:

prefix: "&7[&6MyServer&7]&r "
confirm:
  saved: "&aAnnouncement saved successfully!"

GUI Customization

What it does: Customize GUI appearance and layout.

Configurable via guis/*.yml:

• GUI titles

• Item materials

• Item names and lore

• Item positions

• Click actions

Customization Examples:

• Change colors and materials

• Modify layout

• Translate to other languages

• Add custom decorations

Automatic Library Management

What it does: Automatically downloads required libraries.

Features:

• Paper's Library Loader: Downloads libraries at runtime

• Small JAR Size: Core plugin is small

• No Manual Downloads: Libraries fetched automatically

• Version Management: Always uses correct versions

Included Libraries:

• MiniMessage (text formatting)

• SQLite driver

• MySQL driver

• MySQL binlog connector

Benefits:

• Easier updates

• Smaller download size

• No dependency conflicts

🎮 Workflow Features

Creating an Announcement

1

Start

/announcegui → Main menu

2

Create

Click "Create" → Creation wizard

3

Configure

Set Name (optional) Set Message (multiple lines) Set Interval (seconds) Select Server target

4

Save

Click "Save"

Editing an Announcement

1

Open main menu

/announcegui → Main menu

2

Edit list

Click "Edit" → Announcement list

3

Modify

Click announcement to edit Modify any property

4

Save

Click "Save"

Deleting an Announcement

1

Open main menu

/announcegui → Main menu

2

Delete list

Click "Delete" → Announcement list

3

Select and confirm

Click announcement to delete Confirm deletion

🔧 Technical Features

Performance Optimizations

• Async Database Operations: No main thread blocking

• Efficient Polling: Lightweight change detection

• Cached Data: Minimizes database queries

• Broadcast Optimization: Single broadcast for non-placeholder messages

Reliability Features

• Connection Pooling: Efficient MySQL connections

• Error Handling: Graceful error recovery

• Transaction Support: Atomic database operations

• Data Validation: Prevents invalid data

Compatibility Features

• Paper API: Uses modern Paper APIs

• Folia Compatible: Works on Folia servers

• Cross-Version: Compatible with Minecraft 1.21+

• Plugin Hooks: Soft-depends on PlaceholderAPI

🚀 Advanced Features

Database Change Polling

How it works:

1. Plugin checks database for changes periodically

2. Detects new, modified, or deleted announcements

3. Automatically refreshes local cache

4. Restarts affected announcement tasks

Advantages:

• No special database privileges needed

• Works with managed MySQL services

• Simple and reliable

• Configurable polling interval

Per-Player vs Broadcast Mode

Intelligent Message Routing:

Broadcast Mode (faster):

• Used when message has no placeholders

• Single message sent to all players

• Minimal CPU usage

Per-Player Mode (dynamic):

• Used when message contains placeholders

• Message parsed individually for each player

• Shows player-specific values

Auto-Detection: Plugin automatically detects which mode to use based on message content.

Session Management

What it does: Tracks player GUI sessions and pending operations.

Features:

• Tracks pending chat inputs

• Tracks current announcement being edited

• Cleans up on player disconnect

• Prevents conflicts between players

📊 Feature Comparison

Feature	AnnouncementGUI	Manual Config	Other Plugins
GUI Interface	✅ Yes	❌ No	⚠️ Some
Multi-Server	✅ Yes	⚠️ Complex	⚠️ Rare
PlaceholderAPI	✅ Yes	⚠️ Manual	✅ Common
MiniMessage	✅ Yes	❌ No	⚠️ Some
Import/Export	✅ Yes	⚠️ Manual	❌ Rare
Folia Support	✅ Yes	N/A	❌ Rare
Real-Time Sync	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ Rare
Easy Setup	✅ Yes	❌ No	⚠️ Varies

Related Documentation:

• GUI Guide - Detailed GUI usage

• PlaceholderAPI Integration - Placeholder usage

• Multi-Server Setup - Network configuration

• Configuration Guide - Configuration options