GUI Guide

Complete guide to using the AnnouncementGUI graphical interface.

📋 Overview

AnnouncementGUI provides a user-friendly, menu-driven interface for managing announcements. No complex commands to remember - just click and configure!

🎮 Opening the GUI

Command: /announcegui Permission: announcegui.admin

Type the command in chat and the main menu will open.

🏠 Main Menu

The main menu is your hub for all announcement operations.

Layout

╔═══════════════════════════╗
║     🌟 Announcements     ║
╠═══════════════════════════╣
║  [+Create] [⚙Edit] [✗Delete]  ║
║                           ║
║         [✖ Close]         ║
╚═══════════════════════════╝

Options

Button
Description
Action

+ Create

Create new announcement

Opens creation wizard

⚙ Edit

Edit existing announcements

Opens announcement list

✗ Delete

Delete announcements

Opens delete list

✖ Close

Close the menu

Exits GUI

➕ Creating an Announcement

1

Open Creation Wizard

  • Open main menu: /announcegui

  • Click "+ Create" (green concrete)

2

Set Name (Optional)

Item: Name Tag — Click to set name

Steps:

  • Click the Name Tag item (GUI closes, chat prompt appears)

  • Type a descriptive name (e.g., "Welcome Message")

  • Press Enter

  • Confirmation message appears

Example:

Tips:

  • Names are optional but recommended

  • Use clear, descriptive names

  • Keep names short (1-3 words)

3

Set Message (Required)

Item: Paper — Click to add message lines

Steps:

  • Click the Paper item (GUI closes, multi-line prompt appears)

  • Type first line, press Enter

  • Type second line, press Enter

  • Continue for all lines

  • Type DONE when finished

  • Confirmation message appears

Example:

Formatting:

  • Use MiniMessage: <green>Text</green>

  • Use legacy codes: &aText

  • Use PlaceholderAPI: %player_name%

Tips:

  • Empty lines are skipped

  • Type DONE to finish (case-insensitive)

  • Can add as many lines as needed

4

Set Interval (Required)

Item: Clock — Click to set broadcast interval

Steps:

  • Click the Clock item (GUI closes, prompt appears)

  • Type interval in seconds

  • Press Enter

  • Confirmation message appears

Example:

Common Intervals:

  • 60 = 1 minute

  • 300 = 5 minutes

  • 600 = 10 minutes

  • 900 = 15 minutes

  • 1800 = 30 minutes

  • 3600 = 1 hour

Tips:

  • Must be positive number

  • Measured in seconds

  • Minimum: 1 second (not recommended)

  • Recommended minimum: 60 seconds

5

Select Server (Required)

Item: Compass — Click to select target server

Steps:

  • Click the Compass item (GUI closes, prompt appears with server list)

  • Type server ID or ALL

  • Press Enter

  • Confirmation message appears

Example:

Options:

  • Type specific server ID (e.g., "lobby", "survival")

  • Type ALL for network-wide broadcast

  • Must match configured servers in config.yml

Tips:

  • Server IDs are from config.yml servers list

  • ALL broadcasts to all servers with enableAllServersAnnouncements: true

  • Case-sensitive (usually lowercase)

6

Save

After setting all required properties:

  • Reopen GUI: /announcegui

  • Click "✓ Save" (green concrete)

  • Announcement is created and starts automatically (if enabled)

Confirmation:

7

Cancel (Optional)

To discard changes:

  • Click "✗ Cancel" (red concrete)

  • GUI closes without saving

Confirmation:

✏️ Editing Announcements

1

Open Edit List

  • Open main menu: /announcegui

  • Click "⚙ Edit" (gold block)

2

Browse Announcements

Layout

Navigation:

  • 14 announcements per page

  • Next →: Go to next page

  • ← Previous: Go to previous page

  • ← Back: Return to main menu

  • + New: Create new announcement

Announcement Display: Each announcement shows:

  • Name (if set)

  • First line of message

  • Interval time

  • Target server

  • Status (✓ Enabled / ✗ Disabled)

3

Select Announcement

  • Click on any announcement to edit it.

4

Edit Properties

Layout

Edit Options:

Button
Property
Action

Name Tag

Name

Change announcement name

Paper

Message

Edit message lines

Clock

Interval

Change broadcast interval

Compass

Server

Change target server

Lever

Status

Toggle enabled/disabled

5

Editing Name

  • Click Name Tag

  • Type new name

  • Confirmation appears

6

Editing Message

  • Click Paper (opens line editor GUI)

  • Click "Add Line" or click existing line to edit

  • Type new lines or modifications

  • Click "Done" to save

Line Editor

7

Editing Interval

  • Click Clock

  • Type new interval in seconds

  • Confirmation appears

8

Editing Server

  • Click Compass

  • Type new server ID or ALL

  • Confirmation appears

9

Toggle Status

  • Click Lever

  • Status immediately switches (announcement starts/stops)

States:

  • Enabled (✓): Announcement is running

  • Disabled (✗): Announcement is paused

10

Save Changes

  • Click "✓ Save" (green concrete)

  • Changes are saved to database

  • Announcement restarts with new settings

Confirmation:

11

Alternative Actions

Delete from Edit Screen:

  • Click "✗ Delete" (red concrete)

  • Confirmation dialog appears

  • Confirm to delete

Go Back:

  • Click "← Back" (barrier) to return to announcement list

🗑️ Deleting Announcements

1

Open Delete List

  • Open main menu: /announcegui

  • Click "✗ Delete" (red concrete)

2

Browse Announcements

  • Same layout as edit list, showing all announcements.

3

Select Announcement

  • Click on announcement you want to delete.

4

Confirm Deletion

Layout

Options:

  • ✓ Confirm (green): Delete announcement

  • ✗ Cancel (red): Cancel deletion

5

Deletion Complete

Confirmation:

The announcement is:

  • Removed from database

  • Stopped immediately

  • Synced across all servers (if using MySQL)

🎨 GUI Colors and Materials

Color Coding

Color
Meaning
Examples

Green

Create/Save/Confirm

Create button, Save button

Gold/Yellow

Edit/Modify

Edit button, property items

Red

Delete/Cancel

Delete button, Cancel button

Gray

Navigation/Neutral

Back button, Close button

Black

Decoration

Border items, spacers

Item Materials

Material
Purpose

Lime Concrete

Create/Save actions

Gold Block

Edit actions

Red Concrete

Delete/Cancel actions

Name Tag

Name fields

Paper

Message fields

Clock

Time/Interval fields

Compass

Server selection

Lever

Toggle switches

Barrier

Close/Back actions

Arrow

Navigation

Nether Star

Title/Header

💡 GUI Tips and Tricks

Tip: Press ESC to close any GUI quickly.

Quick Editing

  • To quickly toggle an announcement on/off:

    1. Open edit list

    2. Click announcement

    3. Click "Toggle Status"

    4. Click "Save"

Batch Operations

  • To apply same interval to multiple announcements:

    1. Remember the interval value

    2. Edit each announcement

    3. Set interval to same value

    4. Save each one

Copy Announcements

  • Export announcements: /announcegui export

  • Edit JSON file, duplicate entry with new ID

  • Import back: /announcegui import announcements.json merge

Testing Messages

  • Set interval to high value (e.g., 9999)

  • Create announcement

  • Check in-game appearance

  • Edit and adjust formatting

  • Set correct interval when satisfied

Organizing Announcements

  • Use naming conventions:

    • [Server] Description - e.g., "[Survival] Vote Reminder"

    • [Interval] Description - e.g., "[5min] Welcome Message"

    • [Type] Description - e.g., "[Info] Server Rules"

Disable Instead of Delete

  • Use "Toggle Status" to disable instead of deleting

Preview Before Saving

  • Set message with formatting, check in chat, then save when satisfied

🔍 GUI Troubleshooting

GUI doesn't open

Causes:

  • No permission

  • Plugin not loaded

  • Server lag

Solutions:

  1. Check permission: announcegui.admin

  2. Verify plugin loaded: /plugins

  3. Check console for errors

  4. Try again after a moment

Items not clickable

Causes:

  • Another plugin blocking

  • Inventory desync

  • Client lag

Solutions:

  1. Close and reopen GUI

  2. Relog to server

  3. Check for conflicting plugins

Chat input not working

Causes:

  • Chat plugin interfering

  • Another chat input active

  • Session expired

Solutions:

  1. Close all GUIs first

  2. Wait a moment and try again

  3. Check console for errors

  4. Relog if problem persists

Changes not saving

Causes:

  • Database connection issue

  • Permission issue

  • Network problem (MySQL)

Solutions:

  1. Check console for database errors

  2. Verify database connectivity

  3. Check config.yml settings

  4. Check MySQL server status

Announcements not appearing in list

Causes:

  • Wrong page

  • Filter active

  • Database not synced

Solutions:

  1. Use navigation arrows to check other pages

  2. Wait for sync (if using MySQL)

  3. Reload server

  4. Check database directly

📱 GUI Best Practices

Plan Before Creating

  • Know what message you want

  • Have formatting codes ready

  • Decide on interval

  • Choose target server

Use Descriptive Names

  • Always set names for announcements to ease management

Test Before Network-Wide

  • Test on single server first, verify formatting and interval, then deploy to ALL

Regular Maintenance

  • Periodically review announcements: delete outdated ones, update stale info, adjust intervals, disable unused ones

Backup Before Bulk Changes

  • Export current announcements before major edits and keep as backup

Use Consistent Formatting

  • Establish standards for colors, message structure, prefixes/suffixes, and placeholders

Document Your Setup

  • Keep notes on announcement purposes, interval reasoning, target server logic, and special configurations

🎓 GUI Workflow Examples

Example 1: Welcome Message

Goal: Create welcome message every 5 minutes on all servers.

Steps:

  1. /announcegui → Click "Create"

  2. Name: "Welcome Message"

  3. Message:

  1. Interval: 300 (5 minutes)

  2. Server: ALL

  3. Click "Save"

Example 2: Server-Specific Announcement

Goal: Vote reminder every 10 minutes on survival server.

Steps:

  1. /announcegui → Click "Create"

  2. Name: "Vote Reminder - Survival"

  3. Message: <gold>Vote for rewards: /vote</gold>

  4. Interval: 600 (10 minutes)

  5. Server: survival

  6. Click "Save"

Example 3: Seasonal Message

Goal: Holiday message that can be toggled.

Steps:

  1. Create announcement with holiday message

  2. Set interval and server

  3. Save

  4. When holiday ends: Edit → Toggle Status → Save

Example 4: Dynamic Announcement

Goal: Announcement with player placeholders.

Steps:

  1. /announcegui → Click "Create"

  2. Name: "Player Stats"

  3. Message:

  1. Interval: 300

  2. Server: ALL

  3. Click "Save"

Related Documentation:

  • Commands Guide - Command-based operations

  • Features Guide - Feature details

  • PlaceholderAPI Integration - Using placeholders

  • Configuration Guide - Configuring the plugin

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