How to Install and Use the ActionAnnouncer Plugin

Last modified on Jun 20, 2023 in Plugins

By Dalton Whalen

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Overview

When hosting a Minecraft server, providing information to players is important for gameplay and the server’s health. Much of this information is provided through various announcements, whether it is a reminder to vote or listing how many active players are online. When you have multiple messages you wish to provide, organization can become difficult, leading to a desire for finding the right plugin for the job. This is solved with ActionAnnouncer, a plugin that allows you to configure and display messages to players. With options to configure which messages appear and when, you can remind players of rules, events, and much more. Installing and configuring plugins is easy with Apex Hosting, so we have created this guide to assist you in getting started.
 

Summary

ActionAnnouncer is created by clip on the SpigotMC website. Spanning from 1.8 to modern versions, this plugin has over 32,000 downloads at the time of writing. ActionAnnouncer allows you to customize various messages for your server players to view. In addition to this, it can be used with other plugins like PlaceholderAPI to further improve the customization options.
 

Download ActionAnnouncer

1. Visit the ActionAnnouncer Spigot Page.
2. Press the blue Download Now button in the top-right.
   
3. When prompted, save the .jar file to a safe location.

Server Installation

1. Navigate to the Apex Server Panel, then stop the server.
2. Scroll down to the “Game File” section.
   
3. Ensure you are running a plugin-compatible version such as PaperMC or Spigot.
4. In the left-hand menu, enter the FTP File Access and log in.
5. Create or locate the plugins folder, then enter it.
   
6. Press Upload in the top-left, then drag + drop the plugin .jar file.
7. Once at 100%, return to the main panel and restart the server.

 
When the server finishes booting, your plugin should be loaded up and ready to use! You can ensure it is working by entering “plugins” into the console and checking for ActionAnnouncer to be listed.
 

In-Game Functionality

Upon logging into the server for the first time, you will notice a message appear right above your hotbar, welcoming you to the server. By default, the plugin provides a message that is shown to each player that joins the server.

In addition to this, you will see other messages that will appear at an interval. These messages can appear randomly or in a set order to anyone actively playing on the server. This is beneficial if you want to remind players to vote, list active players, or anything else.

Other Plugins

While ActionAnnouncer can operate completely independently, it can be used with other plugins to add more features. One of the largest additions is the use of PlaceholderAPI, allowing you to add various placeholders to each of the announcements. When used with plugins like EssentialsX, you can add placeholders for currency, rank, and more! For a list of all PlaceholderAPI expansions, check out this page.

Configuration File

1. From the Apex Panel, ensure the server is completely offline.
2. In the left-hand menu, enter and log into the FTP File Access.
3. Visit the plugins folder, followed by ActionAnnouncer.
   
4. Press Edit to the far-right of the config.yml file.
   

   announcer_enabled: - Send announcements automatically.
   announcer_random: - Sends announcements in a random order.
   announce_interval: - How many seconds between each announcement.
   announcement_length: - How long an announcement is displayed.
   announcements: - Each possible message that will be sent.
   announce_on_join: - Whether an announcement is made when a player joins.
   join_announcement: - The message that is displayed when a player joins.
   disable_sounds: - Disable sound effects when announcements are sent.

5. Make any adjustments that you desire, then press Save once complete.
6. Restart the server for the changes to reflect in-game.

Commands & Permissions

Common Issues

The plugin and its commands aren’t working:
If the plugin is not working at all when in-game, try to use the “/plugins” command. If the command does not work, ensure you are running a version such as Paper or Spigot, otherwise plugins will not load. If the plugin name appears in red when using the command, it may be outdated and require an update.

I receive a warning when trying to save the config file:
If you receive a warning while trying to save the ActionAnnouncer config.yml file, there is likely an error in the formatting. The incorrect line is often marked with a symbol within the editor, allowing you to easily fix the problem. Ensure any indentations, quotation marks, and other formatting matches the other lines within the file. If you cannot fix the errors, delete the config.yml file instead to regenerate a new one. Once either of these options are complete, restart the server for it to take effect.
 

Helpful Links

ActionAnnouncer Spigot Page
How to Find Plugins