Minecraft TAB Plugin

Last modified on Jan 22, 2024 in Plugins

By Nathan Young

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Setting up a Minecraft server can be a challenging task, as there’s lots of customization. One of these is the tab list, providing players with useful information. Examples include websites, commands, latency, ranks, and more! These details are considered essential for Minecraft servers, as they help make everything seem more professional. However, small communities might just want to personalize their tab list with anything they want. Regardless of your reasoning, working on this can prove to be troublesome. Due to this, there’s a plugin simply called TAB that gives you all the necessary tools to make it happen. This allows you to have many unique features, including special animations and scoreboards. We’ll be showing you how to install and use TAB on your Minecraft server in this Apex Hosting guide.

Server Installation

Before getting started, you’ll want to make sure the Minecraft server is running on Spigot, Paper, or another type suitable for plugins. This can be achieved by selecting any of those in the Game File area of your main panel, then restarting to generate the required files. Afterward, you can follow along below to download and install TAB on your server.

1. Navigate to TAB on Spigot, then click the Download Now button.
   
2. Save this somewhere easily accessible on your computer for later.
3. Proceed to head towards your Apex server panel, then click FTP File Access.
   
4. Continue to the plugins directory and press the Upload button at the top left.
5. Drag and drop the downloaded file into the respective area.
   
6. Wait for this to reach 100%, then Restart the server from the main panel.

TAB Customization

Upon joining the Minecraft server, players will notice a new tab list with generic text. This showcases the potential of the plugin, but isn’t everything to it. With this in mind, we’ll review basic configurations for you to get started. We highly recommend using the FTP panel to access and edit the settings, resulting in a customized tab list. Proceed to the following directory: …/plugins/TAB. This area reveals important files for you to configure, such as config.yml and animations.yml. There are several commands in-game that can be used for this process too, requiring OP permissions. However, the easiest and most efficient way to edit the tab list is through the plugin’s files. When you’re ready, review the information below. Alternatively, visit the official wiki for more details about the configuration.

Player List

Inside of the main config.yml file, you’ll see a header and footer for the tab list. This is the primary location for customization, as you can add lines with any text you want. Use color codes and spacing as needed throughout this section, then click the Save button at the top.

Each line will start with a dash and be encased with single quotation marks, containing the text. When you’re finished editing this area, execute the /tab reload command in-game or from the console. This updates the tab list and becomes visible to anyone on the Minecraft server. For those with multiple worlds, there’s a “per-world” section for you to configure. Using this can personalize your experience, as some servers might have unique gamemodes with specific information relating to them.

Animations

In cases where you want to further customize the tab list, consider using animated text. These are predefined in the animations.yml file, allowing you to get creative. For example, you can make one word switch colors or completely change the text to anything else.

There’s even the ability to use HEX colors for Minecraft 1.16+ servers – requiring this format: & # 000000, without the spaces. Determine the interval for each line shift, then save these changes and return to the config.yml file. Use your animation’s name in this format to begin using it: %animation:MyText%. The default tab list includes some examples of animated text, helping you learn more about its usage. The possibilities are endless with this functionality, especially with HEX colors and special characters.

Placeholders

For server owners wanting to present more information to their players, using official placeholders from TAB can do that. These include the person’s username, their latency, and how many users are online. All of these follow the same format, %placeholder%, with their corresponding names.

We encourage you to review the official wiki to learn them all, but key examples are player, ping, online, world, time, date, and displayname. Use these in your headers or footers, similar to animated text. Make sure to save and reload the plugin so the changes are applied.

Usernames

Another unique feature of this plugin is the ability to add rank prefixes, even hooking into LuckPerms or other group managers. This helps when organizing the tab list based on roles, such as owner or admin. Additionally, their prefix will appear in-game over their character’s head.

These aspects of the TAB plugin can be toggled but typically remains enabled on most Minecraft servers. Access the groups.yml file to begin editing the prefixes for groups, which allows for color codes, HEX, and even placeholders or animations. This means you can truly personalize your Minecraft server with custom usernames, along with nicknames from other plugins.

Scoreboard

Rather than only editing the tab list, you have the option to enable and create scoreboards. These appear on the right side of a player’s screen, mainly for minigames or other modes. This is extremely similar to tab list configurations, as you’re allowed to use placeholders, color codes, HEX, and animations.

This is located in the main config.yml file, requiring it to be enabled first. Make sure to do this before editing its section, as nothing would appear in-game otherwise. Besides this, there are multiple scoreboards depending on ranks or permission nodes. An example of this would be to create an admin version that shows useful information.

Quick Templates

  header:
  - <#FFFFFF>&m                                                </#FFFF00>
  - '&3&lServer name'
  - '&7Welcome %player%!'
  - ''
  footer:
  - '&7Online players: &f%online%'
  - '&7Ping: %ping%'
  - ''
  - '&7Visit our store: YourDomain.com'
  - <#FFFFFF>&m                                                </#FFFF00>

    scoreboard1:
      title: Default
      lines:
      - '%animation:MyAnimation1%'
      - '&6My Stats:'
      - '* &eKills&7: &f%statistic_player_kills%'
      - '* &eDeaths&7: &f%statistic_deaths%'
      - '* &eHealth&7: &f%health%'
      - ' '
      - '&6Personal Info:'
      - '* &bRank&7: &f%group%'
      - '* &bPing&7: &f%ping%&7ms'
      - '* &bWorld&7: &f%world%'
      - '%animation:MyAnimation1%'

Owner:
  tabprefix: '&0&l[&a&lOwner&0&l] &a'
  tagprefix: '&2&lOwner &a'
Admin:
  tabprefix: '&0&l[&4&lAdmin&0&l] &1'
  tagprefix: '&4&lAdmin &a'
Player:
  tabprefix: '&0&l[&7&lPlayer&0&l] &3'
  tagprefix: '&2&lPlayer &3'

TAB Plugin FAQ

This happens when failing to save the changes, not executing the /tab reload command, or having an incorrect configuration. We strongly recommend double-checking your lines for the header, footers, or anything else in the plugin files – as even one mistake can result in this situation. Remember, each line must be encased with single quotation marks. Without this, it will break the tab list! Similar concepts apply for the animations, placeholders, etc.

Install the PlaceHolderAPI plugin, then your other placeholders should work in the TAB configuration. However, you might need to run the /papi ecloud download [extension] command – with the extension being your desired plugin. Remember to use the %placeholder% format when editing anything from TAB. If you still have issues, then incompatibility might be the reason for it continuing to fail.

Yes, but only for Minecraft servers using 1.16 or above. This means 1.15 and below are unable to use HEX colors. Make sure to use the & # 000000 format, without any spaces, when editing the TAB files, along with using valid numbers for them. Although, you can try using “<#FFFFFF> Text </#FFFF00>” in the headers or footers to accomplish similar feats.

Useful Links

TAB on Spigot
Official TAB Wiki
How to Add Plugins to Minecraft
Becoming a Minecraft Server OP