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Menus

Menus (also called GUIs - Graphical User Interfaces) provide a visual way for players to interact with Homestead without typing commands. Menus appear as chest inventories with clickable items.

Overview

Homestead uses menus for:

  • Viewing and managing regions
  • Configuring flags
  • Managing trusted members
  • Accessing region settings
  • And much more!

All menu customization is done in the menus.yml file located in the Homestead plugin folder.

Customizing Menu Titles

Menu titles appear at the top of the chest inventory interface.

Configuration

In menus.yml, find the menu-titles section:

menu-titles:
  0: "Regions"
  1: "Region: &2{region}"
  2: "Player Flags (Global)"
  3: "World Flags"
  4: "Member Flags"
  5: "Region Members"
  6: "Sub-Areas"
  7: "Region Bank"
  8: "Region Settings"

Using Color Codes

You can use Minecraft color codes to style titles:

menu-titles:
  1: "&6&lRegion: &2&l{region}"  # Gold, bold "Region:", green, bold region name
  2: "&c&lPlayer Flags"          # Red, bold title
  5: "&b» &fMembers &b«"         # Aqua arrows, white text

Common Color Codes:

  • &0 - Black
  • &1 - Dark Blue
  • &2 - Dark Green
  • &3 - Dark Aqua
  • &4 - Dark Red
  • &5 - Dark Purple
  • &6 - Gold
  • &7 - Gray
  • &8 - Dark Gray
  • &9 - Blue
  • &a - Green
  • &b - Aqua
  • &c - Red
  • &d - Light Purple
  • &e - Yellow
  • &f - White

Formatting Codes:

  • &l - Bold
  • &o - Italic
  • &n - Underline
  • &m - ~~Strikethrough~~
  • &r - Reset formatting

Customizing Menu Buttons

Buttons are the clickable items in menus. Each button has a name, description (lore), and appearance (item type).

Configuration

In menus.yml, find the buttons section:

buttons:
  0:
    name: "&cBack"
    lore:
      - "&7Return to the previous menu."
    type: RED_STAINED_GLASS_PANE

  1:
    name: "&9Previous"
    lore:
      - "&7Go to the previous page."
    type: ARROW

  2:
    name: "&9Next"
    lore:
      - "&7Go to the next page."
    type: ARROW

Button Properties

name:
The button's display name. Supports color codes.

name: "&a&lConfirm"  # Green, bold "Confirm"

lore:
A list of description lines shown when hovering over the button.

lore:
  - "&7Click to confirm this action."
  - "&cThis cannot be undone!"
  - ""
  - "&eLeft-click to continue"

type:
The Minecraft item/block to use as the button. See below for options.

Button Types

Using Regular Items

You can use any Minecraft material name:

type: DIAMOND          # A diamond item
type: IRON_SWORD       # An iron sword
type: OAK_DOOR         # An oak door
type: GRASS_BLOCK      # A grass block
type: ENCHANTED_BOOK   # An enchanted book

Finding Material Names:

  1. Visit the Minecraft Wiki
  2. Search for the item you want
  3. Look for the "Data values" or "ID" section
  4. Use the namespaced ID without minecraft: (e.g., DIAMOND_SWORD, not minecraft:diamond_sword)

Using Player Heads

Player heads let you use custom textures for buttons, creating unique icons.

Format: 

type: PLAYERHEAD-<texture>

Where <texture> is the texture ID from Minecraft-Heads.com.

Getting Custom Player Head Textures

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Visit Minecraft-Heads.com

  2. Search for a head design you like (e.g., "grass block", "warning sign", "arrow up")

  3. Select the head you want to use

  4. Scroll down to find the "Minecraft URL" section

  5. Copy the URL, which looks like: 

    http://textures.minecraft.net/texture/f9e986ccac3dc804f1bebe054dfb3e800480b7e08b2e7c6a86c84621c756c142

  6. Extract the texture ID (everything after /texture/): 

    f9e986ccac3dc804f1bebe054dfb3e800480b7e08b2e7c6a86c84621c756c142

  7. Use it in your button: 

    type: PLAYERHEAD-f9e986ccac3dc804f1bebe054dfb3e800480b7e08b2e7c6a86c84621c756c142

Popular Head Categories

  • Arrows: Up, down, left, right navigation
  • Symbols: Checkmarks, X marks, warning signs
  • Blocks: Realistic versions of Minecraft blocks
  • Letters: Individual alphabet letters
  • Numbers: 0-9 for displays
  • Misc: Gears, keys, locks, coins

Fallback Behavior

If a material name doesn't exist (wrong spelling, version mismatch, etc.), Homestead automatically uses a BARRIER block as a fallback.

Version Compatibility

If you're using a newer Minecraft version than Homestead's API version, some materials might not be recognized. For example, if Minecraft 1.21.9 adds "COPPER_GOLEM_STATUE", Homestead might not recognize it until updated. It will show as a barrier block instead.

Reloading Changes

After editing menus.yml, reload the configuration:

/hsadmin reload

Players may need to close and reopen menus to see changes.

Best Practices

  1. Use consistent colors for similar actions (green for confirm, red for cancel)
  2. Keep lore concise; players should quickly understand the button
  3. Test thoroughly after making changes
  4. Back up menus.yml before major changes
  5. Use player heads for unique, professional-looking menus
  6. Consider color-blind players; don't rely only on color to convey meaning