Getting Started with zMenu

zMenu is the most powerful and flexible inventory (GUI) plugin for Minecraft servers. It allows you to create beautiful, interactive menus with an extensive configuration system that gives you complete control over every aspect of your inventories.

What is zMenu?

zMenu is a premium-quality inventory plugin that enables server administrators to create custom GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) for their Minecraft servers. Whether you need a simple server selector, a complex shop system, or an interactive quest menu, zMenu provides all the tools you need.

Key Features

Highly Customizable Inventories

• Create inventories of any size (9 to 54 slots)
• Multi-page support with automatic pagination
• Custom titles with placeholder support
• Fill items for empty slots
• Matrix-based layout system for easy design

Powerful Button System

• 9 built-in button types: NONE, INVENTORY, BACK, NEXT, PREVIOUS, HOME, JUMP, MAIN_MENU, SWITCH
• Custom click actions for each mouse button
• View and click requirements
• Player head support with custom textures
• Dynamic item updates

Extensive Action System

• 28+ action types including messages, sounds, commands, teleportation, and more
• Execute actions as player, console, or with OP permissions
• Chain multiple actions together
• Conditional actions with requirements

Advanced Features

• Pattern System: Create reusable button templates
• Player Data: Store and retrieve player-specific data
• Global Placeholders: Define values used across all inventories
• PlaceholderAPI Support: Full integration with PAPI
• MiniMessage Support: Modern text formatting for Paper servers
• Anti-Dupe System: Built-in protection against item duplication exploits
• Database Support: MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite for data persistence

Developer Friendly

• Clean, well-documented API
• Custom button type registration
• Custom action type registration
• Event system for inventory interactions

Why Choose zMenu?

Feature	zMenu	Other Plugins
Button Types	9+ built-in	Limited
Action Types	28+	Basic
Multi-page Support	Native	Often requires workarounds
Pattern System	Yes	No
Player Data Storage	Yes	Rarely
MiniMessage Support	Yes	Rarely
Database Support	MySQL/MariaDB/SQLite	Usually file-based only
API Quality	Comprehensive	Often minimal
Active Development	Yes	Varies
Free	Yes	Often paid

How It Works

zMenu uses YAML configuration files to define your inventories. Here's a simplified overview:

1. Inventories are defined in the inventories/ folder
2. Each inventory contains buttons (items that players can interact with)
3. Buttons can have actions that execute when clicked
4. Requirements control who can see or click buttons
5. Patterns allow you to reuse button configurations

Simple Example

# inventories/my_menu.yml
name: "&6My First Menu"
size: 27

items:
  welcome-button:
    slot: 13
    item:
      material: DIAMOND
      name: "&bWelcome!"
      lore:
        - "&7Click me to receive a message"
    actions:
      - type: message
        messages:
          - "&aHello, %player%!"
          - "&7Thanks for using zMenu!"

This creates a simple 27-slot inventory with a diamond in the center that sends a message when clicked.

Supported Minecraft Versions

zMenu supports Minecraft versions 1.19 to 1.21+ and works with:

• Spigot
• Paper (recommended)
• Purpur
• Pufferfish
• Folia

Next Steps

Ready to get started? Follow these steps:

1. Install zMenu on your server
2. Learn about the configuration system
3. Create your first inventory
4. Explore button types and actions

Getting Help

• Discord: Join our Discord server for support
• Modrinth: Download from Modrinth
• GitHub: Report issues on GitHub
• Dev Builds: Get development versions in the #builds channel on Discord