How to make a custom Minecraft GUI
- Pick a preset, for example a shop, warps, kits, daily rewards, an auction house or a crate preview. Or combine one of 15 layouts with one of 18 themes yourself.
- Edit the slots. Click a slot to set the material, name, lore, amount and what happens on click. Drag items to move them.
- Draw big buttons. With "Draw button", drag over several slots to make one large tile with a label and an icon on the picture.
- Shape the menu with 1 to 6 rows and the paint and hide tools, and set the title.
- Choose the export: ItemsAdder, Nexo, Oraxen, or None for plain glass panes. Set the menu name, the command that opens it and the texture namespace.
- Download the ZIP and copy its
pluginsfolder over your server'spluginsfolder. - Rebuild the resource pack with
/iazip,/nexo reloador/oraxen reload all. - Register the menu in
plugins/DeluxeMenus/config.ymlundergui_menus, run/dm reloadand restart the server once so DeluxeMenus registers the new command. Then open it with your command.
The register step in config.yml looks like this (the README in the ZIP has it with your menu name):
gui_menus:
shop:
file: shop.ymlA DeluxeMenus editor in your browser
Instead of writing YAML by hand, you build the menu visually here: the GUI maker is a DeluxeMenus editor and generator in one. Every slot, click action and the title end up as a ready menu file for DeluxeMenus when you export, with an optional custom background picture for ItemsAdder, Nexo or Oraxen. You cannot import existing DeluxeMenus files yet, but the editor saves your designs in the browser automatically, and "Save project" keeps them as a file.
What is in the ZIP
| Export | Files |
|---|---|
| Every export | plugins/DeluxeMenus/gui_menus/<menu>.yml, README.txt and a preview PNG |
| ItemsAdder | plugins/ItemsAdder/contents/<namespace>/configs/gui_<menu>.yml and the background under resourcepack/assets/<namespace>/textures/gui/ |
| Nexo | plugins/Nexo/glyphs/gui_<menu>.yml and plugins/Nexo/pack/assets/<namespace>/textures/gui/<menu>.png |
| Oraxen | plugins/Oraxen/glyphs/gui_<menu>.yml and plugins/Oraxen/pack/textures/gui/<menu>.png |
| None | Only the menu file. Big buttons become coloured glass panes with their label as item name. |
How the texture background works
Minecraft has no setting for a menu background picture. The usual trick, used here too, is a font image in the menu title: the background PNG becomes a custom character, and a negative space placeholder moves it to the left edge of the chest screen. The buttons you draw on the picture are empty, clickable slots (material: air) with their own click_commands.
- Picture size
- 256 pixels wide. The height depends on the rows: 164 pixels for 1 row up to 254 pixels for 6 rows. The extra margin lets frames stick out of the chest.
- Title
- A PlaceholderAPI line such as
%img_offset_-48%%img_gui_shop%for ItemsAdder. Copy it from the "Menu title" box. - Needs
- DeluxeMenus, PlaceholderAPI and, for the picture, ItemsAdder, Nexo or Oraxen with its PlaceholderAPI expansion.
Click actions
Every slot and button takes DeluxeMenus actions, one per line:
[player] spawnruns a command as the player.[console] give %player_name% diamond 1runs a command from the console.[openguimenu] warpsopens another DeluxeMenus menu.[message] &aHello!sends a chat message.[sound] UI_BUTTON_CLICKplays a sound,[close]closes the menu.
Common mistakes
- The title shows placeholder text. PlaceholderAPI or the texture plugin's expansion is missing, or the pack was not rebuilt.
- The background is missing for some players. They declined the server resource pack or have not rejoined since the rebuild.
- The command does nothing. The menu is not registered in DeluxeMenus' config.yml, or the server was not restarted after adding it (DeluxeMenus registers new commands on start).
/dm open <menu>works before that. - A button does not react. Its "On click" box is empty. Add at least one action.
Frequently asked questions
What is DeluxeMenus?
DeluxeMenus is a free Spigot and Paper plugin that opens chest menus from YAML files. Each slot can run commands when clicked. It needs PlaceholderAPI.
Do I need ItemsAdder for the texture background?
For the picture you need ItemsAdder, Nexo or Oraxen, because the background is part of a resource pack. Pick "None" and the export uses coloured glass panes instead, with no resource pack at all.
How do I open the menu in game?
The export sets open_command and register_command: true. Register the menu in DeluxeMenus' config.yml and restart the server once, because DeluxeMenus registers new commands on start. Then players open it with the command you chose.
Why does the background not show?
Most often the resource pack was not rebuilt (/iazip, /nexo reload or /oraxen reload all), the player has not loaded the new pack yet, or the texture plugin's PlaceholderAPI expansion is missing, so the title placeholder stays text.
Can I use custom items or player heads?
Yes. Besides vanilla materials, the material field takes itemsadder-namespace:id, nexo-id, oraxen-id and head-PlayerName, the forms DeluxeMenus understands.
Can I import an existing DeluxeMenus file?
Not yet. Your design is saved in the browser automatically, and "Save project" downloads a project file that you can open again later.
