PlayHours/docs/MOTD.md

MOTD System

The MOTD (Message of the Day) system displays real-time schedule information in the Minecraft server list, providing players with up-to-date information about server availability.

🎯 Overview

The MOTD system automatically updates the server list description to show:

• Server status (Open/Closed) with color coding
• Next opening time when the server is closed
• Next closing time when the server is open
• Countdown timer when closing soon
• Force mode indicators for maintenance or special modes
• Custom information with flexible formatting

⚙️ Basic Configuration

Enabling MOTD

[general]
motd_enabled = true  # Enable MOTD feature

Basic Display Settings

[motd]
show_status = true                    # Display Open/Closed status
show_next_open = true                 # Show next opening time when closed
show_next_close = true                # Show next closing time when open
show_schedule_times = false           # Show detailed schedule summary
show_on_second_line = true            # Place info on second MOTD line
separator = " | "                     # Separator between elements

🎨 Visual Configuration

Colors

[motd]
use_colors = true                     # Enable colored MOTD
open_color = "green"                  # Color for "open" status
closed_color = "red"                  # Color for "closed" status
info_color = "gray"                   # Color for informational text

Supported Colors

Color	Code	Description
black	§0	Black text
dark_blue	§1	Dark blue text
dark_green	§2	Dark green text
dark_aqua	§3	Dark aqua text
dark_red	§4	Dark red text
dark_purple	§5	Dark purple text
gold	§6	Gold text
gray	§7	Gray text
dark_gray	§8	Dark gray text
blue	§9	Blue text
green	§a	Green text
aqua	§b	Aqua text
red	§c	Red text
light_purple	§d	Light purple text
yellow	§e	Yellow text
white	§f	White text

Color Examples

[motd]
use_colors = true
open_color = "green"      # Green for open status
closed_color = "red"       # Red for closed status
info_color = "yellow"     # Yellow for informational text

📝 Custom Formatting

Custom Format String

[motd]
custom_format = "Status: %status% - Next: %openday% at %opentime%"

Available Placeholders

Placeholder	Description	Example
%status%	Current server status	"Open" or "Closed"
%openday%	Day when server next opens	"Monday"
%opentime%	Time when server next opens	"9:00 AM"
%closetime%	Time when server closes	"10:00 PM"
%nextopen%	Combined next open info	"Monday at 9:00 AM"
%nextclose%	Next close time	"10:00 PM"
%minutes%	Minutes until close (countdown)	"15"
%mode%	Current force mode	"NORMAL", "FORCE_OPEN", or "FORCE_CLOSED"
%isopen%	Whether server is currently open	"yes" or "no"

Format Examples

# Simple status
custom_format = "Status: %status%"

# Detailed information
custom_format = "Status: %status% - Next: %openday% at %opentime%"

# With countdown
custom_format = "Status: %status% - Closing in %minutes% min"

📋 Custom Lines

Static Text Lines

[motd]
custom_lines = [
    "🎮 My Game Server",
    "Status: %status%",
    "Next open: %openday% at %opentime%"
]

Multi-Line Examples

# Server branding with status
custom_lines = [
    "🌟 Welcome to My Server!",
    "Status: %status% | Next: %openday%"
]

# Detailed information
custom_lines = [
    "🎮 My Game Server",
    "Status: %status%",
    "Next open: %openday% at %opentime%",
    "Visit: example.com"
]

🔄 Advanced Features

Force Mode Display

[motd]
show_force_mode = true                # Show FORCE_OPEN/FORCE_CLOSED indicator

Display Examples:

• ⚠️ Always Open (FORCE_OPEN mode)
• ⚠️ Maintenance (FORCE_CLOSED mode)

Countdown Display

[motd]
show_countdown = true                 # Show countdown when closing soon
countdown_threshold_minutes = 30     # Minutes before close to show countdown

Display Examples:

• Closing in 15 min (when within threshold)
• Closing in 5 min (when very close)

Update Frequency

[motd]
update_delay_seconds = 60             # Delay between MOTD updates (1-600)

Update Intervals:

• Fast (10-30 seconds) - Near real-time updates
• Default (60 seconds) - Good balance of accuracy and performance
• Slow (120+ seconds) - Reduced server load

🎭 MOTD Examples

Example 1: Default MOTD

Configuration:

[motd]
show_status = true
show_next_open = true
show_next_close = true
use_colors = true
open_color = "green"
closed_color = "red"

Display:

[Your Server Name]
🟢 Open | Closes at 10:00 PM

Example 2: Custom Format

Configuration:

[motd]
custom_format = "Status: %status% - Next: %openday% at %opentime%"
use_colors = true
open_color = "green"
closed_color = "red"

Display:

Status: Closed - Next: Monday at 9:00 AM

Example 3: Custom Lines

Configuration:

[motd]
custom_lines = [
    "🎮 My Game Server",
    "Status: %status%",
    "Next open: %openday% at %opentime%"
]
use_colors = true
open_color = "green"
closed_color = "red"

Display:

🎮 My Game Server
Status: Open
Next open: Monday at 9:00 AM

Example 4: Force Mode Display

Configuration:

[motd]
show_force_mode = true
show_status = true
use_colors = true

Display (FORCE_OPEN):

⚠️ Always Open | Open

Display (FORCE_CLOSED):

⚠️ Maintenance | Closed

Example 5: Countdown Display

Configuration:

[motd]
show_countdown = true
countdown_threshold_minutes = 30
show_status = true
show_next_close = true

Display:

🟢 Open | Closing in 15 min | Closes at 10:00 PM

🔧 Performance Optimization

Update Frequency Guidelines

Server Size	Recommended Interval	Reason
Small (10-50 players)	10-30 seconds	Near real-time updates
Medium (50-150 players)	30-60 seconds	Good balance
Large (150+ players)	60-120 seconds	Reduce server load
Very Large (300+ players)	120-300 seconds	Minimal impact

Configuration Examples

High-Traffic Server:

[motd]
update_delay_seconds = 120  # Update every 2 minutes

Real-Time Updates:

[motd]
update_delay_seconds = 10   # Update every 10 seconds

Minimal Impact:

[motd]
update_delay_seconds = 300  # Update every 5 minutes

🚫 Minecraft Limitations

Hard Limits

The MOTD display in Minecraft has strict limitations:

• Maximum 2 lines - Only 2 lines are displayed in the server list
• Character limit - ~59 characters per line
• Total limit - ~118 characters across both lines
• Color codes count - Color codes count toward character limit

What Gets Truncated

• Lines beyond 2nd - Automatically removed
• Lines exceeding 59 characters - Automatically truncated
• Long placeholder values - May cause truncation

Best Practices

1. Keep it concise - Use short, informative text
2. Test in-game - Verify MOTD displays correctly
3. Use abbreviations - "Mon" instead of "Monday"
4. Avoid redundancy - Don't repeat information
5. Consider timezone - Times can vary in length

Good MOTD Examples

Concise and Informative:

Open | Next: Monday at 09:00 AM

(~41 characters - well under limit)

With Status:

Status: Open | Closing at 11:59 PM

(~39 characters per line)

With Countdown:

Open | Closing in 15 min | Next: Mon

(~35 characters per line)

🌍 Multi-Language Support

Language-Specific Formatting

The MOTD system automatically adapts to the configured locale:

English (en_us):

• Time format: 12-hour AM/PM (09:00 AM)
• Day names: Full names (Monday)

French (fr_fr):

• Time format: 24-hour (18:00)
• Day names: French names (Lundi)

Locale Configuration

[general]
message_locale = "en_us"  # or "fr_fr"

Localized Examples

English MOTD:

🟢 Open | Closes at 10:00 PM

French MOTD:

🟢 Ouvert | Ferme à 22:00

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

MOTD Not Updating:

• Check if motd_enabled = true
• Verify update frequency settings
• Check server logs for errors

Truncated Display:

• Reduce text length
• Use abbreviations
• Test in-game to verify

Color Issues:

• Verify color names are correct
• Check for invalid color codes
• Test with use_colors = false

Debug Commands

/hours motd status    # View current MOTD settings
/hours motd toggle    # Toggle MOTD on/off
/hours reload         # Reload configuration

Log Messages

Look for these log messages:

[INFO] MOTD updated: Status: Open | Closes at 10:00 PM
[WARN] MOTD truncated: Line exceeds 59 characters
[ERROR] MOTD error: Invalid color code

📚 Related Documentation

• Configuration Guide - MOTD configuration options
• Commands Reference - MOTD commands
• Features Overview - MOTD feature details
• Usage Examples - Real-world MOTD scenarios

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For configuration file options, see the Configuration Guide.