hytale-chat-formatting

name	hytale-chat-formatting
description	Formats chat messages in Hytale plugins using PlayerChatEvent and TinyMessage rich text. Use when creating chat formatters, applying colors/gradients, adding clickable links, styling messages, or handling chat events. Triggers - chat, message, PlayerChatEvent, TinyMsg, gradient, chat color, rich text, sendMessage, Formatter.

Hytale Chat Formatting Skill

Use this skill when working on chat message formatting in Hytale plugins. This covers the PlayerChatEvent, manual Message formatting, and the TinyMessage rich text library.

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Quick Reference

Concept	Description
PlayerChatEvent	Event triggered when a player sends a chat message
Formatter	Interface to customize how chat messages are displayed
Message	Hytale's message object for styled text
TinyMsg	Third-party library for rich text parsing (gradients, colors, links)

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PlayerChatEvent

The PlayerChatEvent is triggered when a player sends a chat message. You can:

• Cancel the event to block the message
• Modify the content
• Set a custom formatter
• Access the sender and target list

Event Properties

Method	Description
getSender()	Returns the PlayerRef who sent the message
getContent()	Returns the message content as a String
setContent(String)	Modify the message content
setCancelled(boolean)	Cancel the event to block the message
setFormatter(Formatter)	Set a custom formatter for the message
getTargets()	List of players who will see the message

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Manual Formatting (Standard Approach)

Use Message API directly for basic formatting without external dependencies.

Basic Example

import com.hypixel.hytale.server.core.Message;
import com.hypixel.hytale.server.core.Color;
import com.hypixel.hytale.server.event.player.PlayerChatEvent;
import com.hypixel.hytale.server.player.PlayerRef;

public class ChatFormatter {
    public static void onPlayerChat(PlayerChatEvent event) {
        PlayerRef sender = event.getSender();
        
        // Block specific words
        if (event.getContent().equalsIgnoreCase("poo")) {
            event.setCancelled(true);
            sender.sendMessage(Message.raw("Hey, you cannot say that!").color(Color.RED));
            return;
        }
        
        // Modify message content
        if (event.getContent().equalsIgnoreCase("you stink")) {
            event.setContent("i stink");
        }
        
        // Set custom formatter
        event.setFormatter((playerRef, message) ->
            Message.join(
                Message.raw("[COOL] ").color(Color.RED),
                Message.raw(sender.getUsername()).color(Color.YELLOW),
                Message.raw(" : " + message).color(Color.PINK)
            ));
    }
}

Formatter Interface

public interface Formatter {
    @Nonnull
    Message format(@Nonnull PlayerRef playerRef, @Nonnull String message);
}

Message API Methods

Method	Description
Message.raw(String)	Create a message from raw text
Message.join(Message...)	Join multiple messages together
.color(Color)	Apply a color to the message

Available Colors

Standard Color class provides: RED, YELLOW, PINK, BLUE, GREEN, WHITE, BLACK, GOLD, GRAY, AQUA, etc.

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TinyMessage - Rich Text Library

TinyMessage is a lightweight rich text parser for Hytale servers, similar to Minecraft's MiniMessage. It provides an easier way to create styled messages with gradients, hex colors, and clickable links.

Features

• Gradients: Multi-color text gradients
• Hex Colors: Custom colors using hex codes
• Standard Styles: Bold, italic, underline, monospace
• Clickable Links: URL links in chat
• Nested Styling: Combine multiple styles

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TinyMessage Tags Reference

Color Tags

Tag	Aliases	Example	Description
<color:X>	<c:X>, <colour:X>	<color:red>text</color>	Named or hex color
<gradient:X:Y:Z>	<grnt:X:Y:Z>	<gradient:red:blue>text</gradient>	Color gradient

Style Tags

Tag	Aliases	Example	Description
<bold>	<b>	<b>text</b>	Bold text
<italic>	<i>, <em>	<i>text</i>	Italic text
<underline>	<u>	<u>text</u>	Underlined text
<monospace>	<mono>	<mono>text</mono>	Monospace font
<reset>	<r>	<b>bold<reset>normal	Reset all formatting

Link Tags

Tag	Aliases	Example	Description
<link:URL>	<url:link>	<link:https://example.com>click</link>	Clickable link

Named Colors

black, dark_blue, dark_green, dark_aqua, dark_red, dark_purple, gold, gray, dark_gray, blue, green, aqua, red, light_purple, yellow, white

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TinyMessage Usage Examples

Basic Usage

import fi.sulku.hytale.TinyMsg;
import com.hypixel.hytale.server.core.Message;

// Parse a formatted string into a Message
Message message = TinyMsg.parse("<gradient:red:blue>Hello World!</gradient>");
player.sendMessage(message);

// Multiple styles
TinyMsg.parse("<b><color:gold>Bold Gold Text</color></b>");

// Clickable gradient link
TinyMsg.parse("<link:https://example.com><gradient:aqua:blue>Click me!</gradient></link>");

// Complex nested styling
TinyMsg.parse("<b>Bold <i>and italic <color:red>and red</color></i></b>");

// Reset styles mid-text
TinyMsg.parse("<b>Bold <reset>normal text");

Chat Event with TinyMessage

public class ChatFormatter {
    private void onPlayerChat(PlayerChatEvent event) {
        PlayerRef sender = event.getSender();
        
        if (event.getContent().equalsIgnoreCase("poo")) {
            event.setCancelled(true);
            sender.sendMessage(TinyMsg.parse("<red>Hey, you cannot say that!</red>"));
            return;
        }
        
        if (event.getContent().equalsIgnoreCase("you stink")) {
            event.setContent("i stink");
        }
        
        // Custom chat format with TinyMessage
        event.setFormatter((playerRef, message) ->
            TinyMsg.parse("<red>[COOL] </red><yellow>" + sender.getUsername() 
                + "</yellow><pink> : " + message + "</pink>"));
    }
}

Gradient Examples

// Two-color gradient
TinyMsg.parse("<gradient:red:blue>Rainbow text!</gradient>");

// Multi-color gradient
TinyMsg.parse("<gradient:gold:red:black>Fire gradient!</gradient>");

// Gradient with hex colors
TinyMsg.parse("<gradient:#FF0000:#00FF00>Custom gradient</gradient>");

Hex Color Examples

// Hex color
TinyMsg.parse("<color:#FF55FF>Custom purple</color>");

// Named color
TinyMsg.parse("<color:gold>Gold text</color>");

// Short form
TinyMsg.parse("<c:#AABBCC>Short syntax</c>");

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TinyMessage Installation

For Server Owners

Download TinyMessage.jar from releases and place in server's mods folder.

For Developers

manifest.json

Add the dependency to your manifest:

"Dependencies": {
  "Zoltus:TinyMessage": "*"
}

Maven (pom.xml)

<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>jitpack.io</id>
        <url>https://jitpack.io</url>
    </repository>
</repositories>

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.github.Zoltus</groupId>
    <artifactId>TinyMessage</artifactId>
    <version>2.0.1</version>
    <scope>provided</scope>
</dependency>

Gradle (build.gradle)

repositories {
    maven { url = uri("https://jitpack.io") }
}

dependencies {
    compileOnly("com.github.Zoltus:TinyMessage:2.0.1")
}

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API Reference

TinyMsg.parse(String text)

Parses a string with TinyMsg tags and returns a Message object.

Parameters:

• text - The string containing TinyMessage tags

Returns:

• Message - A Hytale Message object ready to be sent to players

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Common Patterns

Rank Prefix Chat Format

event.setFormatter((playerRef, message) ->
    TinyMsg.parse("<gradient:gold:yellow>[ADMIN]</gradient> <white>" 
        + playerRef.getUsername() + "</white><gray>: " + message + "</gray>"));

Colored Server Announcements

public void announce(String text) {
    Message announcement = TinyMsg.parse(
        "<b><gradient:red:gold>[SERVER]</gradient></b> <white>" + text + "</white>");
    // Send to all players
}

Private Message Format

public void sendPrivateMessage(PlayerRef from, PlayerRef to, String message) {
    Message formatted = TinyMsg.parse(
        "<gray>[</gray><light_purple>PM</light_purple><gray>]</gray> "
        + "<i><color:#AAAAAA>" + from.getUsername() + " → " + to.getUsername() 
        + ": " + message + "</color></i>");
    to.sendMessage(formatted);
}

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Choosing an Approach

Use Case	Recommended Approach
Simple color formatting	Manual Message API
Complex gradients/styling	TinyMessage
No external dependencies	Manual Message API
Rapid development	TinyMessage
Clickable links in chat	TinyMessage

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Resources

• HytaleModding Chat Formatting Guide
• TinyMessage GitHub Repository
• TinyMessage Releases

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License

TinyMessage is available under the MIT License.