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This guide provides practical examples of using Runway with various plugin types and scenarios. All examples use actual code patterns from the Runway source.

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Chat Plugin Integration

Chat plugins are the most common use case for Runway. Here’s how to integrate MiniMessage formatting into chat messages.

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EssentialsX Chat

1

Install Runway

Place Runway in your plugins folder alongside EssentialsX and EssentialsXChat.
2

Configure chat format

Edit plugins/EssentialsChat/config.yml:
format: '[mm][p]<gradient:green:blue>{DISPLAYNAME}</gradient> <gray>»</gray> <white>{MESSAGE}'

# For different ranks:
group-formats:
  Admin: '[mm][p]<red>[Admin]</red> <gradient:red:gold>{DISPLAYNAME}</gradient> <gray>»</gray> <white>{MESSAGE}'
  VIP: '[mm][p]<gold>[VIP]</gold> {DISPLAYNAME} <gray>»</gray> <white>{MESSAGE}'
  default: '[mm][p]{DISPLAYNAME} <gray>»</gray> <white>{MESSAGE}'
3

Configure Runway

Ensure system messages are enabled in plugins/Runway/config.yml:
require-prefix:
  minimessage: true  # Requires [mm] prefix
  placeholders: true  # Requires [p] prefix

placeholder-hook:
  placeholderapi: true  # Enable for {DISPLAYNAME} and other placeholders
  miniplaceholders: false

listeners:
  system-messages: true  # Required for chat messages
4

Test the setup

/runway parse <gradient:green:blue>Test Message</gradient>
  • Player names display with gradient colors
  • Messages support full MiniMessage formatting
  • PlaceholderAPI variables like resolve correctly
  • Different ranks can have different color schemes

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ChatControl Red

# plugins/ChatControl/messages.yml

Formats:
  Chat:
    Message: '[mm][p]<hover:show_text:"<gray>Rank: <yellow>{vault_rank}</yellow>"><gradient:{primary_color}:{secondary_color}>{player}</gradient></hover> <gray>→</gray> <white>{message}'
  
  Join:
    Message: '[mm][p][actionbar]<green>+ {player} joined the server'
  
  Quit:
    Message: '[mm][p][actionbar]<red>- {player} left the server'

# Custom placeholders for colors
Variables:
  primary_color:
    Admin: 'red'
    Moderator: 'blue'
    Default: 'gray'
  secondary_color:
    Admin: 'gold'
    Moderator: 'aqua'
    Default: 'white'
Features demonstrated:
  • Hover text with rank information
  • Dynamic gradient colors based on player rank
  • Join/quit messages in action bar
  • Placeholder integration for player data
Runway automatically formats inventory titles and item names/lore when the appropriate listeners are enabled.

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DeluxeMenus

# plugins/DeluxeMenus/gui_menus/shop.yml

menu_title: '[mm]<gradient:gold:yellow>Server Shop</gradient>'

size: 27

items:
  diamond_sword:
    material: DIAMOND_SWORD
    slot: 13
    display_name: '[mm]<gradient:aqua:blue>Legendary Sword</gradient>'
    lore:
      - '[mm]<gray>A powerful weapon'
      - '[mm]'
      - '[mm][p]<yellow>Price:</yellow> <green>%vault_eco_balance% coins</green>'
      - '[mm]'
      - '[mm]<green>Click to purchase!'
    left_click:
      - '[console] give %player_name% diamond_sword'
      - '[message] [mm][p]<green>Purchased Legendary Sword for <gold>1000</gold> coins!'
Runway configuration: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

listeners:
  inventory:
    title: true   # Parse menu titles
    items: true   # Parse item names and lore
  items: true     # Also parse items outside inventories

disable-italics: true  # Prevents italic lore text (recommended)
The disable-italics: true setting is highly recommended for GUI plugins. Without it, all lore text will be italic by default (Minecraft behavior), which can look inconsistent with MiniMessage formatting.

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ChestCommands

# plugins/ChestCommands/menu/warp.yml

menu-settings:
  name: '[mm]<rainbow>Warp Menu</rainbow>'
  rows: 3

items:
  spawn:
    MATERIAL: COMPASS
    POSITION-X: 2
    POSITION-Y: 2
    NAME: '[mm]<gradient:green:lime>Spawn</gradient>'
    LORE:
      - '[mm]<gray>Teleport to spawn'
      - '[mm]'
      - '[mm][p]<yellow>Online:</yellow> <green>%server_online%</green>'
    COMMAND: 'spawn'
  
  pvp:
    MATERIAL: DIAMOND_SWORD
    POSITION-X: 4
    POSITION-Y: 2
    NAME: '[mm]<gradient:red:dark_red>PvP Arena</gradient>'
    LORE:
      - '[mm]<gray>Fight other players!'
      - '[mm]'
      - '[mm][p]<red>⚠</red> <yellow>Players in arena:</yellow> <green>%players_in_world_world_pvp%</green>'
    COMMAND: 'warp pvp'

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Economy Plugins

Economy plugins frequently send system messages that can be enhanced with MiniMessage formatting.

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Vault-based Economy Messages

# Example from a custom economy plugin or shop plugin

messages:
  purchase_success: '[mm][p][actionbar]<green>✓</green> <white>Purchased <aqua>{item}</aqua> for <gold>${amount}</gold>'
  purchase_fail: '[mm][actionbar]<red>✗</red> <white>Insufficient funds! Need <gold>${amount}</gold>'
  balance: '[mm][p]<gray>Your balance:</gray> <gold>${vault_eco_balance}</gold>'
  pay_sent: '[mm][p]<green>Sent <gold>${amount}</gold> to <aqua>{recipient}</aqua>'
  pay_received: '[mm][p][actionbar]<green>+ ${amount}</green> <gray>from <aqua>{sender}</aqua>'
Runway configuration: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

require-prefix:
  minimessage: true
  placeholders: true

placeholder-hook:
  placeholderapi: true  # Required for %vault_eco_balance%
  miniplaceholders: false

listeners:
  system-messages: true  # Most economy plugins use system messages

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PlayerShops Integration

# plugins/PlayerShops/config.yml

shop:
  name: '[mm][p]<gradient:gold:yellow>%player_name%''s Shop</gradient>'
  
messages:
  shop_created: '[mm]<green>Shop created successfully! Use <click:run_command:/shop><aqua>/shop</aqua></click> to manage it.'
  item_sold: '[mm][p][actionbar]<green>+$%amount%</green> <gray>from selling <white>%item_name%</white>'
  item_bought: '[mm][p]<green>Purchased <aqua>%item_name%</aqua> for <gold>$%amount%</gold>'
  shop_visit: '[mm][p]<gray>Visiting <gradient:gold:yellow>%shop_owner%</gradient>''s shop'

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Quest/Progression Plugins

Quest plugins benefit from action bar notifications and formatted objectives.

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BetonQuest

# plugins/BetonQuest/QuestPackages/main/events.yml

events:
  quest_start: |
    message [mm]<gradient:blue:cyan>Quest Started:</gradient> <yellow>{quest_name}</yellow>
  
  quest_complete: |
    message [mm][actionbar]<green>✓ Quest Complete!</green>
    message [mm][p]<gradient:gold:yellow>Completed:</gradient> <white>{quest_name}</white>
    message [mm][p]<gray>Reward:</gray> <gold>+{quest_reward} coins</gold>
  
  objective_update: |
    actionbar [mm][p]<yellow>{objective_name}:</yellow> <green>{progress}</green><gray>/</gray><green>{total}</green>
Runway configuration: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

require-prefix:
  minimessage: true
  placeholders: true

listeners:
  system-messages: true  # For quest messages
  titles: true           # For quest announcements

# Custom placeholders for quest rewards
placeholders:
  # Define in plugins/Runway/placeholders.yml
  custom-placeholders:
    quest_icon: '<gradient:blue:cyan>⭐</gradient>'
    quest_complete_icon: '<green>✓</green>'
    quest_fail_icon: '<red>✗</red>'

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Scoreboard & Tab List

Runway can format scoreboards (using Teams) and tab list headers/footers.

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TAB Plugin

# plugins/TAB/config.yml

header-footer:
  enabled: true
  header:
    - '[mm]'
    - '[mm]<gradient:blue:cyan>╔═══════════════╗</gradient>'
    - '[mm]<bold><gradient:gold:yellow>MY SERVER</gradient></bold>'
    - '[mm]<gradient:blue:cyan>╚═══════════════╝</gradient>'
    - '[mm]'
  footer:
    - '[mm]'
    - '[mm][p]<gray>Players Online:</gray> <green>%server_online%</green><gray>/</gray><green>%server_max_players%</green>'
    - '[mm][p]<gray>Your Rank:</gray> <gradient:gold:yellow>%vault_rank%</gradient>'
    - '[mm]'

scoreboard:
  enabled: true
  title: '[mm]<bold><gradient:red:gold>SERVER</gradient></bold>'
  lines:
    - '[mm]<gray>▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬'
    - '[mm]'
    - '[mm][p]<yellow>Rank:</yellow> <gradient:gold:yellow>%vault_rank%</gradient>'
    - '[mm][p]<yellow>Balance:</yellow> <green>$%vault_eco_balance%</green>'
    - '[mm]'
    - '[mm][p]<yellow>Players:</yellow> <green>%server_online%</green>'
    - '[mm]'
    - '[mm]<gray>▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬'
Runway configuration: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

listeners:
  tablist: true        # Required for TAB header/footer
  scoreboards: true    # Required for scoreboard (uses Teams)
  system-messages: true

placeholder-hook:
  placeholderapi: true  # For %vault_rank%, %server_online%, etc.
Scoreboard support uses Minecraft Teams and may not work with all scoreboard plugins. Test with your specific setup. Set scoreboards: false if you experience issues.

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Title & Subtitle Messages

Plugins that send titles can use MiniMessage formatting through Runway.

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Title Configuration Example

# Example from a custom plugin or TitleManager

titles:
  welcome:
    title: '[mm]<gradient:gold:yellow>Welcome Back!</gradient>'
    subtitle: '[mm][p]<gray>Last login: <aqua>%player_last_join%</aqua>'
    fade-in: 10
    stay: 40
    fade-out: 10
  
  achievement:
    title: '[mm]<gradient:green:lime>Achievement Unlocked!</gradient>'
    subtitle: '[mm]<white>{achievement_name}</white>'
    fade-in: 5
    stay: 60
    fade-out: 10
  
  death:
    title: '[mm]<red><bold>YOU DIED</bold></red>'
    subtitle: '[mm][p]<gray>Killed by <red>{killer_name}</red>'
    fade-in: 5
    stay: 40
    fade-out: 10
Runway configuration: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

listeners:
  titles: true  # Required for title parsing

require-prefix:
  minimessage: true
  placeholders: true

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Advanced Patterns

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Custom Placeholders

Define your own static placeholders in Runway for consistent styling across plugins. 
# plugins/Runway/placeholders.yml

custom-placeholders:
  # Color schemes
  primary_color: '<gradient:blue:cyan>'
  secondary_color: '<gradient:gold:yellow>'
  error_color: '<red>'
  success_color: '<green>'
  
  # Common UI elements
  separator: '<gray>━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━</gray>'
  arrow: '<gray>→</gray>'
  bullet: '<dark_gray>•</dark_gray>'
  checkmark: '<green>✓</green>'
  crossmark: '<red>✗</red>'
  
  # Server branding
  server_name: '<bold><gradient:red:gold>MY SERVER</gradient></bold>'
  prefix: '<gradient:blue:cyan>[MS]</gradient>'
  
  # Common messages
  no_permission: '<red>You do not have permission to do this!</red>'
  invalid_arguments: '<red>Invalid arguments! Check /help for usage.</red>'
Usage in plugins: 
# Any plugin config
messages:
  welcome: '[mm]<primary_color>Welcome to <server_name><primary_color>!'
  denied: '[mm]<prefix> <no_permission>'
  separator: '[mm]<separator>'
How it works:
  • Custom placeholders are loaded from placeholders.yml (ProcessHandler.java:37-49)
  • Keys are normalized: lowercase, spaces/dashes → underscores
  • Applied after PlaceholderAPI/MiniPlaceholders resolution
  • Available in all messages, even without [p] prefix

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Clickable Messages

Combine MiniMessage click events with Runway for interactive messages. 
# Example custom plugin or announcement system

messages:
  help: |
    [mm]<separator>
    [mm]<gradient:gold:yellow><bold>HELP MENU</bold></gradient>
    [mm]
    [mm]<click:run_command:/spawn><hover:show_text:'<green>Click to teleport'><green>[Spawn]</green></hover></click> <gray>Return to spawn
    [mm]<click:run_command:/help><hover:show_text:'<green>Click for help'><aqua>[Help]</aqua></hover></click> <gray>View commands
    [mm]<click:open_url:'https://example.com'><hover:show_text:'<blue>Click to visit'><blue>[Website]</blue></hover></click> <gray>Visit our website
    [mm]<click:suggest_command:/msg ><hover:show_text:'<yellow>Click to message staff'><yellow>[Contact]</yellow></hover></click> <gray>Message staff
    [mm]
    [mm]<separator>
  
  rules: |
    [mm]<red><bold>SERVER RULES</bold></red>
    [mm]
    [mm]<bullet> <white>No griefing
    [mm]<bullet> <white>No cheating
    [mm]<bullet> <white>Be respectful
    [mm]
    [mm]<gray>Click to accept:</gray> <click:run_command:/accept rules><green><bold>[ACCEPT]</bold></green></click>

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Conditional Formatting

Use PlaceholderAPI extensions for conditional MiniMessage formatting. 
# Requires PlaceholderAPI with CheckItem/Player extensions

messages:
  # Different colors based on health
  health_display: '[mm][p]<yellow>Health:</yellow> %player_health_color%%player_health%</yellow>'
  
  # Where %player_health_color% is a custom placeholder returning:
  # <green> if health > 15
  # <yellow> if health > 10
  # <red> if health <= 10
  
  # Different prefix based on rank
  chat_format: '[mm][p]%vault_rank_color%[%vault_rank%]</> <white>%player_name%: {message}'
  
  # Where %vault_rank_color% returns appropriate color tags
Setup:
  1. Install PlaceholderAPI expansion for conditional logic
  2. Create custom placeholders that return MiniMessage tags
  3. Use [mm][p] to process the dynamic tags

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Complete Server Configuration

Here’s a comprehensive Runway configuration for a full-featured server: 
# plugins/Runway/config.yml

require-prefix:
  minimessage: true   # Safe default - explicit control
  placeholders: true  # Prevents unnecessary parsing

placeholder-hook:
  placeholderapi: true      # For Vault, player stats, etc.
  miniplaceholders: true    # For modern placeholder support

disable-italics: true  # Cleaner inventory/item formatting

ignore-legacy: true    # Convert § to & automatically

listeners:
  system-messages: true   # Chat, announcements, plugin messages
  tablist: true           # Tab header/footer
  titles: true            # Title/subtitle messages
  scoreboards: true       # Scoreboard teams (may need tuning)
  inventory:
    title: true           # Menu titles
    items: true           # Item names and lore in menus
  items: true             # Items in world/player inventory

# plugins/Runway/placeholders.yml

custom-placeholders:
  # Branding
  server_name: '<bold><gradient:red:orange:yellow:green:blue:purple>RAINBOW SERVER</gradient></bold>'
  server_prefix: '<gradient:blue:cyan>[RS]</gradient>'
  
  # UI Components
  separator: '<dark_gray><strikethrough>                                                  </strikethrough></dark_gray>'
  arrow_right: '<dark_gray>→</dark_gray>'
  arrow_left: '<dark_gray>←</dark_gray>'
  bullet: '<dark_gray>•</dark_gray>'
  
  # Status indicators
  online_indicator: '<green>●</green>'
  offline_indicator: '<red>●</red>'
  
  # Common icons
  coin_icon: '<gold>⛃</gold>'
  heart_icon: '<red>❤</red>'
  star_icon: '<yellow>⭐</yellow>'
  warning_icon: '<red>⚠</red>'
  info_icon: '<blue>ℹ</blue>'

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Testing Your Configuration

1

Test MiniMessage parsing

/runway parse <gradient:red:blue>Test Message</gradient>
Should show formatted gradient text.
2

Test placeholder resolution

/runway parse [p]Your name is %player_name%
Should replace %player_name% with your actual name.
3

Test custom placeholders

/runway parse <server_prefix> Welcome!
Should show your custom prefix from placeholders.yml.
4

Test plugin integration

Send a test message through your chat plugin or open a GUI menu to verify formatting appears correctly.
5

Reload after changes

/runway reload
Always reload after editing configuration files.

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Common Recipes

Gradient Player Names

format: '[mm][p]<gradient:{color1}:{color2}>%player_name%</gradient>'

Clickable Help

help: '[mm]<click:run_command:/help><green>[?]</green></click>'

Hover Info

rank: '[mm]<hover:show_text:"<aqua>VIP Member">[VIP]</hover>'

Action Bar Updates

status: '[mm][p][actionbar]<yellow>Coins:</yellow> <gold>%vault_eco_balance%</gold>'

Rainbow Text

message: '[mm]<rainbow>Rainbow message!</rainbow>'

Styled Separators

separator: '[mm]<gradient:blue:purple><strikethrough>          </strikethrough></gradient>'

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Additional Resources

MiniMessage Format

Complete MiniMessage tag reference

PlaceholderAPI Placeholders

Available PlaceholderAPI placeholders

MiniMessage Web Viewer

Test MiniMessage formatting online

Color Picker

Generate gradient colors

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