🛠️Installation Guide

Based on the comprehensive analysis of your source code (Java classes, plugin.yml, and configuration files), here is a complete GitBook page for the Installation & Setup section of your documentation.

This guide covers prerequisites, standard installation, database configuration (SQLite/MySQL), and initial verification.

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📥 Installation & Setup

Welcome to the Crown installation guide. Crown is a robust moderation and punishment suite designed for Spigot/Paper servers (1.18+). Follow these steps to get the plugin running on your server.

📋 Prerequisites

Before installing Crown, ensure your server environment meets the following requirements:

• Server Software: Spigot, Paper, or Purpur.

• Minecraft Version: 1.18 or newer (defined by api-version: 1.18 in plugin.yml).

• Java Version: Java 17 or newer.

• Dependencies:

  • PlaceholderAPI (Required)

Note on EssentialsX: Crown checks for EssentialsX to handle custom join/quit messages automatically, but it is not a hard requirement.

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🚀 Step-by-Step Installation

1. Download the Plugin: Download the latest Crown.jar file from the official resource page or your build pipeline.

2. Install Dependencies: Ensure you have PlaceholderAPI installed in your /plugins folder. Crown relies on this for variable replacement in menus and messages.

3. Upload to Server: Place Crown.jar into your server's plugins/ directory.

4. Start the Server: Start or restart your server. Do not use /reload, as this can cause issues with database connections and packet listeners.

5. Verify Installation: Check your server console. You should see the Crown ASCII art banner and a success message: [Crown] Plugin enabled. Version: 1.0

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🗄️ Database Configuration

Crown supports both SQLite (local file) and MySQL (external database). By default, the plugin uses SQLite, which requires no additional setup.

To change the database type, navigate to plugins/Crown/config.yml.

Option A: SQLite (Default)

This creates a local .db file in your plugin folder. Best for single servers.

database:
  type: 'sqlite'
  name: 'crown' # Will create crown.db

Option B: MySQL / MariaDB

Recommended for networks or high-traffic servers. This allows data synchronization (punishments, reports) if you plan to link servers in the future (note: currently Crown is single-instance logic, but MySQL offers better performance).

1. Open plugins/Crown/config.yml.

2. Change type to mysql.

3. Fill in your credentials:user has privileges to `CREATE` and `ALTER` tables.

database:
  type: 'mysql'
  name: 'your_database_name'
  address: 'localhost' # Or your DB IP
  port: '3306'
  username: 'your_username'
  password: 'your_password'

Database Connection: Crown uses HikariCP for connection pooling. Ensure your firewall allows connections on the specified port. If the connection fails, the plugin will log severe errors and may fail to start tasks.

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📂 File Structure

After the first launch, Crown will generate the following folder structure:

• config.yml: Main settings, database, sounds, and global toggles.

• messages.yml: Full language localization and prefix settings.

• mod_mode.yml: Configuration for Moderator Mode tools, items, and glowing settings.

• punish_info.yml: Layout for the /check <id> command.

• reports.yml: Configuration for the Report Book GUI categories.

• menus/: Contains all GUI layouts (punish_menu.yml, history_menu.yml, profile_menu.yml, etc.).

• punishments/: Individual config files for ban.yml, mute.yml, softban.yml, etc., defining commands and screen layouts.

• mod_sessions/: (Internal) Stores moderator inventory states in case of server crashes.

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✅ Post-Installation Checklist

Once installed, we recommend performing the following checks:

1. Check Permissions: Ensure your administrators have crown.admin and your moderators have crown.use and crown.mod.use.

   • See the Permissions page for a full list.

2. Test PlaceholderAPI: Run /papi ecloud download Player and /papi reload to ensure standard placeholders work in Crown menus.

3. Reload Config: If you make changes to YAML files, run /crown reload to apply them without restarting.

❓ Troubleshooting

Issue: "SQLite JDBC driver not found" Crown attempts to load the SQLite driver automatically. If you see this, ensure your server software (Paper/Spigot) is up to date, as modern versions bundle these libraries.