ChatColors

Added - ChatManager support: ChatColor detects ChatManager and colours the message before ChatManager formats it, so {message} works with no placeholder. - Startup tip with the recommended ChatManager setup. - Startup warning if event-priority is forced to HIGHEST or MONITOR while ChatManager is installed, since that stops colours from showing. - LPC, DeluxeChat and ChatManager added to softdepend so they load first. Fixed - %chatcolor_message% showing the player's previous message instead of the current one in ChatManager and other formatters that read placeholders on the older chat event. - The jar no longer bundles its own copy of Gson and the JetBrains annotations, which could clash with other plugins (jar size 575 KB -> 263 KB). - Docs: corrected how chat-hook and event-priority behave with EssentialsChat and ChatManager, and added a ChatManager setup guide. Removed - canvas-supported from plugin.yml. Canvas still loads ChatColor, because Canvas runs any plugin marked folia-supported.

Added - PlaceholderAPI support (papi-output) for chat formatting and placeholders. - Recommended default configuration for LuckPerms Chat Formatter (LPC) setup. Fixed - An issue where LPC 4.x dropped or failed to send chat messages. Removed - Nothing

Added - Automatic documentation sync with https://busybeedev.net/docs/chatcolor/intro. Fixed - An issue where modified game clients sending raw color symbols (§) caused chat formatting to break or show raw code text. Removed - Nothing

Added - The option to hide player permissions in the menu interface - A clear notification message when a player attempts to open a menu without the required permissions - Support for HeadDatabase (HDB) custom heads in menus, if installed Fixed - None Removed - None

Added * Added support for the /colors command alias. Fixed * Improved stability and reliability when handling dynamic placeholders. Removed * Removed the /cc command alias.

Added • Support for custom hex colors (like #FF5733) in the /color set command! • Hex color code suggestions while typing the command. Fix • Corrected color display issues when changing chat styles. Remove • None

Added - Automatic preservation of your custom game settings when installing new updates - Automatic background cleanup of old settings backups Fixed - Issue where updating the game could reset saved player preferences and options Removed - Obsolete settings files and outdated configuration backups

Added - /color debug command to test and troubleshoot chat color settings. - Updated player and staff documentation regarding chat features and permissions. [Click Here](https://busybeedev.net/docs/chatcolor/introduction) to view new updated docs. Fixed - Chat message formatting stability and detection issues. Removed - None

Added - chat-hook option in config.yml to configure chat event integration (AUTO, MODERN, LEGACY). - Improved player display name support across chat configurations. Fixed - Chat event handling reliability and event listener registration. - Data saving and loading synchronization to ensure thread safety and stability. - Configuration loading performance and internal data handling. Removed - None Special Thanks to tinseltuner (Docker) for bringing the issue to my attention.

Added - safeSetItem method for improved slot validation in GUI item setting logic Fixed - Exception handling in ColorUtil to catch Throwable instead of generic Exception - Legacy text parsing in ColorUtil for improved compatibility Removed - Nothing

Added

* Enhanced MiniMessage support in ColorUtil for smoother tag parsing (gradients, rainbow, hover/click events) and safer fallback handling for invalid tags. * Expanded HEX color support in ColorUtil with broader pattern recognition (&#RRGGBB, #RRGGBB, and <color:#RRGGBB>).

Fixed

* Overhauled legacy text handling in ColorUtil to properly process & and § codes and prevent formatting leaks across wrapped chat messages. * Fixed bug in ChatListener where message color processing could unintentionally override player prefixes or group ranks. * Resolved double-parsing issues during chat events by streamlining format assembly logic.

Removed

* Removed redundant legacy formatting passes in ChatListener to optimize chat event processing speed and reduce server overhead.

To view the full changelog [click here](https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor) Added - Nothing Fixed - Console filter cleanup when the plugin disables (prevents shutdown errors) Removed - Nothing

To view the full changelog please [click here](https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor)

Enhancements & Fixes

🎨 Improved Color & Placeholder Application:* Refactored internal formatting logic to ensure smoother, glitch-free color application and more reliable placeholder processing. ⚡ Priority Detection Overhaul:* Rewrote color priority evaluation for a more consistent experience across rank and permission setups. 🔌 Enhanced Plugin Compatibility:* Improved integrations and smooth operation alongside EssentialsChat*. Upgraded PlaceholderAPI* handling for reliable expansion parsing and seamless text injection. ---

Placeholder Changes

Notice for Server Admins: Placeholder syntax or names have been updated in this release. Please review the updated documentation at [busybeedev.net/docs/chatcolor/papi](https://busybeedev.net/docs/chatcolor/papi) to adjust your configurations.

To view the full changelog please go to https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor

Chat & Visual Updates

Vibrant New Colors & Gradients:* We've massively upgraded our text coloring system! You'll now see smoother color gradients, dynamic text patterns, and much more consistent formatting across chat and menus. Smarter Color Handling:* Improved how the system handles default colors. This eliminates weird formatting glitches and ensures text looks exactly how it should, even when mixing custom colors. For Server Owners & Devs:* We've expanded the ChatColorAPI with brand new tools and improved the documentation, making it easier than ever to customize server text and build colorful add-ons!

Performance & Stability

Smoother Menus & Inventories:* We've overhauled the background code that handles custom menus (FastInvManager). By modernizing the logic, opening custom containers and clicking through interfaces is now faster, more stable, and less likely to cause lag or micro-stutters.

FEATURES Configurable Element Toggles: Added new toggle options inside `config.yml` to completely control the visibility and loading of standard colors, gradients, and patterns*. Dynamic Content Loading:* Rewrote the color engine to conditionally load elements depending on your active config settings, reducing unnecessary memory allocation. * FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS Automatic Config Self-Healing:* Implemented a failsafe mechanism that automatically re-adds any missing keys or sections to config.yml without overriding your existing settings. Enhanced Performance:* Optimizing configuration checks ensures smoother server startup times when parsing active formatting modules.

FEATURES - EssentialsC Compatibility: Full formatting integration added for servers running EssentialsC. - Event-Priority Controls: Added a new event-priority option to the configuration file, allowing you to fine-tune how ChatColors interacts with other chat-altering plugins. - Late-Bind Config Option: Introduced a late-bind toggle to delay plugin initialization, ensuring perfect compatibility with late-loading chat management suites. - Beta: Emojis from Nexo should work. FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS - Enhanced Debugging: The plugin now explicitly logs the active listener priority on startup, making it much easier to isolate chat conflicts. - Updated FastStats for better reporting on errors. - Documentation Overhaul: The official wiki has been fully updated! Check out the improved command details, permission tables, and config setup at https://busybeedev.net/docs/chatcolor/introduction

Features & Enhancements

Smart Chat & Event Priority Handling:* Updated `config.yml` to recommend the MONITOR* event priority, significantly improving out-of-the-box compatibility with EssentialsX. * Implemented automatic priority adjustment logic to seamlessly handle EssentialsChat compatibility without breaking formatting.

Fixes & Improvements

Internal refactoring:* Introduced a new internal helper method (isFastInv) to streamline how the plugin detects custom menus. Enhanced Stability:* Improved safety checks to prevent rare null-pointer exceptions when players interact with non-plugin inventories. Code Clean-up:* Optimized inventory type handling, making future menu updates faster and easier to implement.

To view the full changelog please visit [ChatColors Changelog](https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor)

Note for Server Admins

If you are upgrading from an older version, your old gui.yml and players.yml have automatically been migrated to the new /configs/ folder. You can safely delete any orphaned colors.yml or patterns.yml files in the root plugin directory!

New Features & Enhancements

Next-Gen Server Support: Full compatibility added for Folia (multi-threaded servers) and Canvas*. Expect seamless, lag-free color formatting no matter what engine your server runs on. Overhauled Color Systems: We’ve introduced a new custom asset system. Managing your Gradients and Patterns* is now entirely separated, meaning more unique and stable chat colors are coming your way soon.

Menu & GUI Refurbishing

Snappier Menus:* The entire Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been rewritten from scratch. Color menus will load instantly with zero click delay. Unified Localizations:* Menus now adapt much cleaner to server-wide chat styles and translations. No more broken color tags or raw text bleeding into menu titles.

To view the full changelog please check out [ChatColors Changelog](https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor)

Performance Monitoring & Analytics

Dedicated Metrics Managers:* Added BStatsManager and FastStatsManager to handle extended data tracking, giving you more robust, real-time insights into server performance and health. Framework Integration: Fully integrated the BStats and FastStats* metrics frameworks for enhanced backend monitoring.

To view the full changelog click the link or view the [chatcolor changelog](https://busybeedev.net/changelog?project=chatcolor).

What's New?

MiniMessage Tag Support:* Added full support for modern MiniMessage formatting tags! Note: Players will need the new chatcolor.minimessage permission node to use these tags in chat.* Console Cleanup Feature:* Added a new clean-console option in your config.yml. When enabled, it dynamically strips legacy color codes from logger outputs, keeping your server console crisp and readable. Smart Integration Detector: Added an `IntegrationChecker` that automatically scans for active DiscordSRV and LPC* plugins on startup, printing helpful setup and configuration guidance straight to your console.

Enhancements & Fixes

Refactored Color Utilities:* Built a much sturdier backend handler to bridge legacy color codes and modern MiniMessage components. Includes under-the-hood automatic conversion utilities (translateLegacyToMiniMessage) and stricter text safety checks. Streamlined PlaceholderAPI Integration:* Completely reworked our placeholders for better stability and formatting logic. * Reorganized the placeholder structures for better clarity. * Added a dedicated %color_legacy% placeholder. * Improved stability when handling null or empty message inputs. Paper Server Optimization:* Modified the ChatListener to bypass redundant last-message tracking on Paper-based servers, saving processing overhead. Compatibility Recommendation:* Added a configuration comment recommending that server owners set their event-priority to HIGHEST for seamless operation alongside LPC or DiscordSRV. Stability Fix:* Fixed a critical initialization bug caused by a missing structural brace in the main initialization logic, ensuring smooth reloads and clean server starts.

FEATURES

Default Color Logic:* Implemented automatic default color application via ConfigManager for messages and display names when no custom selection is made.

FIXES

Formatting Cleanup:* Resolved an issue where non-legacy colors would incorrectly append </color> tags to messages. Legacy Handling:* Replaced outdated serialization methods with a unified legacy serializer and added stripLegacy support to keep chat clean.

PERFORMANCE

Color Engine Overhaul:* Centralized all color tag applications within ColorUtil for significantly better consistency and reduced overhead. Pattern Precision:* Improved the PatternApplier to handle complex string formatting more efficiently. Big thank you to [fernsehheft](https://github.com/fernsehheft) for helping with this update. You can view his commit [here. ](https://github.com/BusyBee-Development/ChatColor/commit/0…

FIXES

Data Saving:* Fixed a critical issue where player color data would occasionally fail to save during server shutdowns. Menu Logic:* Resolved a minor glitch where the GUI would flicker when switching between gradient pages.

PERFORMANCE

Cache Management:* Optimized player data caching to reduce memory overhead on high-population servers.

FEATURES

UI Framework Migration: Completely replaced the legacy GUI system with FastInv*, making all in-game menus snappier and more reliable. MiniMessage Native:* Full support for modern Adventure components, gradients, and hex styling. Live Preview:* Players can now see a real-time preview of their selected color before applying.

CHANGES

Command Streamlining:* Refined /colors subcommands and logic for better usability. Target Update: The plugin now natively targets the Minecraft 1.21 API*.

FEATURES

Folia Support:* Verified and optimized for Folia’s regional threading model. Hex Precision:* Added support for exact HEX code input via command for staff and donors.

FIXES

PAPI Integration:* Fixed a bug where certain placeholders would return raw MiniMessage tags instead of formatted text.

FIXES

Initialization:* Resolved an error occurring when the plugin loaded on legacy Java versions. Config Safety:* Added a failsafe to prevent the plugin from disabling if config.yml contains minor formatting errors.

CHANGES

Wiki:* Fully updated the documentation website with new command and permission guides.

FEATURES

Migration Tool:* Added an automated system to migrate old v3.x data to the new 2026 data format. Modern GUI Layout:* Completely redesigned the initial inventory layout for a better "out of the box" feel.

PERFORMANCE

Event Handling:* Optimized the chat listener to ensure zero-latency impact on high-speed chat environments.

FEATURES

RGB Engine:* Introduced the core RGB and Gradient engine. Java 17:* Upgraded the minimum required runtime to Java 17. Permission Logic:* Implemented granular permissions for every individual color and gradient.

Warning: This version of the plugin is no longer being updated by the Original Dev.

This is the last update from the original plugin developer. I was permitted to continue the plugin with an updated version. Last Changelog from MattyHD0: - Updated dependencies - Added compatibility with +1.21 - Uploaded correct version, download again https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/chatcolor-%E2%9C%A8-cu…