Skip to main content

MultiLanguage

This guide will walk you through how the translation system works in KnockbackFFA, showing you how to add new languages or customize existing translations.

How Translations Work​

KnockbackFFA uses YAML files to store translations organized by language. The system loads these files at startup and manages language selection based on your server configuration.

Translation File Structure​

Translation files are stored in the lang folder within the plugin's data directory:

plugins/KnockbackFFA/lang/
├── en.yml    # English (default)
├── nl.yml    # Dutch
└── ...       # Other languages

Each language file follows the same structure with nested keys organizing different categories of messages:

  • Player messages
  • Scoreboard text
  • Arena-related messages
  • Kit messages
  • Shop text
  • Boost messages
  • Error messages
  • Command responses

Setting the Language​

To change the language used by the plugin:

  1. Open the main config.yml file
  2. Find the language setting
  3. Set it to your preferred language code (e.g., en for English, nl for Dutch)
  4. Reload the plugin using /kbffa reload
# Example config.yml
language: en  # Change to your preferred language code

Adding a New Language​

To create a new language file:

  1. Copy the en.yml file as a template
  2. Rename it to your language code (e.g., fr.yml for French)
  3. Translate all messages in the file
  4. Reload the plugin with /kbffa reload

The plugin will automatically detect your new language file on reload.

Understanding Placeholders​

Translations use placeholders that get replaced with dynamic content. Placeholders are surrounded by angle brackets, like <player_name> or <arena_name>.

Example:

arena:
  switch:
    success: "<green>Teleported to arena <white><arena_name><green>!"

In this example, <arena_name> will be replaced with the actual arena name when the message is displayed.

Color and Formatting​

Messages support MiniMessage format for colors and styling:

  • <color>text</color> - Apply colors like <green>, <red>, <white>
  • <b>text</b> - Bold text
  • <i>text</i> - Italic text

Example:

player:
  kit_applied: "<green>Selected kit <white><kit_name>"

Translation Fallbacks​

If a translation is missing in the selected language, the system will automatically fall back to English. This ensures players always see messages even if some translations are incomplete.

Reloading Translations​

After making changes to any language file, use the command:

/kbffa reload

This will refresh all translations without requiring a server restart.

Tips for Translators​

  1. Maintain all placeholders when translating
  2. Keep formatting tags like colors and styling
  3. Test your translations in-game after reloading
  4. Consider the context of each message for accurate translation

By following this guide, you can fully customize the language experience for your players or contribute new language files to the project.