Container Menus

Container menus use Bukkit virtual inventories to render chests, hoppers, dispensers, droppers, furnaces, blast furnaces, smokers, and anvils. They are the main menu path for Minecraft 1.16.5 and cores without a usable native Dialog API.

Decide Whether To Use A Container#

Requirement	Recommended structure	Start here
Native dialog text, inputs, and buttons	Dialog	Modern Dialog Menus
Chest, hopper, dispenser, or dropper inventory UI	Container	This documentation group
Furnace flame/arrow or anvil rename UI	Container	Properties
A server below the native Dialog versions	Container	This documentation group

A typical Container workflow is: choose Type, configure Title and Settings, arrange slots with Layout, define each entry under Buttons, then add Properties, Events, and refresh intervals only when needed.

Documentation#

• Creating A Container Menu: a complete beginner workflow from file creation to reload and open.
• Container Structure: top-level keys and the complete skeleton.
• Type: container types, sizes, and version boundaries.
• Title: container titles and dynamic resolution.
• Settings: dependency checks, arguments, and click throttling.
• Layout: inventory rows, slots, empty spaces, and multi-character IDs.
• Free Slots: real item input, conditions, previews, atomic consumption, and recovery.
• Buttons: item display, visibility, click actions, and variants.
• Properties: furnace progress, anvil input, and type-specific fields.
• Refresh: full, title, button, and progress refreshes.
• Events: Container-specific lifecycle differences.
• Menu Migration Overview: migrate DeluxeMenus or TrMenu menus and interpret migration reports.

Dialog Boundary#

Container files use Type, Layout, Buttons, and optional Properties. They must not define Dialog-only Body, Inputs, or Bottom sections. Events, actions, conditions, variables, PlaceholderAPI, and JavaScript use KaMenu's shared runtime.

Paper/Folia and supported Spigot adapters can use Dialogs. Older cores disable Dialogs while retaining Containers. toast depends on Paper/Folia; cross-platform menus should use actionbar or title feedback. Use Free-Slots for real player-owned item input; rendered buttons remain server-controlled displays.

Minimal Example#

Type: CHEST
Title: '&8Shop'

Layout:
  - '         '
  - '    `shop`    '
  - '         '

Buttons:
  shop:
    display:
      material: DIAMOND
      name: '&bDiamond'
    actions:
      left:
        - 'tell: &aDiamond clicked'
        - 'close'

See Modern Dialog Menu File Structure for menu IDs, reload behaviour, and common YAML rules.

Where To Start#

1. Read Container Structure to understand top-level keys and indentation.
2. For a normal chest menu, continue with Type, Layout, and Buttons.
3. Read Settings when you need click throttling or menu arguments.
4. Read Title, Refresh, and Properties for dynamic titles, periodic updates, furnace progress, or anvil input.
5. Add opening, closing, and reusable action flows with Events.