How to Make a Category

A category is the actual shop screen, the menu where players buy and sell; a shop is just a doorway to one or more of them. Each category is one file holding an icon, an optional dynamic pricing block, the GUI layout, and a list of items. This page covers building one from scratch.

Quick start

1. Open the categories/ folder in your EcoShop config directory.

2. Copy _example.yml and rename the copy, e.g. gear.yml. The file name (without .yml) becomes the category ID.

3. Set the item: icon and the gui.title players will see.

4. Add at least one entry under items: (see How to make an Item).

5. Reference this category from a shop, by ID, under that shop's categories or direct-category.

6. Save, then run /ecoshop reload.

7. Open the shop in game and click through to the category; your items should appear.

Naming and IDs

The file name without .yml is the category's ID, and that is what shops reference and what placeholders use. The item: icon uses the Item Lookup System syntax. One category can sit in as many shops as you like.

The structure of a category

A category is made of four parts:

Here is a complete category with every part in place:

# === Category info: icon, lore, access ===
item: diamond_sword name:"&fExample Category" # The icon shown for this category in a shop.
lore: # Lore lines on that icon.
  - "&aBuy all the best gear here!"
permission: ecoshop.category.permission1 # Optional; permission required to open the category.

# === Dynamic pricing: demand-based prices ===
dynamic-pricing:
  enabled: false # Off by default; see the Dynamic Pricing page for the full system.
  max-increase: 1.5 # Cap prices at 150% of base.
  max-decrease: 0.5 # Floor prices at 50% of base.
  buy:
    enabled: true
    formula: "%base_price% * (1 + 0.0781 * log(1 + max(%buys% - %sells%, 0)) - 0.0781 * log(1 + max(%sells% - %buys%, 0)))"

# === GUI: the category menu ===
gui:
  rows: 6 # Height of the menu (1-6).
  title: "Demo Category" # The menu title.
  forwards-arrow:
    item: arrow name:"&fNext Page"
    row: 6
    column: 6
  backwards-arrow:
    item: arrow name:"&fPrevious Page"
    row: 6
    column: 4
  pages:
    - page: 1
      mask: # Decorative background.
        items:
          - gray_stained_glass_pane
          - black_stained_glass_pane
        pattern: # 0 empty, 1 first mask item, 2 second mask item.
          - "222222222"
          - "211111112"
          - "211111112"
          - "211111112"
          - "211111112"
          - "222222222"
      custom-slots: [ ] # Extra decorative or command slots.

# === Items: what players buy and sell ===
items: [] # Each entry is a shop item; see How to make an Item.

Category info

These fields decide how the category looks in its parent shop and who may open it.

item: diamond_sword name:"&fExample Category" # The icon shown for this category in a shop.
lore: # Lore lines on that icon.
  - "&aBuy all the best gear here!"
permission: ecoshop.category.permission1 # Optional; without it the category is open to everyone.

Dynamic pricing

This optional block makes every item in the category respond to server-wide demand, with caps on how far prices can move.

dynamic-pricing:
  enabled: false # Turn the whole system on or off for this category.
  max-increase: 1.5 # Highest a price may reach, as a multiple of base (1.5 = 150%).
  max-decrease: 0.5 # Lowest a price may reach, as a multiple of base (0.5 = 50%).
  buy:
    enabled: true # Apply dynamic pricing to the buy price.
    formula: "%base_price% * (1 + 0.0781 * log(1 + max(%buys% - %sells%, 0)) - 0.0781 * log(1 + max(%sells% - %buys%, 0)))"

Dynamic pricing is a system of its own, including decay, per-price-type formulas, and per-item overrides. See Dynamic Pricing for the full reference.

GUI

The GUI block lays out the category menu itself. See GUI Options for the mask, pattern, and page fields.

gui:
  rows: 6 # Height of the menu (1-6).
  title: "Demo Category" # The menu title.
  forwards-arrow: # Hidden on the last page.
    item: arrow name:"&fNext Page"
    row: 6
    column: 6
  backwards-arrow: # Hidden on the first page.
    item: arrow name:"&fPrevious Page"
    row: 6
    column: 4
  pages:
    - page: 1
      custom-slots: [ ] # Add as many pages as you want by appending to this list.

Items

The items list is the point of the category. Each entry is a shop item with its own buy and sell options and GUI position.

items:
  - id: cooked_mutton # See How to make an Item for the full item format.
    item: cooked_mutton
    buy:
      type: coins
      value: 20
      display: "$%value%"
    gui:
      row: 1
      column: 4
      page: 1

Building items is a topic on its own; see How to make an Item.

Where to go next

• Stock the shelves: How to make an Item is the next step.

• React to demand: Dynamic Pricing explains the pricing block above in full.

• Rotate the stock: Rotating Shops covers the optional r mask cells and rotation config.

• Wire it up: How to make a Shop shows how shops point at this category.