Best Practices

Guidelines for creating effective and maintainable commands with Command Maker.

Naming Conventions

Alias Names

• Use lowercase: /hello instead of /Hello
• Single word: /teleport not /t p
• Descriptive: /warp_home better than /w1
• Avoid conflicts: Don't name alias same as Minecraft command
• Use underscores: /set_spawn for multi-word names

Variable Names

GOOD:
${server_name}
${player_count}
${spawn_coordinates}

AVOID:
${s}
${pcount}
${SpawnCoords}

Syntax Pattern Names

{
  "teleport_player": {
    "pattern": "/tp <player>",
    "description": "Teleport to a player"
  },
  "ban_with_reason": {
    "pattern": "/ban <player> <reason>",
    "description": "Ban a player with reason"
  }
}

Organization

Group Related Aliases

In your aliases.json, organize by category:

{
  // === TELEPORT COMMANDS ===
  "spawn": "tp ${player} 0 65 0",
  "home": "tp ${player} ${home_coords}",
  "arena": "tp ${player} ${arena_coords}",
  
  // === PLAYER COMMANDS ===
  "heal": "effect give @s instant_health 1",
  "feed": "effect give @s saturation 1",
  
  // === ADMIN COMMANDS ===
  "announce": "say [ANNOUNCEMENT] ",
  "shutdown": "say Server shutting down..."
}

Comment Your Config

// Spawn and home teleport system
"spawn": "tp ${player} 0 65 0",
"home": "tp ${player} ${home_coords}",

// Healing items
"heal": "effect give @s instant_health 1",

JSON Configuration Quality

Valid JSON

• Use a JSON validator like JSONLint
• No trailing commas
• Always quote keys: "key"
• Always quote string values
• Escape quotes inside strings: \"

JSON Formatting

// CORRECT:
{
  "key": "value",
  "nested": {
    "inner": "data"
  }
}

// WRONG:
{
  key: value,
  nested: { inner: data }
}

File Encoding

• Save as UTF-8 (default in most editors)
• Never use BOM (Byte Order Mark)
• Use consistent indentation (2 or 4 spaces)

Security & Permissions

Restrict Dangerous Commands

// Only give admin permissions to these
/addcommand add ban ban-ip ${ban_player}
/addcommand add stop stop
/addcommand add pardon pardon ${player}

Use Operator Permission Checks

{
  "admin_command": "execute if entity @s[gamemode=creative] run say Admin mode active"
}

Validate Input

Be careful with user-provided parameters:

{
  "safe_tp": "execute in overworld run tp ${player} ${tp_player}"
}

Usability

Clear Feedback

Always tell users the command worked:

GOOD: 
"spawn": "tp ${player} 0 65 0 && say Teleported to spawn!"

AVOID:
"spawn": "tp ${player} 0 65 0"

Help Text

Create a help command:

/addcommand add help say Available commands: /spawn /home /arena /heal
/addcommand add help_admin say Admin: /ban /kick /stop /announce

Error Handling

Use || for fallback commands:

{
  "teleport_safe": "execute at ${tp_player} run tp ${player} @s || say Player not found"
}

Command Design

Keep Commands Simple

Good: One clear purpose

/heal - Heals the player
/feed - Feeds the player
/speed 2 - Sets speed level

Avoid: Too many features in one alias

// DON'T do this:
"do_everything": "kill @e && give @a diamond && ban @a && tp @a 0 0 0"

Consistency

• Use same format for similar commands
• If teleport commands use coordinates, use format everywhere
• If ban includes reason, always include reason
• Consistent feedback messages

Testing

Test each command before deployment:

1. Create simple test: /addcommand add test say Works
2. Run /test to verify
3. Run /addcommand reload
4. Test all aliases after reload
5. Test with different users if possible

Performance

Avoid Heavy Selector Usage

GOOD:
"broadcast": "say ${message}" (targeted)

AVOID:
"broadcast": "say @a ${message}" (affects all players each time)

Limit Particle Effects

GOOD: 5-10 particles per command
"warp": "particle end_rod ~ ~ ~ 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.1 5 && tp ${player} 1000 100 1000"

AVOID: 100+ particles
"warp": "particle end_rod ~ ~ ~ 1 1 1 0.5 100 && tp ${player} 1000 100 1000"

Chain vs Schedule

// Immediate execution:
"fast_cmd": "say 1 && say 2 && say 3"

// Delayed execution:
"delayed_cmd": "say Starting && schedule function my_ns:delayed_tasks 60t"

Maintenance

Backup Configuration

• Keep backup of config/CommandMaker/ folder
• Before major changes, copy the folder
• Date backup folders: backup_2025-01-15

Documentation

Document your custom syntax patterns:

// TPA System - Allows players to request teleportation
// Usage: /tpa 
// The target player receives a message with /tpaccept and /tpadeny commands
"tpa": {
  "pattern": "/tpa <player>",
  "description": "Send teleport request to another player"
}

Version Control

If using version control:

.gitignore:
config/CommandMaker/variables.json
config/CommandMaker/*.tmp

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Server Administration

Moderation Commands

• Always include reason for bans/kicks
• Log actions to console/chat
• Allow staff to appeal decisions
• Keep consistent punishment levels

User Experience

• Make commands intuitive
• Use /help to show available commands
• Provide feedback for every action
• Avoid destructive aliases without confirmation

Public vs Private

Use operator permission checks:

{
  "admin_say": "execute if entity @s[gamemode=creative] run say ${message} || say No permission"
}