Multi-Category Shop

When a shop has more items than fit comfortably on one page, the natural pattern is a hub plus per-category sub-shops. This example shows the structure with three menus in one file: a hub and two categories.

What it teaches

• Multi-menu files using the menus { ... } wrapper
• Cross-menu navigation via openMenu
• Repeating the buy pattern across categories without duplication
• Mixing static borders with shop items
• The flags: HIDE_ATTRIBUTES shortcut for tool/weapon icons

intermediate

Features: moneytakeMoneyitemAddopenMenumenus-block

Requires: Vault

Open: /ame_shop Copy

menu.conf

# Multi-Category Shop - hub + sub-shops navigation pattern
# Docs: https://abstractmenus.github.io/docs/en/examples/shops/paginated-shop
# Open: /ame_shop
# Requires: Vault

include required(file("./plugins/AbstractMenus/menus/example/_shared/templates.conf"))

menus {

  # Main hub: lands here from /ame_shop. Tiles open sub-shops.
  ame_shop {
    title: "&6Items Shop"
    size: 1

    activators {
      command: "ame_shop"
    }

    items: [
      {
        slot: 2
        material: BREAD
        name: "&aFood"
        lore: ["&7Bread, apples, golden carrots."]
        click {
          openMenu: "ame_shop_food"
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 6
        material: IRON_PICKAXE
        name: "&aTools"
        lore: ["&7Pickaxes, axes, shovels."]
        flags: HIDE_ATTRIBUTES
        click {
          openMenu: "ame_shop_tools"
        }
      }
      ${buttonClose} { slot: 8 }
    ]
  }

  # Food sub-shop: 4 items demonstrating the buy pattern.
  # The pattern repeats for any other category - just copy this menu and swap items.
  ame_shop_food {
    title: "&6Shop > Food"
    size: 3

    items: [
      ${borderBlack} { slot: "0-8" }
      ${borderBlack} { slot: "18-25" }

      {
        slot: 10
        material: APPLE
        count: 16
        name: "&aApple x16"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$50", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        click {
          rules { money: 50 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 50
            itemAdd { material: APPLE, count: 16 }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 12
        material: BREAD
        count: 8
        name: "&aBread x8"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$60", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        click {
          rules { money: 60 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 60
            itemAdd { material: BREAD, count: 8 }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 14
        material: COOKED_BEEF
        count: 8
        name: "&aSteak x8"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$120", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        click {
          rules { money: 120 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 120
            itemAdd { material: COOKED_BEEF, count: 8 }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 16
        material: GOLDEN_CARROT
        count: 4
        name: "&6Golden Carrot x4"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$300", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        click {
          rules { money: 300 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 300
            itemAdd { material: GOLDEN_CARROT, count: 4 }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }

      # Back to the main hub
      {
        slot: 26
        material: ARROW
        name: "&eBack"
        lore: ["&7Return to the main shop"]
        click {
          openMenu: "ame_shop"
        }
      }
    ]
  }

  # Tools sub-shop: 3 items showcasing flags + higher prices.
  ame_shop_tools {
    title: "&6Shop > Tools"
    size: 3

    items: [
      ${borderBlack} { slot: "0-8" }
      ${borderBlack} { slot: "18-25" }

      {
        slot: 11
        material: STONE_PICKAXE
        name: "&aStone Pickaxe"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$200", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        flags: HIDE_ATTRIBUTES
        click {
          rules { money: 200 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 200
            itemAdd { material: STONE_PICKAXE }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 13
        material: IRON_PICKAXE
        name: "&aIron Pickaxe"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$800", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        flags: HIDE_ATTRIBUTES
        click {
          rules { money: 800 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 800
            itemAdd { material: IRON_PICKAXE }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }
      {
        slot: 15
        material: DIAMOND_PICKAXE
        name: "&bDiamond Pickaxe"
        lore: ["", "&ePrice: &a$3000", "", "&8Click to buy"]
        flags: HIDE_ATTRIBUTES
        click {
          rules { money: 3000 }
          actions {
            takeMoney: 3000
            itemAdd { material: DIAMOND_PICKAXE }
            sound: ${successSound}
          }
          denyActions: ${denyNoMoney}
        }
      }

      {
        slot: 26
        material: ARROW
        name: "&eBack"
        lore: ["&7Return to the main shop"]
        click {
          openMenu: "ame_shop"
        }
      }
    ]
  }

}

_shared/templates.conf

# AbstractMenus example pack - shared templates
# Reusable HOCON snippets referenced from menus via ${blockName} substitution.
# Docs: https://abstractmenus.github.io/docs/en/examples

# Sound presets (Paper 1.21+ registry keys)
clickSound:    "ui.button.click"
openSound:     "block.chest.open"
closeSound:    "block.chest.close"
successSound:  "entity.experience_orb.pickup"
failSound:     "block.note_block.bass"
deniedSound:   "block.anvil.land"

# Deny action snippets (use as: denyActions: ${denyNoMoney})
denyNoMoney {
  sound:   ${deniedSound}
  message: "&cYou don't have enough money."
}
denyNoPerm {
  sound:   ${deniedSound}
  message: "&cYou don't have permission."
}
denyCooldown {
  sound:   ${deniedSound}
  message: "&cYou're on cooldown. Try again later."
}

# Border items (use as: ${borderBlack} { slot: "0-8" })
borderBlack {
  material: BLACK_STAINED_GLASS_PANE
  name: " "
}
borderGray {
  material: GRAY_STAINED_GLASS_PANE
  name: " "
}
borderBlue {
  material: BLUE_STAINED_GLASS_PANE
  name: " "
}

# Navigation buttons (use as: ${buttonClose} { slot: 22 })
buttonClose {
  material: BARRIER
  name: "&cClose"
  click {
    closeMenu: true
  }
}
buttonBack {
  material: ARROW
  name: "&eBack"
  lore: ["&7Return to previous menu"]
  click {
    closeMenu: true
  }
}
buttonNext {
  material: ARROW
  name: "&eNext page"
  click {
    pageNext: 1
  }
}
buttonPrev {
  material: ARROW
  name: "&ePrevious page"
  click {
    pagePrev: 1
  }
}

# Rule shortcut snippets (use as: rules: ${rulesAdmin})
rulesAdmin   { permission: "abstractmenus.admin" }
rulesVip     { permission: "abstractmenus.vip" }
rulesDonator { permission: "abstractmenus.donator" }

# Common decorative header (use as: ${commonHeader} { slot: 4 })
commonHeader {
  material: NETHER_STAR
  name: "&6&lExample Menu"
  lore: ["&7Welcome to the AbstractMenus example pack"]
}

↓ menu.conf ↓ Bundle (.zip)

Bundle includes _shared/templates.conf and INSTALL.txt.

How it works

The file uses the menus { ... } wrapper to declare three named menus:

• ame_shop is the main hub. It carries the command: "ame_shop" activator and shows category tiles.
• ame_shop_food and ame_shop_tools are sub-shops opened from the hub.

Each tile in the hub is just an item with click { openMenu: "ame_shop_food" }. No money rule, no actions on top of the navigation. Sub-shops are reached by name reference.

Within a sub-shop, the items follow the same pattern as the Cake Shop: rules { money: ... }, an actions {} block that takes the money and gives the item, and denyActions: ${denyNoMoney} from shared templates for the failure path.

The back button uses openMenu: "ame_shop" to return to the hub. There’s no built-in “back” verb. Navigating menus is just calling openMenu with the previous menu’s name.

Scaling out

Adding a new category is mechanical:

1. Add a new tile to the hub items list with click { openMenu: "ame_shop_<your_category>" }.
2. Copy any sub-shop block (e.g. ame_shop_food), rename it to ame_shop_<your_category>, swap the items.
3. Reload the menu with /am reload.

Try it

After installing the example pack:

1. Drop the bundle into plugins/AbstractMenus/menus/example/.
2. /am reload.
3. Type /ame_shop in-game.

Next steps

• See Cake Shop for the simplest single-menu shop.
• See the generation docs for pagination over a dynamic catalog (when items come from a code-side source like online players or worlds).