External Plugin API

Since v6.2.2

Available in UltiTools-API 6.2.2 and later.

The External Plugin API allows any regular Bukkit/Spigot plugin to use UltiTools framework features without extending UltiToolsPlugin. Your plugin stays a normal JavaPlugin — just call UltiToolsAPI.connect(this) and the framework scans your package for @Service, @CmdExecutor, @EventListener, @Scheduled, and more.

Quick Start

1. Add Dependency

Maven

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.ultikits</groupId>
    <artifactId>UltiTools-API</artifactId>
    <version>6.2.2</version>
    <scope>provided</scope>
</dependency>

2. Declare Dependency in plugin.yml

name: MyExternalPlugin
version: '1.0.0'
main: com.example.myplugin.MyExternalPlugin
depend: [UltiTools]

WARNING

depend: [UltiTools] is required. UltiTools must be loaded before your plugin so the framework is ready when connect() is called.

3. Connect and Disconnect

package com.example.myplugin;

import org.bukkit.plugin.java.JavaPlugin;
import com.ultikits.ultitools.api.UltiToolsAPI;

public class MyExternalPlugin extends JavaPlugin {

    @Override
    public void onEnable() {
        UltiToolsAPI.connect(this);
        // Your plugin is now wired into UltiTools!
    }

    @Override
    public void onDisable() {
        UltiToolsAPI.disconnect(this);
    }
}

That's it. The framework automatically scans com.example.myplugin (derived from your main class) for annotated classes.

What Gets Scanned

When connect() is called, the framework scans your plugin's base package and registers:

Annotation	What it does
@Service	Registered as a bean in the IoC container
@CmdExecutor	Command class auto-registered with Bukkit
@EventListener	Listener auto-registered with Bukkit
@Scheduled	Methods scheduled as Bukkit tasks
@PlayerCache	Fields tracked per-player with auto save/load
@ModuleEventHandler	Subscribed to the UltiTools EventBus

Writing Services

Services work exactly like in UltiTools modules — use @Service and @Autowired:

@Service
public class GreetingService {

    @Autowired
    private StatsService statsService; // Injected by the IoC container

    public void greetPlayer(Player player) {
        player.sendMessage("Welcome! You have " + statsService.getVisits(player) + " visits.");
    }
}

Writing Commands

Use @CmdExecutor and @CmdMapping just like a UltiTools module:

@CmdExecutor(alias = {"greet"}, permission = "myplugin.greet", description = "Greet command")
@CmdTarget(CmdTarget.CmdTargetType.PLAYER)
public class GreetCommand extends AbstractCommandExecutor {

    @Autowired
    private GreetingService greetingService;

    @CmdMapping(format = "")
    public void greet(@CmdSender Player player) {
        greetingService.greetPlayer(player);
    }
}

TIP

Command descriptions use the raw description attribute from @CmdExecutor. The i18n() method is not available for external plugins — use plain strings.

Writing Event Listeners

@EventListener
public class JoinListener implements Listener {

    @Autowired
    private GreetingService greetingService;

    @EventHandler
    public void onPlayerJoin(PlayerJoinEvent event) {
        greetingService.greetPlayer(event.getPlayer());
    }
}

Data Storage

Use UltiToolsAPI.getDataOperator() to get a DataOperator for your data entities. Data is stored in your plugin's own data folder, not UltiTools' folder.

@Data @Builder @NoArgsConstructor @AllArgsConstructor
@EqualsAndHashCode(callSuper = true)
@Table("player_stats")
public class StatsEntity extends BaseDataEntity<String> {
    @Column("player_id") private String playerId;
    @Column("visits") private int visits;
}

@Service
public class StatsService {

    private final JavaPlugin plugin;
    private final DataOperator<StatsEntity> dataOp;

    public StatsService(JavaPlugin plugin) {
        this.plugin = plugin;
        this.dataOp = UltiToolsAPI.getDataOperator(plugin, StatsEntity.class);
    }

    public int getVisits(Player player) {
        StatsEntity stats = dataOp.query()
            .where("playerId").eq(player.getUniqueId().toString())
            .first();
        return stats != null ? stats.getVisits() : 0;
    }
}

TIP

The storage backend (JSON, SQLite, or MySQL) is determined by the UltiTools server configuration, not your plugin. Your code works the same regardless.

EventBus

Use UltiToolsAPI.getEventBus() for inter-plugin communication:

// Publish an event
UltiToolsAPI.getEventBus().publish(new MyCustomEvent(data));

// Subscribe via annotation in a @Service class
@ModuleEventHandler
public void onCustomEvent(MyCustomEvent event) {
    // Handle event from any module or external plugin
}

API Reference

Method	Description
UltiToolsAPI.connect(JavaPlugin)	Connect plugin to UltiTools framework
UltiToolsAPI.disconnect(JavaPlugin)	Disconnect plugin from framework
UltiToolsAPI.isConnected(JavaPlugin)	Check if a plugin is connected
UltiToolsAPI.getDataOperator(JavaPlugin, Class)	Get a DataOperator scoped to the plugin's data folder
UltiToolsAPI.getEventBus()	Get the shared EventBus instance

Lifecycle

• Auto-disconnect: If your plugin is disabled (server stop, /reload), UltiTools automatically disconnects it via a PluginDisableEvent listener. You don't strictly need disconnect() in onDisable(), but it's good practice.
• UltiTools shutdown: When UltiTools itself shuts down, all external plugins are disconnected automatically via disconnectAll().
• Cleanup: On disconnect, all commands, listeners, scheduled tasks, EventBus subscriptions, and PlayerCache beans registered by your plugin are removed.

Differences from UltiTools Modules

Feature	UltiTools Module	External Plugin
Base class	extends UltiToolsPlugin	extends JavaPlugin
Registration	@UltiToolsModule + registerSelf()	UltiToolsAPI.connect(this)
i18n	plugin.i18n("key") available	Not available — use plain strings
Config entities	Full support (@ConfigEntity)	Not available — use Bukkit getConfig()
Data storage	plugin.getDataOperator(Class)	UltiToolsAPI.getDataOperator(plugin, Class)
Hot reload	Supported via ul reload	Not supported — requires server restart
plugin.yml	api-version: 620	depend: [UltiTools]

Complete Working Example

Check out the UltiTools-External-Example repository for a fully working example that demonstrates @Service, @CmdExecutor, @EventListener, @Autowired, and DataOperator CRUD in a standard Bukkit plugin.

TIP

See also: IoC Container | Command Executor | Scheduled Tasks | Module EventBus

Contributors

Ling Bao

Claude Opus 4.6

Changelog

Last edited 2 minutes ago

View full history

1d64da1-docs: archive v6.2.3 and update to v6.2.4