Run Modes

Modes

ServerPackCreator has three main modes in which it can operate or in which you can use it.

CLI (Commandline Interface)
GUI (Graphical User Interface)
Webservice (Provide a webservice through which to generate server packs) Will be reworked in version 6

There are a couple more ways to use/run ServerPackCreator which may or may not be helpful for you, depending on how you plan on using it:

  -lang: Allows you to use one of the available languages for ServerPackCreator. I can not
         guarantee that each of the following available languages is 100% translated.
         You best choice is en_us, or not specifying any as that is the default, because
         I write ServerPackCreator with english in mind. Available usages:
         -lang en_us
         -lang uk_ua
         -lang de_de

  -cgen: Only available for the commandline interface. This will start the generation of
         a new configuration file. You will be asked to enter information about your modpack
         step-by-step. Each setting you enter will be checked for errors before it is saved.
         If everything you enter is valid and without errors, it will be written to a new
         serverpackcreator.conf and ServerPackCreator will immediately start a run with said
         configuration file, generating a server pack for you.

-update: Check whether a new version of ServerPackCreator is available for download.
         If an update is available, the version and link to the release of said update are
         written to the console so you can from work with it from there.
         Note: Automatic updates are currently not planned nor supported, and neither are
         downloads of any available updates to your system. You need to update manually.

   -cli: Run ServerPackCreator in Command-line interface mode. Checks the serverpackcreator.conf
         for errors and if none are found, starts the generation of a server pack with the configuration
         provided by your serverpackcreator.conf.

   -web: Run ServerPackCreator as a webservice available at http://localhost:8080. The webservice
         provides the same functionality as running ServerPackCreator in GUI mode (so no Commandline
         arguments and a non-headless environment) as well as a REST API which can be used in different ways.
         For more information about the REST API, please see the Java documentation:
          - GitHub Pages: https://griefed.github.io/ServerPackCreator/
          - GitLab Pages: https://griefed.pages.griefed.de/ServerPackCreator/

   -gui: Run ServerPackCreator using the graphical user interface. If your environment supports
         graphics, i.e. is not headless, then this is the default mode in which ServerPackCreator
         started as when no arguments are used.

--setup: Set up and prepare the environment for subsequent runs of ServerPackCreator.
         This will create/copy all files needed for ServerPackCreator to function
         properly from inside its JAR-file and setup everything else, too. You can pass a properties-file, too
         if you so desire.
         Examples:
         --setup "/path/to/custom.properties"
         --setup "C:\path\to\custom.properties"

--home:  Override the home-directory setting for your user.
         Examples:
         --home "/path/to/directory"
         --home "C:\users\<YOUR_USER>\SPC"

Each of these modes has its advantages and disadvantages.

CLI:

Advantages	Disadvantages
No need for a graphical environment. Can be used on a server to generate a server pack for immediate use.	Gathering of information for a configuration file is tedious.
Step-by-Step generation of a configuration-file with the use of the `-cgen` argument. Generated config will be used immediately afterwards.	No convenience features file folder-browsing or jumping to the generated server pack after generation.
	Debugging in case of a broken/erroring configuration file can be time consuming. Careful reading of logs is required.
	Manual editing of the configuration-file in case you want to change it.

GUI:

Advantages	Disadvantages
Browse the filesystem for folders and file required by the configuration.	Requires a graphical environment.
Setting up a configuration by browsing the filesystem and selecting your Minecraft and modloader versions from a list.
Browsing the generated server pack after generation has finished.
Loading and saving different configurations for quick generation of multiple server packs in short succession.
Edit the configuration in the GUI. No manual file-editing required.

Webservice:

Advantages	Disadvantages
No installation/setup required if a public instance is available somewhere.	Requires someone to setup a publicly accessible instance.
Voting system to let users indicate whether a generated server pack works.	Requires somewhat modern browser versions.
Open REST API. Interaction with the webservice does not require a browser. You can request a server pack generation and/or download from the CLI.	Not all browers may be supported.

Last modified: 25 July 2024