Tutorial 4: anti-spam and auto-moderation

An honest disclaimer first: scripts cannot see chat text (there is no builtin for message contents), so word filters are impossible. But anything based on time, player and frequency works: cooldowns, limits, punishments.

3-second chat cooldown

time() returns world time in ticks (20 ticks = 1 second). Logic: if less than 60 ticks passed since the last message — cancel it.

on chat:
    let now = time()
    if #last-chat is null:
        #last-chat = now
        stop
    if now - #last-chat < 60:
        message "Slow down! Wait 3 seconds."
        cancel-event
        stop
    #last-chat = now

Line by line:

• First message: #last-chat is still null — remember the time and exit (stop ends the handler, the message goes through).
• Spam: cancel-event cancels the Bukkit event — nobody sees the message.
• stop after cancel-event isn't strictly required (no code follows), but it's a useful habit: the handler shouldn't "fall through" past a cancel.

Punishment after three strikes

on chat:
    let now = time()
    if #last-chat is null:
        #last-chat = now
        stop
    if now - #last-chat < 60:
        cancel-event
        if #warns is null:
            #warns = 1
        else:
            #warns = #warns + 1
        if #warns >= 3:
            kick "Spamming. Come back later."
            #warns = 0
        else:
            message "Warning " + #warns + "/3. Slow down!"
        stop
    #last-chat = now
    #warns = 0

Patterns here:

• A #warns counter with null initialization (see Tutorial 2).
• Resetting #warns = 0 on a "good" message.
• kick acts on the event player.

A delayed greeting? No — and here's why

FAQ: "how do I message 5 seconds after join?" Answer: you can't in the current version — the scheduler (Host.runLater) is not exposed in the DSL. There are no workarounds; it's a known limitation (see Operations). If delays are critical, you need a Java plugin or another FastScript version.