API Overview
Complete reference for the CS2-SimpleAdmin API (ICS2_SimpleAdminApi).
Introduction
The CS2-SimpleAdmin API is exposed via the ICS2_SimpleAdminApi interface, accessible through CounterStrikeSharp's capability system.
Getting the API
Using Capability System
using CounterStrikeSharp.API.Core;
using CounterStrikeSharp.API.Core.Capabilities;
using CS2_SimpleAdminApi;
public class YourPlugin : BasePlugin
{
private ICS2_SimpleAdminApi? _api;
private readonly PluginCapability<ICS2_SimpleAdminApi> _pluginCapability =
new("simpleadmin:api");
public override void OnAllPluginsLoaded(bool hotReload)
{
_api = _pluginCapability.Get();
if (_api == null)
{
Logger.LogError("CS2-SimpleAdmin API not found!");
Unload(false);
return;
}
// API is ready to use
RegisterFeatures();
}
}
Static Capability Reference
// Alternative approach
var capability = ICS2_SimpleAdminApi.PluginCapability;
var api = capability?.Get();
API Categories
The API is organized into logical categories:
| Category | Description | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| Commands | Register/unregister commands, parse targets | → |
| Menus | Create admin menus with player selection | → |
| Penalties | Issue bans, mutes, gags, warnings | → |
| Events | Subscribe to plugin events | → |
| Utilities | Helper functions, player info, activity messages | → |
Quick Reference
Command Management
// Register command
_api.RegisterCommand(name, description, callback);
// Unregister command
_api.UnRegisterCommand(name);
// Parse player targets
var targets = _api.GetTarget(command);
// Log command
_api.LogCommand(caller, command);
Menu System
// Register category
_api.RegisterMenuCategory(categoryId, categoryName, permission);
// Register menu
_api.RegisterMenu(categoryId, menuId, menuName, menuFactory, permission, commandName);
// Create menu with players
_api.CreateMenuWithPlayers(context, admin, filter, onSelect);
// Create menu with back button
_api.CreateMenuWithBack(context, admin);
// Add menu option
_api.AddMenuOption(menu, name, action, disabled, permission);
// Add submenu
_api.AddSubMenu(menu, name, subMenuFactory, disabled, permission);
// Open menu
_api.OpenMenu(menu, player);
// Unregister menu
_api.UnregisterMenu(categoryId, menuId);
Penalty Management
// Issue penalty to online player
_api.IssuePenalty(player, admin, penaltyType, reason, duration);
// Issue penalty by SteamID
_api.IssuePenalty(steamId, admin, penaltyType, reason, duration);
// Get player info
var playerInfo = _api.GetPlayerInfo(player);
// Get mute status
var muteStatus = _api.GetPlayerMuteStatus(player);
Penalty Types:
PenaltyType.Ban- Ban playerPenaltyType.Kick- Kick playerPenaltyType.Gag- Block text chatPenaltyType.Mute- Block voice chatPenaltyType.Silence- Block bothPenaltyType.Warn- Issue warning
Event System
// Plugin ready event
_api.OnSimpleAdminReady += OnReady;
// Player penaltied
_api.OnPlayerPenaltied += OnPlayerPenaltied;
// Offline penalty added
_api.OnPlayerPenaltiedAdded += OnPlayerPenaltiedAdded;
// Admin activity
_api.OnAdminShowActivity += OnAdminActivity;
// Admin silent toggle
_api.OnAdminToggleSilent += OnAdminToggleSilent;
Utility Functions
// Get player info with penalties
var info = _api.GetPlayerInfo(player);
// Get database connection string
var connectionString = _api.GetConnectionString();
// Get server address
var serverAddress = _api.GetServerAddress();
// Get server ID
var serverId = _api.GetServerId();
// Get valid players
var players = _api.GetValidPlayers();
// Check if admin is silent
bool isSilent = _api.IsAdminSilent(player);
// Get all silent admins
var silentAdmins = _api.ListSilentAdminsSlots();
// Show admin activity
_api.ShowAdminActivity(messageKey, callerName, dontPublish, args);
// Show admin activity with custom translation
_api.ShowAdminActivityTranslated(translatedMessage, callerName, dontPublish);
// Show admin activity with module localizer (recommended)
_api.ShowAdminActivityLocalized(moduleLocalizer, messageKey, callerName, dontPublish, args);
Common Patterns
Basic Module Structure
using CounterStrikeSharp.API.Core;
using CounterStrikeSharp.API.Core.Capabilities;
using CS2_SimpleAdminApi;
namespace MyModule;
public class MyModule : BasePlugin
{
private ICS2_SimpleAdminApi? _api;
private readonly PluginCapability<ICS2_SimpleAdminApi> _pluginCapability =
new("simpleadmin:api");
public override string ModuleName => "My Module";
public override string ModuleVersion => "1.0.0";
public override void OnAllPluginsLoaded(bool hotReload)
{
_api = _pluginCapability.Get();
if (_api == null) return;
// Register features
RegisterCommands();
// Wait for SimpleAdmin ready
_api.OnSimpleAdminReady += RegisterMenus;
RegisterMenus(); // Fallback for hot reload
}
public override void Unload(bool hotReload)
{
if (_api == null) return;
// Cleanup
_api.UnRegisterCommand("css_mycommand");
_api.UnregisterMenu("category", "menu");
_api.OnSimpleAdminReady -= RegisterMenus;
}
}
Command with Target Selection
[CommandHelper(1, "<#userid or name>")]
[RequiresPermissions("@css/generic")]
private void OnMyCommand(CCSPlayerController? caller, CommandInfo command)
{
// Parse targets
var targets = _api!.GetTarget(command);
if (targets == null) return;
// Filter valid players
var players = targets.Players
.Where(p => p.IsValid && !p.IsBot && caller!.CanTarget(p))
.ToList();
// Process each player
foreach (var player in players)
{
DoSomethingToPlayer(caller, player);
}
// Log command
_api.LogCommand(caller, command);
}
Menu with Player Selection
private object CreateMyMenu(CCSPlayerController admin, MenuContext context)
{
// Context contains categoryId, menuId, menuName, permission, commandName
return _api!.CreateMenuWithPlayers(
context, // Automatic title and category
admin,
player => player.IsValid && admin.CanTarget(player),
(admin, target) =>
{
// Action when player selected
PerformAction(admin, target);
}
);
}
Nested Menu
private object CreatePlayerMenu(CCSPlayerController admin, MenuContext context)
{
var menu = _api!.CreateMenuWithBack(context, admin);
var players = _api.GetValidPlayers()
.Where(p => admin.CanTarget(p));
foreach (var player in players)
{
_api.AddSubMenu(menu, player.PlayerName, admin =>
{
return CreateActionMenu(admin, player);
});
}
return menu;
}
private object CreateActionMenu(CCSPlayerController admin, CCSPlayerController target)
{
var menu = _api!.CreateMenuWithBack($"Actions for {target.PlayerName}", "category", admin);
_api.AddMenuOption(menu, "Action 1", _ => DoAction1(admin, target));
_api.AddMenuOption(menu, "Action 2", _ => DoAction2(admin, target));
return menu;
}
Issue Penalty
private void BanPlayer(CCSPlayerController? admin, CCSPlayerController target, int duration, string reason)
{
// Issue ban
_api!.IssuePenalty(
target,
admin,
PenaltyType.Ban,
reason,
duration // minutes, 0 = permanent
);
// Show activity
if (admin == null || !_api.IsAdminSilent(admin))
{
_api.ShowAdminActivityLocalized(
Localizer,
"ban_message",
admin?.PlayerName,
false,
target.PlayerName,
duration
);
}
}
Event Subscription
public override void OnAllPluginsLoaded(bool hotReload)
{
_api = _pluginCapability.Get();
if (_api == null) return;
// Subscribe to events
_api.OnPlayerPenaltied += OnPlayerPenaltied;
}
private void OnPlayerPenaltied(
PlayerInfo player,
PlayerInfo? admin,
PenaltyType type,
string reason,
int duration,
int? penaltyId,
int? serverId)
{
Logger.LogInformation($"{player.PlayerName} received {type}: {reason} ({duration} min)");
// React to penalty
if (type == PenaltyType.Ban)
{
// Handle ban
}
}
public override void Unload(bool hotReload)
{
if (_api == null) return;
_api.OnPlayerPenaltied -= OnPlayerPenaltied;
}
Best Practices
1. Always Check for Null
if (_api == null)
{
Logger.LogError("API not available!");
return;
}
2. Use OnSimpleAdminReady Event
_api.OnSimpleAdminReady += () =>
{
// Register menus only when SimpleAdmin is ready
RegisterMenus();
};
// Also call directly for hot reload case
RegisterMenus();
3. Clean Up on Unload
public override void Unload(bool hotReload)
{
if (_api == null) return;
// Unregister all commands
_api.UnRegisterCommand("css_mycommand");
// Unregister all menus
_api.UnregisterMenu("category", "menu");
// Unsubscribe all events
_api.OnSimpleAdminReady -= OnReady;
}
4. Validate Player State
if (!player.IsValid || !player.PawnIsAlive)
{
return;
}
if (!caller.CanTarget(player))
{
return; // Immunity check
}
5. Use Per-Player Translations
// Each player sees message in their configured language
_api.ShowAdminActivityLocalized(
Localizer, // Your module's localizer
"translation_key",
caller?.PlayerName,
false,
args
);
6. Log All Admin Actions
_api.LogCommand(caller, command);
// or
_api.LogCommand(caller, $"css_mycommand {player.PlayerName}");
API Versioning
The API uses semantic versioning:
- Major - Breaking changes
- Minor - New features, backwards compatible
- Patch - Bug fixes
Current Version: Check GitHub Releases
Thread Safety
The API is designed for single-threaded use within the CounterStrikeSharp game thread.
Do NOT:
- Call API methods from background threads
- Use async/await with API calls without proper synchronization
Do:
- Call API methods from event handlers
- Call API methods from commands
- Call API methods from timers
Error Handling
The API uses exceptions for critical errors:
try
{
_api.RegisterCommand("css_cmd", "Desc", callback);
}
catch (ArgumentException ex)
{
Logger.LogError($"Failed to register command: {ex.Message}");
}
Common exceptions:
ArgumentException- Invalid argumentsInvalidOperationException- Invalid stateKeyNotFoundException- Player not found
Performance Considerations
Efficient Player Filtering
// ✅ Good - single LINQ query
var players = _api.GetValidPlayers()
.Where(p => p.IsValid && admin.CanTarget(p))
.ToList();
// ❌ Bad - multiple iterations
var players = _api.GetValidPlayers();
players = players.Where(p => p.IsValid).ToList();
players = players.Where(p => admin.CanTarget(p)).ToList();
Cache Expensive Operations
// Cache menu creation if used multiple times
private object? _cachedMenu;
private object GetMenu(CCSPlayerController player)
{
if (_cachedMenu == null)
{
_cachedMenu = CreateMenu(player);
}
return _cachedMenu;
}
Debugging
Enable Detailed Logging
Logger.LogInformation("Debug: API loaded");
Logger.LogWarning("Warning: Player not found");
Logger.LogError("Error: Failed to execute command");
Check API Availability
public override void OnAllPluginsLoaded(bool hotReload)
{
_api = _pluginCapability.Get();
if (_api == null)
{
Logger.LogError("❌ CS2-SimpleAdmin API not found!");
Logger.LogError("Make sure CS2-SimpleAdmin is installed and loaded.");
return;
}
Logger.LogInformation("✅ CS2-SimpleAdmin API loaded successfully");
}
Next Steps
- Commands API - Command registration and targeting
- Menus API - Menu system details
- Penalties API - Penalty management
- Events API - Event subscription
- Utilities API - Helper functions
Resources
- GitHub Repository - Source code
- Fun Commands Module - Reference implementation
- Module Development Guide - Create modules