Add a Website to Your ULX MOTD Without Guessing the Format

If you searched for “GMod ULX MOTD how to add link,” first decide what link means:

• Display an entire website in the MOTD: Use ULX’s URL mode if your installation provides it.
• Insert one clickable phrase into an existing text MOTD: The available documentation does not establish universal HTML, BBCode, or Markdown syntax for this.
• Create separate Rules, Forum, and Donate tabs: That requires a custom, version-sensitive interface rather than a normal ULX setting.

The full-page URL method is the best-supported option. However, the available instructions come from a third-party hosting guide and older community discussions, not current first-party ULX documentation or a documented test against a named current release. Treat the menu paths and file locations below as version-dependent, and follow the controls shown by your own installation.

The practical workflow is:

1. Back up the existing MOTD.
2. Open !menu.
3. Look for ULX MOTD or MOTD under the Settings or Server area.
4. Select URL mode if it exists.
5. Enter the complete website address.
6. Save, preview, and test as a regular player.
7. Investigate legacy files or custom Lua only if the normal option is unavailable.

First decide what kind of MOTD link you want

A URL-based MOTD loads a webpage as the main contents of the MOTD panel. That page can contain server rules, staff information, a forum link, donation information, or navigation to other resources. You maintain the visible content on the website rather than placing it directly in ULX’s text editor.

An inline hyperlink is different. Most of the MOTD remains generated or formatted text, while a phrase such as “Read the full rules” becomes clickable.

A third-party hosting guide explicitly describes customizing the ULX MOTD with either its generator or a website URL. It reports the path as Settings > Server > ULX MOTD, making full-page URL mode the clearest documented answer when the goal is to display web content. That guide does not establish that every current ULX installation has the same interface or controls. See the hosting provider’s ULX installation and configuration guide.

The available evidence does not verify current, universal syntax for placing one clickable link inside a text-based MOTD. Do not assume that any of these formats will work:

• HTML <a> elements
• BBCode such as [url]
• Markdown links
• JavaScript attached to text
• A bare URL pasted into a text field

The result depends on the component rendering the MOTD in your installed version.

Choose the workflow accordingly:

• Want the MOTD to display your rules website? Try URL mode.
• Want one clickable phrase among formatted text? Identify the active renderer and verify its supported syntax.
• Want multiple native tabs inside the MOTD window? Plan for custom Lua development and ongoing maintenance.

This guide therefore documents reported paths without presenting any one of them as universal.

Back up and inspect the current MOTD before changing it

Before editing anything, confirm that ULX is installed and that your account can open its in-game administration interface:

!menu

If the expected menu does not open, resolve the installation or access problem before modifying files. An inaccessible menu is not evidence that a particular legacy file is the correct replacement.

Record these details:

• The installed ULX and ULib versions
• How they were installed and updated
• The current MOTD mode, if identified
• The existing MOTD text or URL
• Any addon that supplies a welcome screen, rules panel, or MOTD
• Any previously customized Lua or MOTD files

Determine which broad arrangement is active:

1. Generated content: ULX assembles the MOTD through an editor or generator.
2. Website URL: The panel loads a remote page.
3. File-based content: A data or addon file supplies the MOTD.
4. Custom panel: Lua or another addon has replaced the standard interface.

Copy the existing text, URL, or active file before making changes. Label the backup with its original location and the backup date. If your hosting panel provides snapshots or file history, that can serve as an additional rollback option.

This backup is an operational precaution, not a documented ULX requirement. It gives you a known working state to restore if the MOTD becomes blank, displays raw markup, opens the wrong page, or stops appearing.

Be careful with historical references to motd.txt. A 2017–2018 Steam discussion reports an in-game path of Server > MOTD and a possible data file at /garrysmod/data/ulx/motd.txt. It also contains a report that the menu can edit and preview MOTD content, and one participant said editing the data-directory file worked. These are individual community reports rather than current official documentation. The relevant comments appear in the Steam community discussion about editing the ULX MOTD.

Do not treat a file as Lua merely because its name is motd.txt or because an old comment characterized it that way. Inspect its existing contents and preserve its structure until you know what reads it.

Add a URL through the ULX admin menu

Use the in-game URL option before attempting direct file edits or custom Lua.

1. Open the administration interface

Join with an account that has suitable administrative access and enter:

!menu

The available documentation does not identify one permission flag that universally controls MOTD editing. If the menu opens but server settings cannot be changed, review the permissions configured for your ULX group without granting broader access than necessary.

2. Find the MOTD settings

Two menu paths appear in the available guidance:

Settings > Server > ULX MOTD

and:

Server > MOTD

Check both areas. Your installation may use different labels, place the option elsewhere, or omit it entirely.

3. Select URL mode

If the interface offers a choice between an MOTD generator and a URL, select the URL option. This configures the MOTD to load a webpage instead of treating the address as ordinary text.

Do not search indefinitely for an exact button name taken from an older guide. Follow the labels shown by the installed interface.

4. Enter the complete address

Enter the full website address in the URL field. For example:

https://example.com

example.com is fictional and should be replaced with the page you intend players to see.

The available evidence does not define accepted URL schemes or state that HTTPS is mandatory. Before saving, open the address in a normal browser and verify that:

• The hostname is correct.
• It reaches the intended page.
• It does not redirect to an unexpected domain.
• Players can view it without an administrator login.
• The important content is readable in a relatively small window.
• Rules are not hidden behind unclear navigation.

A page you control is generally easier to correct and maintain than one controlled by an unrelated party.

5. Save or apply the change

Use the save, update, or apply control provided by your interface. The available instructions do not identify one universal current label.

Change only the MOTD mode and URL at this stage. Do not simultaneously install another MOTD addon, edit legacy files, and alter permissions. Changing one component at a time makes failures easier to diagnose.

6. Preview if the option exists

Use the editor’s preview function when available. Older community guidance reports that an in-game MOTD editor can preview changes, but that does not establish that every version or URL mode has the same feature.

This procedure configures the whole MOTD as web content. It does not demonstrate that the text renderer accepts embedded hyperlinks.

Preview and test the MOTD as a player

An administrator preview is useful, but it should not be the only test.

After saving:

1. Close and reopen the MOTD if possible.
2. Reconnect to the server.
3. Test with a regular player account or ask a trusted non-administrator to join.
4. Confirm that the intended page appears.
5. Check the page at the actual MOTD panel size.
6. Follow any important rules, forum, or donation navigation.
7. Restore the backup if the result is unusable.

Review the page from a new player’s perspective. The main rules should be easy to find and read. Authentication prompts, cookie notices, complex navigation, or layouts designed only for large desktop windows can interfere with the page’s purpose.

Check the destination after any redirects. A correctly entered URL can still lead to the wrong page if the website’s redirect configuration changes.

The available documentation does not establish where links clicked within the loaded page will open. Do not promise that they will remain inside Garry’s Mod, use the Steam overlay, or open an external browser until you test the actual server environment.

It also does not establish when a saved change becomes visible. Start with the least disruptive checks—reopen the panel and reconnect—before considering a map change or your normal controlled restart process.

A short change record can help when several administrators manage the server:

Change: MOTD mode changed to URL
URL: https://your-domain.example/rules
Admin preview: passed/failed
Regular-player test: passed/failed
Redirect checked: yes/no
Rollback required: yes/no

Use direct file editing only as a legacy fallback

If the menu does not offer URL mode, identify the file or component that your installation actually uses before editing anything.

One community-reported legacy location is:

/garrysmod/data/ulx/motd.txt

A participant in the older Steam discussion reported success after editing that data-directory file. A separate, older tutorial instead identifies an addon-root file named ulx_motd.txt. The conflicting historical locations show why neither should be treated as a universal current path.

That older tutorial also describes the MOTD content as HTML-capable, but it reflects a historical Windows installation layout and does not provide verified anchor-link syntax for current ULX versions. Treat it as evidence of an older implementation, not as present-day installation guidance. See the legacy GameBanana ULX tutorial.

To locate the active source:

1. Inspect the in-game MOTD settings.
2. Search the installed server files for MOTD-related names.
3. Compare file contents with what players currently see.
4. Check whether another addon supplies the visible panel.
5. Review any deployment process that may restore or regenerate files.
6. Back up the most likely active file.
7. Make one small, reversible change and test it.

Preserve the file’s encoding, line endings, and existing structure where possible. If it contains recognizable records or formatting tokens, copy an existing entry as a template rather than replacing everything with guessed code.

Do not insert guessed Lua into a text file. Likewise, do not paste an entire HTML document merely because a historical tutorial called the MOTD HTML-capable. For example:

<a href="https://example.com">Visit our website</a>

That is ordinary HTML anchor markup, but it is not presented here as verified ULX syntax. The available evidence does not show that the active text renderer in a current installation will parse it.

If a typed URL remains plain text, stop trying random combinations of HTML, BBCode, Markdown, or JavaScript. The appropriate next step is to identify the renderer or obtain version-matched documentation. For administrators who are not comfortable investigating Lua panels, this is the point to seek help through a maintained ULX support channel rather than continue speculative file edits.

Troubleshoot missing URL settings and non-clickable text

When URL mode is absent or an address appears as plain text, use a controlled diagnosis.

Recheck both reported menu locations

Look under:

Server > MOTD

and:

Settings > Server > ULX MOTD

Expand related server-setting categories if the interface uses nested menus. Older instructions may not match current labels.

Verify administrative access

Confirm that your account can alter server settings, not merely run moderation commands. The evidence does not support naming one universal MOTD permission flag, so review the permissions actually assigned to your ULX group.

Record the installed version and method

Base your investigation on the version running on the server, not an unused copy found in another directory.

Because no current first-party baseline or named-version test is available here, do not interpret the reported menu paths as proof that your installation is incomplete.

Check for a replacement MOTD addon

Review the enabled addon list for MOTD, welcome-screen, rules-window, or web-panel replacements.

Treat plain text as a renderer clue

If the MOTD shows:

https://example.com

exactly as entered, you have established only that the field accepts text. You have not established support for HTML, BBCode, Markdown, or JavaScript.

If inline links are essential, consult documentation or current source code matching the installed implementation. This is a developer-level investigation unless the renderer is clearly identified by the addon’s maintained documentation.

Roll back unsuccessful edits

Restore the backup if direct editing produces raw tags, blank output, formatting damage, or errors. Returning to a known working configuration is more reliable than layering further speculative changes onto an unknown format.

The available evidence leaves these questions unresolved:

• Which URL schemes are accepted
• Whether JavaScript is supported
• Where clicked links open
• Whether a reload or restart is required
• Which historical file path, if any, remains active
• Which text renderer accepts inline links

Treat each as installation-specific until confirmed.

Understand when a custom tabbed MOTD is required

A URL-based MOTD can load one website containing its own Rules, Forum, and Donate navigation.

If you specifically require separate tabs inside the MOTD window, a Ulysses Team Member described that as a custom modification rather than a built-in ULX feature. The legacy design used:

• A DPropertySheet as the tab container
• One HTML panel for each page
• OpenURL to load each webpage
• AddSheet to add each panel as a named tab

The historical examples used Forum, Donate, and Rules pages. They replaced:

addons/ULX/lua/ulx/modules/cl/motdmenu.lua

The example and path date from 2013 and are not verified for current Garry’s Mod or ULX releases. The old sample also contains apparent naming inconsistencies, so it should be treated as an architectural illustration rather than drop-in code. See the Ulysses forum discussion of tabbed ULX MOTDs.

Conceptually, the interface was arranged like this:

MOTD window
└── Property sheet
    ├── Rules tab  → HTML panel → rules page
    ├── Forum tab  → HTML panel → forum page
    └── Donate tab → HTML panel → donation page

If native tabs are necessary:

1. Verify the current Garry’s Mod panel APIs.
2. Review the installed ULX MOTD implementation.
3. Retain the original file.
4. Document every changed path.
5. Store custom code in version control.
6. Test after Garry’s Mod, ULX, or ULib updates.
7. Maintain a rollback procedure.
8. Load only pages you control or trust.

The last point is prudent operational practice, not a claim that ULX provides particular security or privacy guarantees. Remote content and redirects can change independently of the game server.

For most administrators, loading one well-designed site through URL mode is simpler to maintain than replacing the client-side MOTD panel. Custom tabs make sense only when their interface benefit justifies version-sensitive Lua development.

Can I use a website URL as the entire ULX MOTD?

Yes, if your installed interface provides URL mode. Open !menu, look under Settings > Server > ULX MOTD or Server > MOTD, select the URL option, enter the complete address, and use the available save or apply control.

Preview the result and test it as a regular player. This loads a webpage as the full MOTD; it does not insert a hyperlink into text.

Can I put one clickable HTML link inside a text-based ULX MOTD?

The available evidence does not verify universal current syntax for doing so. A historical tutorial describes MOTD content as HTML-capable, but it does not demonstrate current anchor-link support.

Do not assume HTML, BBCode, Markdown, or JavaScript will work. Identify the renderer used by your installed version and rely on maintained, version-matched documentation or source code.

Where is the ULX MOTD file located?

There is no universally established path in the available documentation. One community discussion reports this legacy location:

/garrysmod/data/ulx/motd.txt

An older tutorial identifies an addon-root ulx_motd.txt instead. Find the file your server actually reads, back it up, and preserve its existing structure. Do not assume that a .txt MOTD file contains Lua.

Why do I not see the same ULX MOTD menu shown in older guides?

Menu organization can vary by version, package, permissions, and customization. Check both Server > MOTD and Settings > Server > ULX MOTD.

If neither appears, confirm the running version and your administrative access, then check whether another addon has replaced the standard MOTD. The absence of an old menu path does not by itself prove that ULX is broken.

Does ULX support separate Rules, Forum, and Donate MOTD tabs?

Historical Ulysses guidance describes tabs as a custom modification rather than a standard built-in option. The legacy design used a DPropertySheet, separate HTML panels, OpenURL, and AddSheet.

That example is not verified as compatible with current releases. A modern tabbed MOTD requires current API checks, documented Lua changes, update testing, and a rollback plan. Unless native tabs are essential, use URL mode to load one website with clear internal navigation.