Sign

Signs are entities that have text on one side of them. They may only be obtained through crafting.

Signs are available in Alpha and Beta. Signs were originally added in Survival Mode, but removed shortly after. They were re-introduced in infdev, where they would have greater use. As of the 07/02/10 update (Seecret Friday update #3) signs became smaller. There is a glitch which allows you to place signs on signs.

Signs may be used to mark property, leave directions, state rules, or even leave out your poetic stylings for travelers to stumble upon. Signs can also be used to create furniture such as the sides of chairs or ends of beds.

Signs are one of the many blocks that are broken more quickly with a sword, but still have double damage on the sword.

Signs can contain colored text, but only apparently, by directly editing the dat file for the saved world. See http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50028 and http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=104124

Water cannot enter the space occupied by a sign, so signs, like ladders, may be used to make a doorway which water cannot flow through.

Placing a sign
After placing a sign, a window pops up asking you to type out the text that will be placed upon the sign. Four lines of text are available, as well as 15 characters on each line. The sign's text may only be changed by removing it (which will discard the text) and placing it again. In SMP, you can see text on other players signs as they type it.

You can place signs in the ground sticking out or on walls without any post grounding them. Signs may be placed attached to any block, including ones such as fences, glass, other signs, and minecart tracks which torches cannot be attached to.

Free-standing signs can face one of 16 directions, and face toward the player when placed. Wall-mounted signs can only face the four cardinal directions, and are attached to the face you click on of an existing block.

Crafting a sign


Schild