Situation: When you place a .zip file into a map folder and call it "resources", you are placing a resource pack into a map, and nothing can go over those textures (as far as im aware).
Here is the issue: When you try this for a vanilla server, it does not work.
The pack is not shown even though the map has it inside of it, forcing it instead of asking if players want it (using JUST the faithful x32 font in the pack, all other textures were deleted.)
Links:
http://imgur.com/lEGiHfM (single player world folder and resource pack .zip)
http://imgur.com/MZ6Rmk8 (pack from ingame singleplayer 1.8.3)
http://imgur.com/1JT0ycV (the same exact resource .zip in the server folder)
http://imgur.com/QbPa3H8 (pack from on the server that is being hosted using the deafult vanilla server 1.8.3)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/0s39h8zkmbrisci Texturepack .zip used
76.119.232.218:25565 Server used to test the pack (yes it is public)
Linked issues
Comments 4
You misunderstand, that download link is only to get the resource pack. If you take that, and put it into a world, that resource pack will work even though there is no selection for it. It is forced. On the other hand, if you take the map you used in single player and moved it into a folder that you use to run a server, the resource pack is not used at all.
Again, it works different when having a server world.The download URL of the resource pack needs to be puit in server.properties.The single player mechanism doesn't work.
Edit: it's sometimes working, sometimes not, see MC-49888
It's not enough to put the resources pack into the server folder, it has to be directly accessible by a http://xxxx.xxx/resources.zip URL (no, a Mediafire URL doesn't work)