Editing AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft documentation (section)

== Getting AddOn Studio running ==
''Even more detailed Installation and running of AddOn Studio for the first time.''

The instructions on [[AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW]] or [[AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW]] pretty much cover all the real steps you need, and should be pretty simple to follow. It's basically as easy as copying the folder in the zip, and then running the executable. Below is a more lengthy look at each installation step for anyone wanting more detail or help.

=== 1. Install the shell ===
''Install the free Microsoft Visual Studio or Isolated Shell''

With AddOn Studio 2010, the Isolated shell installs a stand-alone version of the Visual Studio, the 'ISO Shell'. With AddOn Studio 2015, installs the Community edition of Visual Studio. These are both free as in not costing anything, and free legally to download and install for your own use.

The install should go without a hitch and is fairly friendly. You can just choose the defaults, which will already have everything needed.

For the Isolated Shell with 2010, most of what it installs are prerequisites that any other application might have already installed, so the install may go quite quickly, and you do '''not''' need Visual Studio itself. For AddOn Studio 2010, if you already have the full Visual Studio 2010 installed you can skip this step. If you have Visual Studio 2010 Express, then you will still need the 2010 Isolated Shell. For AddOn Studio 2015, if any version of Visual Studio 2015 is already installed, except for Express versions, then you can skip this step also.

Installing Visual Studio Community for 2015 or Isolated Shell for 2010, will '''not''' interfere with an existing Visual Studio install of any kind. You only need to install this once, ever, and after this step you won't need anything else, except for AddOn Studio for WoW itself, to get started.

=== 2. Install AddOn Studio ===
AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft has a very simple install process. It is however, a slightly manual process. All that is involved is downloading the .zip, or .7z, file from the download link, then opening the zip file, and then copying the 'AddOn Studio for WoW' folder in the zip file to a folder on your hard drive. Yep that's it... that's all you have to do.

It's suggested that you create a folder like 'd:\apps' or 'c:\apps' and then copy the 'AddOn Studio for WoW' folder into that. You should end up with 'd:\apps\AddOn Studio for WoW'. This avoids any mishaps in 'Program Files' and is a lot easier to find later. Copying the 'AddOn Studio for WoW' to your desktop is also an even easier option, and maybe even easier to find.

This type of install is often referred to as a "Portable Install", and the program just runs from the copied files, where ever they sit. There is no regular installer or uninstaller. You are free to place the files anywhere you like, and move or delete them at any time. You are also free to have multiple copies, and can start and run more than one instance of AddOn Studio at a time. And the files can just be deleted anytime you want. Thus, to install a new version, simply rename or delete the old one, and follow the AddOn Studio the install step again. You don't have to install Visual Studio or the ISO shell, in step 1, again ever.

=== 3. Run AddOn Studio ===
This will be the hardest part if you aren't used to starting an application from inside it's app folder, but only hard the first time. Just open the newly copied "AddOn Studio for WoW" folder and find "WowAddonStudio.exe", and double-click. If you found it, that's all there is to it and the program will start.

However, if for some reason you see a sea of files all named WowAddonStudio with no extension except one ".exe", then is because you have your Windows Explorer set to not show extensions, which is fine, and is how Windows usually comes by default.  In fact, one of the files is actually named "WowAddonStudio.exe.config" and with extensions hidden will look like the right file, but its not. To see extensions, "hide extensions for known file types" can be disabled.

Another way is to click on each file and look at the status bar at the bottom or look top the right if you have detail view selected which will reveal the file type. To disable "hide extensions for known file types: from the Windows Explorer window you are already in, press "Alt" > Click "Tools" in the top menu > Click "Folder Options..." > Click the "View" tab > Find "Hide extensions for known types" about half-way down the list > Uncheck that option > Click "OK".

=== 4. Make a shortcut ===
Now that you have found the exe file, you can make an shortcut. There are tons of ways to do this.

For Windows 10, 8.1 and 8, probably the easiest thing to do is to just right-click on the running application in the Windows task bar, and click "Pin to task bar". And if desired, after right-clicking the first time, right-click again on the "AddOn Studio for ..." line and click "Pin to Start". At that point you should have a pinned shortcut icon on the windows task bar, and/or one in the start menu, and you are done.

For Windows 7 and Windows Vista (or Windows 10, 8.1, or 8 as an alternate way) just right-click on the application file, the real ".exe" file, and then click either "Pin to task bar" or "Pin to startup menu". At that point you should see a pinned shortcut icon on either and you are done.

On XP (or Windows Vista or Windows 7 as an alternate way) you can, using the *right* mouse button, drag the file to the taskbar "quick launch" menu, or the start menu, or the desktop. And when you release the mouse button, select "create shortcut". And you are done :)