Editing WoW:UI FAQ/AddOns (section)

== Panic! ==

=== What to do and not do when posting a "please help" thread ===
{{faqq}}Nothing works, help me!

{{faqa}}'''Before''' you post:

# Did you check the FAQ to verify the proper way to install your UI? http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item#faq_install
# Did you make sure that the files aren't in a sub-folder within your custom folder? See this graphical interpretation: http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/faq.php?faq=install#faq_install_doesntwork
# Is there any chance that you have 2 WoW directories?
:: ie <tt>C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\</tt> and <tt>C:\World of Warcraft\</tt>, or anything like that?
:: If so, that may be the problem. Try putting your AddOns in the other one.

As well, make use of the search button, as it is entirely possible that your problem has already been encountered and solved.

'''If''' after all of that, you are still having problems, please remember these things when posting your help request:

# Be polite. Show respect for other people's time, when you ask them to help you. Don't beg or grovel or SHOUT IN CAPS or be similarly lame
# Give a good subject to your thread. It’s easier for some one to help you if you have a good subject instead of something like “helperz me nowz!!!?!1.”;
# What is the name of the mod? Provide a link for it;
# What steps did you take to install the mod? Post your install path;
# Be as descriptive as you can. Just posting you cant get xyz mod to work will result in no response to your help request. The more information you can provide the faster some one will be able to respond with a helpful answer. Describe what AddOns you have installed, what you did that caused the problem, exactly what happens;
# List the things you've tried and what happened for each of them.


Also, when having problems with your UI, it tends to help if you also post the contents of your log file. This is located at (WoWFolder)\Logs\FrameXML.log.  


=== Things to try ===
{{faqq}}Various graphics for my AddOns are showing up as green squares? What's wrong, how do I fix it?

{{faqa}}If the graphics files are showing up as green squares, it is because WoW can't "find" them where the AddOn told them they would be. Most AddOns have their graphics files in a sub-folder within the AddOn's folder. Make sure when you unzipped the download that you have "maintain directory structure" (or something like that, I don't recall what the exact wording is off the top of my head) enabled; otherwise WinZip will dump all the files in the same directory.


{{faqq}}I got my UI set up the way I want, log out and back in, and nothing is saved, I have to do it all over again. Why?

{{faqa}}Make sure that you don't have copies of any of the configuration files (see [[#Backups and copying settings|Backups and copying settings]] below) anywhere else in your WoW folders, since WoW will try to read some of them from several places for backward compatibility reasons, but it will only save it to a single place.  Also, make sure that none of the configuration files are set to "read-only".


{{faqq}}I have a broken mod, how do I get it fixed?  

{{faqa}}First make sure you have the latest version, if you do then try to get feedback to the author. This can usually be done in a comment thread on the mod site where it's posted. Some authors have their own forums; if that's the case post it there. When you give this feedback there's a few key pieces of info needed: 
# what you were doing when the error occurred 
# most errors pop up a box with some wacky jibbajabba text, if you read it you should find a filename followed by a line number (ex: <tt>VisorBasics.lua:61</tt>) this is followed by a description (ex: <tt>attempt to call 'GetScale' a nil value</tt>) POST THIS INFO! If in doubt type out the whole message and post it.


{{faqq}}I have a broken mod but can't find the author, or I found where it was published but it seems the slacker's been MIA for 5 months, what do I do now?  

{{faqa}}Post it up here! Link to the mod and provide the info that the author would need to fix the error. There's a good chance one of the authors here will pick it up, repair it, and republish it. Keep an eye out for AddOns with the words "continued" "resurrected" or "(Rank 2)" as these are often abandoned-then-readopted AddOns.

=== Finding the faulty AddOn ===
{{faqq}}I'm having (insert vague problem here) with my UI, help!  

{{faqa}}Go to the character select screen. In the bottom left is a button labeled [AddOns]. Click that. You should see a list of all the AddOns that WoW thinks it might be able to load. You can enable and disable their loading from there.

Make a list of all AddOns that you have loaded.

Disable them all. Yep. All of them.


Enter the game and see if the problem still exists. If it does, you probably have an "old style" AddOn that put something in the path/to/WoW/Interface/FrameXML/ folder. Rename that folder to something like FrameXML.broken and try it again. If you still have a problem change the name of the path/to/WoW/Interface/AddOns/ folder to something like AddOns.broken and try again. 

If you still have a problem, something about your WoW installation is really broken and you may have to do the dreaded "WTF, WDB, Interface" dance. (i.e., follow the steps for completely resetting your UI in the Q/A below.)


Assuming that it ran fine with at most moving your FrameXML folder aside, you now need to start re-enabling AddOns until you see the problem. If you don't want to do a lot of paperwork, and have a little time, re-enable them one at a time and see what happens. (This is the way I do it. It doesn't take too long even with a moderately-long list of AddOns.)

If you have a ton of AddOns, you may want to do a "binary search" which works like this:
# Split your list of AddOns in half, make note of the halves
# Enable one half, disable the other half, and see what happens.
# Does it work?
:: '''Broken:''' It is obviously related to the half of the AddOns you just enabled. Go to step 1 again, but this time split the half in half. Keep halving until you get down to one candidate.
::  '''Not Broken:''' The problem is obviously in the half that you disabled. Go to step 1 again: enable half of the disabled addons, and leave the other half disabled.

Once you get down to one candidate somehow, disable all AddOns except that one. If you still have the problem, that is your culprit. If you don't see the problem, then it is a likely conflict with some other AddOn(s) and you would need to use a similar search to find which pair (and hopefully not three or four involved) cause the problem.