Editing WoW:API getglobal

{{wowapi}} 

''Note: getglobal and [[API_setglobal|setglobal]] are deprecated and replaced with _G[]<ref>http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25626580975&sid=1</ref>. Change all references of getglobal and setglobal:''

  var = getglobal(varName)        --getglobal deprecated
  var = _G[varName]               --new syntax to get a global

  setglobal(otherName, otherVar)  --setglobal deprecated
  _G[otherName] = otherVar        --new syntax to set a global

== Description ==
Get a global variable, from a string.
 local targetGlobal = getglobal("globalName")

== Arguments ==
:("globalName")

:;globalName : String - Name of the global you want to get.

== Returns ==
:;The value from the given string, or nil if not found

== Details ==
This function is used to get an object if you generate the name of the object manually in your script:
 -- i = some_dynamic_number
 local curFrame = getglobal("myFrame"..i)

As of the introduction of [[API getfenv|getfenv]]() into the API (as well as direct access to the table _G as a global), setglobal() and [[API getglobal|getglobal]]() are somewhat superfluous. You can always do something along the lines of:
  local _G = getfenv()
  local prevval = _G["MyVariable"]   ''-- "getglobal()"''
  _G["MyVariable"] = 1234            ''-- "setglobal()"''
Function calls always cost some overhead, so if a large number of getglobal calls are being made, the global table will be a faster route.  Note that for few or infrequent calls the performance gain of this method is negligible (but given the lack of any loss of functionality, recommended).

''Note:'' Accessing the global table through the function getfenv() was common within addons presumably because the global '[[Dump_G|_G]]' (the direct global table) was hidden from the WoW environment. It seems to have since been uncovered, and now calling it directly for global access is possible:
  local _G = _G   -- a local speeds up access to [[Dump_G|_G]] slightly. negligible for infrequent calls.
  local prevval = _G["MyVariable"]   ''-- "getglobal()"''
  _G["MyVariable"] = 1234            ''-- "setglobal()"''