WoW:Interface AddOn Kit

Reference e
AddOns WoW API Widget API XML UI Event API WoW Lua Macro API CVars Battle.net HOWTOs Snippets UI tech Categories

→ UI AddOn

← WoW AddOn

The WoW Interface AddOn Kit is a set of UI code and art files useful for AddOn development, or for anyone curious about WoW UI internals. See also Viewing Blizzard's WoW user interface code and Extracting WoW user interface files.

Summary

The Blizzard AddOn Interface ToolKit provides extra files and resources to aid WoW AddOn development.

These files are extracted versions of interface files from the actual WoW data files found in the WoW install. They bundled separately so that WoW AddOn developers can actually look at, and reference, FrameXML files, Lua files, and other art and resources found in the game itself. These files are used as a basis for knowing how to use the WoW UI APIs and write useful AddOns.

Most files used by WoW, including the UI files, are found inside the WoW game data files, like the MPQ archive files. These archive files are sort of like .zip files holding many real files, but are not normally easily accessible to use for reference. Blizzard provides ways to get these game interface files separately, as a convenience for AddOn developers and the community in general.

Just as there is no official Blizzard support for WoW AddOn development, there is no official support for the AddOn Toolkit either. However Blizzard had maintained a new Interface AddOn Kit and support page for every major version of WoW up until and including the release of the base patch 4.0 for Cataclysm.

Making a Kit

Currently, if you need a single separated bundle of interface files for AddOn development, you can make one by extracting the interface files and coping the result to a 'kit' folder.

The important part is to use the 'Interface' folder as a combined root so that they look like they would if they were under the real game root, but separately away from the WoW install so that the WoW install is not polluted.

1. Follow Extracting WoW user interface files for code, or both code and art.

2. Make a new folder somewhere away from the wow install folders like:

WoW_Interface_AddOn_Kit_9.0.2_36949

3. Copy the the contents under of both of the extracted folders below into the new folder from above:

BlizzardInterfaceCode
BlizzardInterfaceArt

4. Should end up with a folder structure that looks like:

WoW_Interface_AddOn_Kit_9.0.2_36949
   Interface
      AddOns
      FrameXML
      GlueXML
      PVP-Banner-Emblem-1.blp
      ...

5. At this point the set could be zipped or 7z for archiving or just used 'as is'.

WoW_Interface_AddOn_Kit_9.0.2_36949.zip

Notes

Moving the files out of the blizzard install while working with them, is also probably best practice and a good safe way to go in general anyway.

There are many reasons for wanting a discrete kit, and is the basis for making comparisons between versions, and being able load resources in other AddOn development tools. This is also the only Blizzard suppled method for being able to see the artwork outside the game.

Some tools and utilities can also use the kit itself as a data source for developemnt. AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft for example can optionally use the ToolKit files, as an alternative to loading from the game files for addon development.

History

• Originally there was a separate and special AddOnKit executable for download from the wow website, that allowed extracting the wow user interface code and art files for AddOn development. Previously downloadable at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/ui/.

Windows - http://ftp.blizzard.com/pub/WoW/other/AddOnKit.zip 1.62MB

Macintosh - http://ftp.blizzard.com/pub/WoW/other/AddOnKit.dmg 1.81MB

Note: these work only on old versions of WoW.

• Some versions of WoW had a Interface ToolKit downloadable from blizzard with both the code and art, each downloadable separately. These were updated fairly randomly.

WoW Interface AddOn Kit (US, EU) - Battle.net Support download page. Another older link

See also 1.12.1 - AddOn ToolKit link to article on vanilla-wow.fandom.com.

Note: the last downloadable toolkit from the WoW website was for interface version '40000', or patch 4.0.

• As of patch 4.0.1, files were no longer extractable using the original special downloadable Interface 'AddOnKit' executable. Instead, was replaced by Extracting WoW user interface files locally from inside the game itself. They were also still available via download from the wow web site.

Blizz: Download the WoW Interface AddOn Kit. (2010/10/15 14870034736)
With the recent release of patch 4.0.1 many add-on authors may have noticed that the AddOn Kit will no longer automatically extract the lua/xml and art files from the player’s installed version of WoW. These files are now available on the World of Warcraft site in our Technical Support pages here and can be downloaded directly.
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/addonkit
It is important to note that customising the interface can be a very technical endeavour, and you should not attempt it unless you have a good working knowledge of XML and Lua. There is no official support for modifying the WoW interface.

• The downloadable Interface AddOn Kit links no longer updated by Blizzard, the last being for patch 4.0.

• The downloadable Interface AddOn Kit page is no longer hosted by blizzard, however the last interface kit can still be downloaded from the wow website using direct links. See UI #AddOn Kit Downloads links.

AddOn Kit Downloads

Note: these kits are very old versions. See #Making a Kit to make consolidated bundle for current version.

• For the WoW hosted, patch 4.0, AddOn Kit files, use the appropriate zip file links:

Art Work: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_art.zip ~350 MB

US - English: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_enUS.zip ~2 MB

US - Spanish: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_esMX.zip

EU - English: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_enGB.zip

EU - Spanish: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_esES.zip

EU - French: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_frFR.zip

EU - Russian: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_ruRU.zip

Korean: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_koKR.zip

Taiwanese: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/interface/WoW_Interface_zhTW.zip

Instructions for the old client to emulate the original extraction tool, kept here for posterity:

• Make sure you have a 'Blizzard Interface Data' folder in your 'World of Warcraft' folder, or 'Blizzard Interface Data (enGB)' for EU English client. You may have to create it.
• Unzip 'WoW_Interface_art.zip' and move/copy 'Interface' to 'Blizzard Interface Data'

  Note: If you've also extracted the graphics, know that textures are .blp files. Google for 'blp warcraft' to get an idea of what this means.

• Unzip 'WoW_Interface_xx.zip' and move/copy 'AddOns' and 'FrameXML' to 'Blizzard Interface Data'

See also

• Viewing Blizzard's WoW user interface code
• Extracting WoW user interface files

External links

UI and Macro forum (US) 

Interface and Macros forum (EU)