AddOn Studio: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:13, 2 August 2025

AddOn Studio is a modern fully featured integrated development environment for specialized applications. AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft is an IDE for creating and editing WoW AddOns.

Here you can find official AddOn Studio downloads, API documentation and instructions, important links, and other general information. This site is also a wiki. Click the edit button at the top of any page to get started.

Overview

AddOn Studio is a professional-level development tool bringing the Visual Studio experience to specialized environments, like creating and editing World of Warcraft addons.

Where can I get it?

Current versions of AddOn Studio are available here on this wiki. See AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft for all the editions of AddOn Studio for WoW. Or go directly to:

Is AddOn Studio up-to-date?

Yes. AddOn Studio for WoW works for all current versions of WoW including the new 'The War Within' release.

Which edition should I pick?

If in doubt, just pick the AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft edition, with the most modern experience for the non-WoW features.

Each edition provides a different UI experience and range of platform support, and work equally well for all current versions of WoW, with the same exact WoW features and support. Year numbers 2022, 2015, 2010, correspond to the Visual Studio shell version used, where 2022 is the latest major version of Visual Studio.

Does AddOn Studio for WoW support WoW Classic?

Yes. All AddOn Studio for WoW editions work for both Retail and Classic.

I'm having trouble installing or using AddOn Studio, what can I do?

Visit AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft, and pick the edition you installed.

Then check out the various sections for help getting started. Also try the AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft documentation, with in-depth installation and basic usage tips. These pages have links to outside help, including Discord, support sites, Twitter, and more.

See #Frequently Asked Questions below for more questions and answers.

Key Features

Visual Design

AddOn Studio includes a set of toolbox controls that you can drag-and-drop onto the designer to visually design the layout of your addon including popular Visual Studio features like Snap lines which enable you to visually align controls.

AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features Design Surface - 200523.0.png

Advanced Lua Code Editor

AddOn Studio includes a powerful Lua code editing environment including syntax highlighting, colorization, collapsible functions, built-in IntelliSense support for Warcraft functions and events, IntelliSense Code Snippets for common Lua language constructs, code navigation features like bookmarks and Go To Declaration, and all IDE settings are customizable.

Wow IntelliSense

The IntelliSense engine works with the WoW Programming API Reference documentation. It includes detailed WoW parameters and return types, with real-time parameter and function level documentation.

AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features WoW IntelliSense - 200524.2.png

FrameXML IntelliSense

AddOn Studio provides built-in support for FrameXML schema validation for addon developers who want to manually edit and customize FrameXML markup.

AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features WoW XML IntelliSense - 200524.1.png

Cross-File and Project IntelliSense

AddOn Studio can intelligently see Lua names and values across files for the code you write. It can do this with an awareness for the rules of WoW, and Toc files and Xml includes, and present the correct code-completion in real-time, on even unsaved files, and based on correct load order of files as WoW and the Lua runtime would in the game.

Project Based Development

AddOn Studio includes project based file management, where each AddOn can be a discrete project in the IDE. The allows independent configuration, ease with SCC integration, and easy way deploy or clear projects from your WoW install, or different WoW installs, at will without losing the actual code you are working on.

Other Goodies

Source Code Control Support: Visually use Git or SVN with your addons and with your favorite repository, including with integration with AddOn author sites like Source Forge.

FrameXML Tree View: Visualize the hierarchy of nested controls in your FrameXML file including virtual controls

AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features FrameXML Tree View - 200523.0.png

Visually Browse Warcraft Resources: You can browse and add Warcraft resources directly into your addons including class ability icons, common frames (Bank, Calendar, Chat, Guild, etc...), and Common Buttons (close, scrolling, main menu, etc...)

AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features Visually Browse Resources - 200524.1.png

Visually Design Frame Backdrops: AddOn Studio includes a Backdrop editor tool to easily design and visualize an XML Frame.

XML Editing for Advanced Developers: For advanced developers that want to hand-code FrameXML files, AddOn Studio includes the option to turn off the Visual Designer and just use the XML editing tools. You can switch between the Designer and the XML editor at will, and even use both at the same time and see you changes update immediate in the other. This can also be used as a great way to learn WoW UI XML or maybe even to learn XML itself.

Auto-Generate Table of Contents (TOC): AddOn Studio also takes the hassle out of building the Table of Contents (TOC) file by automatically building it based on what files are in your project.

Visually add Table of Contents (TOC) Metadata: AddOn Studio also makes it easy to add metadata to your Tables of Contents (TOC) file including Title, Author, version, and a number of other common metadata attributes as well as custom attributes.

Auto-Generate Lua Events: The Addon Studio property window shows all of the properties and events available for a Lua control or frame and enables one-click creation of event handlers like a button_OnClick event.

And more...: AddOn Studio includes features, like automatic deployment to your Warcraft directory, Task Window, Error List for FrameXML and Lua parsing errors, TGA and MP3 file format support, built-in Lua console for testing code, WoWBench support, and powerful search-and-replace features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does AddOn Studio require Visual Studio?: For AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW, no; it works independently of Visual Studio. If you already have Visual Studio 2010 installed, that's fine also. For AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW, any edition of Visual Studio 2015 may be installed, including the free one. For AddOn Studio 2022 for WoW, it's the same as the 2015 edition and any edition of Visual Studio 2022 may be installed.

How was AddOn Studio created?: AddOn Studio is built using the free Visual Studio Shell, and the Extensibility features in Visual Studio. For more information on VS extensibility, please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Extensibility.

What are some recommended resources for learning how to build Warcraft AddOns?

WoW UI Beginner's Guide
Getting started with writing AddOns
HOWTOs Articles
Lua.org: Lua Language Reference
Lua reference
Book: World of Warcraft Programming: A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons - A complete reference for building AddOns
Book: Coding4Fun: 10 .NET Programming Projects for Wiimote, YouTube, World of Warcraft, and More - Chapter 3 is a .NET developer's guide to building AddOns and shows how an in-game RSS Reader is built
wowprogramming.com: Wow Programming Tools & Utilities

Download

AddOn Studio for WoW

Twitter

Activity

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{DISPLAYTITLE:Welcome to AddOn Studio}}<!--__NOEDITSECTION__--><mainpage-leftcolumn-start />
+{{DISPLAYTITLE:Welcome to AddOn Studio}}<!--__NOEDITSECTION__--><mainpage-leftcolumn-start /><!--
-'''AddOn Studio''' is a modern and fully featured integrated development environment for specialized environments. [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]] is an IDE for creating WoW AddOns.<br/><br/>
+-->'''AddOn Studio''' is a modern fully featured integrated development environment for specialized applications. [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]] is an IDE for creating and editing WoW AddOns.<br/><br/>
 [[File:AddOn_Studio_2015_for_WoW_-_pre2015_fullshot_61226.0.jpg|none|noframe|680px|link=AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft|AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]]
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 == Overview ==
-AddOn Studio is a professional-level development tool aimed at bringing the Visual Studio experience to other more specialized development environments, like building World of Warcraft addons.
+AddOn Studio is a professional-level development tool bringing the Visual Studio experience to specialized environments, like creating and editing World of Warcraft addons.
-;Where can I get it?
+;'''Where can I get it?'''
+:Current versions of AddOn Studio are available here on this wiki. See [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]] for all the editions of AddOn Studio for WoW. Or go directly to: <!--{{NYR-item}}-->
+:* [[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft]]
+:* [[AddOn Studio 2015 for World of Warcraft]]
+:* [[AddOn Studio 2010 for World of Warcraft]]
+<!--::See also [[AddOn Studio for WildStar]]-->
-Current versions of AddOn Studio are available here on this wiki. See [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]] for all the editions of AddOn Studio for WoW. Or go directly to:
+;'''Is AddOn Studio up-to-date?'''
-<!--* [[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft]]-->
-* <!--{{NYR-item}}-->[[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft]]
-* [[AddOn Studio 2015 for World of Warcraft]]
-* [[AddOn Studio 2010 for World of Warcraft]]
-:See also [[AddOn Studio for WildStar]]
+:Yes. AddOn Studio for WoW works for all current versions of WoW including the new '<!--[[wikipedia:World of Warcraft: Shadowlands|Shadowlands]]-->[[wikipedia:World_of_Warcraft:_The_War_Within|The War Within]]' release.
-;Is AddOn Studio up to date?
+<!--;'''Why different editions of AddOn Studio?'''
-Yes. AddOn Studio for WoW works for all current versions of WoW including the new [[wikipedia:World of Warcraft: Shadowlands|Shadowlands]] release.
+:Each AddOn Studio [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft| edition]] provides a different UI experience and range of platform support. These editions work for all current versions of WoW the same way, and with the same exact WoW features and support. Each AddOn Studio edition year numbers, [[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft|2022]], [[AddOn Studio 2015 for World of Warcraft|2015]], [[AddOn Studio 2010 for World of Warcraft|2010]], correspond to the [[wikipedia:Visual Studio#History|Visual Studio]] shell platform versions used by that AddOn Studio edition.
+::See also [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]] for edition history and more details.
+-->
+;'''Which edition should I pick?'''
+:If in doubt, just pick the [[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft]] edition, with the most modern experience for the non-WoW features.
+:Each [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft|edition]] provides a different UI experience and range of platform support, and work equally well for all current versions of WoW, with the same exact WoW features and support. Year numbers [[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft|2022]], [[AddOn Studio 2015 for World of Warcraft|2015]], [[AddOn Studio 2010 for World of Warcraft|2010]], correspond to the [[wikipedia:Visual Studio#History|Visual Studio]] shell version used, where 2022 is the latest major version of Visual Studio.
-;Does AddOn Studio for WoW support WoW Classic?
+;'''Does AddOn Studio for WoW support WoW Classic?'''
-Yes. All AddOn Studio for WoW [[AddOn Studio for WoW|editions]] work for both Retail and Classic.
+:Yes. All AddOn Studio for WoW [[AddOn Studio for WoW|editions]] work for both Retail and Classic.
-[[File:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.png|none|thumb|680px|link={{filepath:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.png}}]]
+<!--[[File:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.png|none|thumb|680px]]
+--><nomobile>[[File:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.png|none|thumb|680px]]</nomobile><mobileonly><!--[[File:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.webp|none|thumb|680px]]--></mobileonly><!--[[File:AddOnStudio_2015_Demo_World_of_Warcraft_Classic_crop_190824.1.png|none|thumb|680px]]-->
-;I'm having trouble installing or using AddOn Studio, what can I do?
+;'''I'm having trouble installing or using AddOn Studio, what can I do?'''
-Visit [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]], and pick the edition you installed.
+:Visit [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft]], and pick the edition you installed.
-Then check out the various sections for help getting started. Also try the [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft Documentation]], with in-depth installation and basic usage tips. These pages have links to outside help, including Discord, support sites, Twitter, and more.
+:Then check out the various sections for help getting started. Also try the [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft documentation]], with in-depth installation and basic usage tips. These pages have links to outside help, including Discord, support sites, Twitter, and more.
-:''See [[#Frequently Asked Questions]] below for more questions and answers.''
+''See [[#Frequently Asked Questions]] below for more questions and answers.''
 == Key Features ==
@@ Line 42: / Line 51: @@
 ;Visual Design:
-AddOn Studio includes a set of toolbox controls that you can drag-and-drop onto the designer to visually design the layout of your addon including popular Visual Studio features like Snap lines which enable you to visually align controls.
+:AddOn Studio includes a set of toolbox controls that you can drag-and-drop onto the designer to visually design the layout of your addon including popular Visual Studio features like Snap lines which enable you to visually align controls.
 [[File:AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features Design Surface - 200523.0.png|none]]
 ;Advanced Lua Code Editor:
-AddOn Studio includes a powerful Lua code editing environment including syntax highlighting, colorization, collapsible functions, built-in IntelliSense support for Warcraft functions and events, IntelliSense Code Snippets for common Lua language constructs, code navigation features like bookmarks and Go To Declaration, and all IDE settings are customizable.
+:AddOn Studio includes a powerful Lua code editing environment including syntax highlighting, colorization, collapsible functions, built-in IntelliSense support for Warcraft functions and events, IntelliSense Code Snippets for common Lua language constructs, code navigation features like bookmarks and Go To Declaration, and all IDE settings are customizable.
 ;Wow IntelliSense:
-The IntelliSense engine works with the [[WoW API|WoW Programming API Reference]] documentation. It includes detailed WoW parameters and return types, with real-time parameter and function level documentation.
+:The IntelliSense engine works with the [[wo:WoW API|WoW Programming API Reference]] documentation. It includes detailed WoW parameters and return types, with real-time parameter and function level documentation.
 [[File:AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features WoW IntelliSense - 200524.2.png|none]]
 ;FrameXML IntelliSense:
-AddOn Studio provides built-in support for [[FrameXML]] schema validation for addon developers who want to manually edit and customize FrameXML markup.
+:AddOn Studio provides built-in support for [[wo:FrameXML|FrameXML]] schema validation for addon developers who want to manually edit and customize FrameXML markup.
 [[File:AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features WoW XML IntelliSense - 200524.1.png|none]]
 ;Cross-File and Project IntelliSense:
-AddOn Studio can intelligently see Lua names and values across files for the code you write. It can do this with an awareness for the rules of WoW, and Toc files and Xml includes, and present the correct code-completion in real-time, on even unsaved files, and based on correct load order of files as WoW and the Lua runtime would in the game.
+:AddOn Studio can intelligently see Lua names and values across files for the code you write. It can do this with an awareness for the rules of WoW, and Toc files and Xml includes, and present the correct code-completion in real-time, on even unsaved files, and based on correct load order of files as WoW and the Lua runtime would in the game.
 ;Project Based Development:
-AddOn Studio includes project based file management, where each AddOn can be a discrete project in the IDE. The allows independent configuration, ease with SCC integration, and easy way deploy or clear projects from your WoW install, or different WoW installs, at will without losing the actual code you are working on.
+:AddOn Studio includes project based file management, where each AddOn can be a discrete project in the IDE. The allows independent configuration, ease with SCC integration, and easy way deploy or clear projects from your WoW install, or different WoW installs, at will without losing the actual code you are working on.
 == Other Goodies ==
 ;Source Code Control Support:
+:Visually use Git or SVN with your addons and with your favorite repository, including with integration with AddOn author sites like Source Forge.
-Visually use Git or SVN with your addons and with your favorite repository, including with integration with AddOn author sites like Source Forge.
 ;FrameXML Tree View:
+:Visualize the hierarchy of nested controls in your FrameXML file including virtual controls
-Visualize the hierarchy of nested controls in your FrameXML file including virtual controls
 [[File:AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features FrameXML Tree View - 200523.0.png|none]]
 ;Visually Browse Warcraft Resources:
+:You can browse and add Warcraft resources directly into your addons including class ability icons, common frames (Bank, Calendar, Chat, Guild, etc...), and Common Buttons (close, scrolling, main menu, etc...)
-You can browse and add Warcraft resources directly into your addons including class ability icons, common frames (Bank, Calendar, Chat, Guild, etc...), and Common Buttons (close, scrolling, main menu, etc...)
 [[File:AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW - Features Visually Browse Resources - 200524.1.png|none]]
 ;Visually Design Frame Backdrops:
+:AddOn Studio includes a Backdrop editor tool to easily design and visualize an XML Frame.
-AddOn Studio includes a Backdrop editor tool to easily design and visualize an XML Frame.
 ; XML Editing for Advanced Developers:
+:For advanced developers that want to hand-code FrameXML files, AddOn Studio includes the option to turn off the Visual Designer and just use the XML editing tools. You can switch between the Designer and the XML editor at will, and even use both at the same time and see you changes update immediate in the other. This can also be used as a great way to learn WoW UI XML or maybe even to learn XML itself.
-For advanced developers that want to hand-code FrameXML files, AddOn Studio includes the option to turn off the Visual Designer and just use the XML editing tools. You can switch between the Designer and the XML editor at will, and even use both at the same time and see you changes update immediate in the other. This can also be used as a great way to learn WoW UI XML or maybe even to learn XML itself.
 ;Auto-Generate Table of Contents (TOC):
+:AddOn Studio also takes the hassle out of building the Table of Contents (TOC) file by automatically building it based on what files are in your project.
-AddOn Studio also takes the hassle out of building the Table of Contents (TOC) file by automatically building it based on what files are in your project.
 ;Visually add Table of Contents (TOC) Metadata:
+:AddOn Studio also makes it easy to add metadata to your Tables of Contents (TOC) file including Title, Author, version, and a number of other common metadata attributes as well as custom attributes.
-AddOn Studio also makes it easy to add metadata to your Tables of Contents (TOC) file including Title, Author, version, and a number of other common metadata attributes as well as custom attributes.
 ;Auto-Generate Lua Events
+:The Addon Studio property window shows all of the properties and events available for a Lua control or frame and enables one-click creation of event handlers like a button_OnClick event.
-The Addon Studio property window shows all of the properties and events available for a Lua control or frame and enables one-click creation of event handlers like a button_OnClick event.
 ;And more...
+:AddOn Studio includes features, like automatic deployment to your Warcraft directory, Task Window, Error List for FrameXML and Lua parsing errors, TGA and MP3 file format support, built-in [[wo:Lua|Lua]] console for testing code, [[WoWBench]] support, and powerful search-and-replace features.
-AddOn Studio includes features, like automatic deployment to your Warcraft directory, Task Window, Error List for FrameXML and Lua parsing errors, TGA and MP3 file format support, built-in [[Lua]] console for testing code, [[WoWBench]] support, and powerful search-and-replace features.
 == Frequently Asked Questions ==
 ;Does AddOn Studio require Visual Studio?
+:For [[AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW]], no; it works independently of Visual Studio. If you already have [[wo:Lua editors/Visual Studio|Visual Studio 2010]] installed, that's fine also. For [[AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW]], any edition of Visual Studio 2015 may be installed, including the free one. For <!--{{NYR-item|NYR}} -->[[AddOn Studio 2022 for WoW]], it's the same as the 2015 edition and any edition of Visual Studio 2022 may be installed.
-For [[AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW]], no; it works independently of Visual Studio. If you already have [[Lua editors/Visual Studio|Visual Studio 2010]] installed, that's fine also. For [[AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW]], any edition of Visual Studio 2015 may be installed, including the free one. For {{NYR-item|NYR}} [[AddOn Studio 2022 for WoW]], it's the same as the 2015 edition and any edition of Visual Studio 2022 may be installed.
 ;How was AddOn Studio created?
+:AddOn Studio is built using the free Visual Studio Shell, and the Extensibility features in Visual Studio. For more information on VS extensibility, please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Extensibility.
-AddOn Studio is built using the free Visual Studio Shell, and the Extensibility features in Visual Studio. For more information on VS extensibility, please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Extensibility.
 ;What are some recommended resources for learning how to build Warcraft AddOns?
 [[File:WoW_WildStar_Mmorpg.png|right]]
-* [[UI beginner's guide|WoW UI Beginner's Guide]]
+* [[wo:UI beginner's guide|WoW UI Beginner's Guide]]
-* [[Getting started with writing AddOns]]
+* [[wo:Getting started with writing AddOns|Getting started with writing AddOns]]
-* [[WoW HOWTOs]] Articles
+* [[wo:HOWTOs|HOWTOs]] Articles
 * Lua.org: [//www.lua.org/manual/5.1/ Lua Language Reference]
-* [[Lua]] reference
+* [[wo:Lua|Lua]] reference
 * Book: [//www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Programming-Reference-Creating/dp/0470229810 World of Warcraft Programming: A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons] - A complete reference for building AddOns
 * Book: [//www.amazon.com/Coding4Fun-Programming-Projects-Wiimote-Warcraft/dp/0596520743 Coding4Fun: 10 .NET Programming Projects for Wiimote, YouTube, World of Warcraft, and More] - Chapter 3 is a .NET developer's guide to building AddOns and shows how an in-game RSS Reader is built
@@ Line 135: / Line 133: @@
 == Download ==
-==== [[AddOn Studio for WoW]] ====
+==== [[AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft|AddOn Studio for WoW]] ====
-* <!--{{NYR-item|NYR}}-->[[AddOn Studio 2022 for WoW]]
+* <!--{{NYR-item|NYR}}-->[[AddOn Studio 2022 for World of Warcraft|AddOn Studio 2022 for WoW]]
-* [[AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW]]
+* [[AddOn Studio 2015 for World of Warcraft|AddOn Studio 2015 for WoW]]
-* [[AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW]]
+* [[AddOn Studio 2010 for World of Warcraft|AddOn Studio 2010 for WoW]]
 == Twitter ==
+<mobileonly>
-<twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWoW" height="440" dnt="true" />
+Visit: [//twitter.com/AddonStudioWoW @AddonStudioWoW]
-<nomobile>
+</mobileonly><nomobile>
-<twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWS" height="320" dnt="true" />
+<div style="background-color:var(--bg-tc-d);border-radius: 12px;overflow:hidden"><!--
+--><twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWoW" height="460" dnt="true" theme="dark" chrome="transparent" link-color="#ffcc00" /><!--
+--></div>
+<div style="background-color:var(--bg-tc-d);border-radius: 12px;overflow:hidden"><!--
+--><twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWS" height="340" dnt="true" theme="dark" chrome="transparent" link-color="#ffcc00" /><!--
+--></div></nomobile>
 <!--
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioSo2D" height="320" />
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudio" height="320" />
--->
+--><!--
-<!--
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWoW" theme="_dark" height="560" />
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioWS" theme="_dark" height="320" />
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudioSo2D" theme="_dark" height="320" />
 <twitter screen-name="AddOnStudio" theme="_dark" height="320" />
 -->
+<nomobile>
 == Activity ==

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