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This page | This page goes through some of the basic concepts for [[UI Customization]] and [[WoW development]] through using [[Macros]], [[Scripts]] and [[AddOns]]. | ||
== Slash Commands == | == Slash Commands == | ||
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Blizzard has made the decision that the user interface of World of Warcraft is fully customizable, modifiable and extendable. This is completely legal, and is encouraged by Blizzard. A User Interface Modification (UI Mod for short) and AddOn is exactly the same thing, the difference is merely in their names. Usually "Mods" tend to refer to smaller things that only modify existing functionality of the user interface, whereas AddOns tend to add extra functionality. From here on, we will simply use "AddOn". | Blizzard has made the decision that the user interface of World of Warcraft is fully customizable, modifiable and extendable. This is completely legal, and is encouraged by Blizzard. A User Interface Modification (UI Mod for short) and AddOn is exactly the same thing, the difference is merely in their names. Usually "Mods" tend to refer to smaller things that only modify existing functionality of the user interface, whereas AddOns tend to add extra functionality. From here on, we will simply use "AddOn". | ||
=== | === The user's point of view === | ||
From a user's point of view, what you need to know is that AddOns come in the form of one or more text files, ending in the ".toc", ".xml" and ".lua" extensions. These files are supposed to go into a folder called Interface in your World of Warcraft folder, or into one of its sub-folders. Usually AddOns are distributed as zip files by their authors, and you "install" them by simply unzipping them in your World of Warcraft\Interface folder. | From a user's point of view, what you need to know is that AddOns come in the form of one or more text files, ending in the ".toc", ".xml" and ".lua" extensions. These files are supposed to go into a folder called Interface in your World of Warcraft folder, or into one of its sub-folders. Usually AddOns are distributed as zip files by their authors, and you "install" them by simply unzipping them in your World of Warcraft\Interface folder. | ||
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'''Uninstalling''': You can always uninstall any AddOn and reset the WoW UI to its clean default state by merely deleting or renaming the Interface, WTF, and Cache folders in your WoW folder, then restarting WoW. | '''Uninstalling''': You can always uninstall any AddOn and reset the WoW UI to its clean default state by merely deleting or renaming the Interface, WTF, and Cache folders in your WoW folder, then restarting WoW. | ||
=== | === The developer's point of view === | ||
AddOns mainly consist of two types of files: | AddOns mainly consist of two types of files: | ||
* [[Lua]] files, which contain the brunt of the logic | * [[Lua]] files, which contain the brunt of the logic | ||
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External guides: | External guides: | ||
* [http://wow.mmhell.com/articles/interface_modification/beginners_guide.html | * [http://wow.mmhell.com/articles/interface_modification/beginners_guide.html A Beginner's Guide to Interface Modification at mmhell.com] (Marian 'Fyrn' R, Aug. 2004) - out of date | ||
* [http://wow.mmhell.com/articles/interface_modification/writing_your_first_addon.html mmhell.com - | * [http://wow.mmhell.com/articles/interface_modification/writing_your_first_addon.html Your first AddOn at mmhell.com] - out of date | ||
=== | === Addon packages === | ||
If you look around the forums a bit, you | If you look around the forums a bit, you may see names like Titan Panel, [[Cosmos (AddOn)|Cosmos]], and CTMod popping up. These were major AddOn packages that contained a large number of UI AddOns. Their authors often working in teams were respectable members of the WoW community who worked hard to create useful AddOns, and have bundled them together into one easy-to-use package. | ||
Feel free to use any and all of these packages. They are legal, Blizzard allows and encourages their use, although you won't get technical support from Blizzard if something is wrong with them. There are many of these around, download and try a few of them and see if you like them. Usually the authors make these packages highly configurable so that you can adjust them to your needs. | Feel free to use any and all of these packages. They are legal, Blizzard allows and encourages their use, although you won't get technical support from Blizzard if something is wrong with them. There are many of these around, download and try a few of them and see if you like them. Usually the authors make these packages highly configurable so that you can adjust them to your needs. | ||
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Note: a lot of these major AddOn packages conflict with each other, so you won't be able to use them together. | Note: a lot of these major AddOn packages conflict with each other, so you won't be able to use them together. | ||
=== Standalone, pure AddOns, what is so good about them? | === Standalone addons === | ||
''Standalone, pure AddOns, what is so good about them?'' | |||
You will sometimes see AddOn authors being proud of their AddOn being "standalone", or "pure addon". In the past, often AddOns modified existing UI functionality by changing something in the existing, core UI files provided by Blizzard. This has led to conflicts as different AddOns all tried to modify the same file. A "pure addon" is one that does not modify any existing files, and merely adds its own files. This is a very good thing, because you can have any number of such AddOns happily coexisting side-by-side. For this reason in WoW patch 1.10, Blizzard has completely disabled the ability to change the core UI files themselves. Therefore, all modifications to the UI can now only be done via pure AddOns. (Note that this doesn't mean that existing functionality of the UI can't be modified, it just means that it has to be done via an AddOn without modifying Blizzard's files themselves). | You will sometimes see AddOn authors being proud of their AddOn being "standalone", or "pure addon". In the past, often AddOns modified existing UI functionality by changing something in the existing, core UI files provided by Blizzard. This has led to conflicts as different AddOns all tried to modify the same file. A "pure addon" is one that does not modify any existing files, and merely adds its own files. This is a very good thing, because you can have any number of such AddOns happily coexisting side-by-side. For this reason in WoW patch 1.10, Blizzard has completely disabled the ability to change the core UI files themselves. Therefore, all modifications to the UI can now only be done via pure AddOns. (Note that this doesn't mean that existing functionality of the UI can't be modified, it just means that it has to be done via an AddOn without modifying Blizzard's files themselves). | ||
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== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{elink|site=wow.go-hero.net|link=http://wow.go-hero.net/framexml/builds|desc=Available FrameXML Builds|bydate=(.lua, .toc, and .xml viewer)}} | {{elink|site=wow.go-hero.net|link=http://wow.go-hero.net/framexml/builds|desc=Available FrameXML Builds|bydate=(.lua, .toc, and .xml viewer)}} | ||
{{elink|site=World of Warcraft Programming|link=http://wowprogramming.com/|desc=Web site for the [[World of Warcraft Programming|book of the same name]]}} | {{elink|site=World of Warcraft Programming|link=http://wowprogramming.com/|desc=Web site for the [[\World of Warcraft Programming|book of the same name]]}} | ||
{{elink|site=WoW Mastery|link=http://wowmastery.org/|desc=Full review of the LvL86 Software}} | {{elink|site=WoW Mastery|link=http://wowmastery.org/|desc=Full review of the LvL86 Software}} | ||
[[Category:Interface customization]] | [[Category:Interface customization]] | ||
[[Category:FAQs]] | [[Category:FAQs]] | ||
[[Category:UI]] | [[Category:UI]] | ||