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In plain English, an AddOn is just some files you can put in your game folder that can (theoretically) improve your interaction with the World of Warcraft game (i.e. make it easier to play, or give you more information about what's going on in the game). | In plain English, an AddOn is just some files you can put in your game folder that can (theoretically) improve your interaction with the World of Warcraft game (i.e. make it easier to play, or give you more information about what's going on in the game). | ||
Often the name '''modification''' (or "mod" for short) is used interchangeably with | Often the name '''modification''' (or "mod" for short) is used interchangeably with AddOn. More specifically, a mod is a third-party AddOn that alters or enhances some aspect of World of Warcraft's interface. Mods can perform a wide variety of tasks, including adding new buttons to the screen, altering the built-in player and party frames. In extreme cases, mods completely supplant the standard WoW [[UI|interface]], usually offering more advanced functionality. | ||
Some mods are standalone, able to run without any additional software. Others are built on libraries such as [[Sea]] or [[Ace (AddOns)|Ace]]. Still others, such as [[Cosmos]], are compilations of many individually-developed mods. | Some mods are standalone, able to run without any additional software. Others are built on libraries such as [[Sea]] or [[Ace (AddOns)|Ace]]. Still others, such as [[Cosmos]], are compilations of many individually-developed mods. | ||
== Blizzared's AddOn policy == | |||
With the release of [[Patch 3.1]], [[Blizzard Entertainment]] introduced a new UI AddOn development policy.<ref name="policy">http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/policy/ui.html</ref> Here is a summary below: | |||
== | |||
With the release of [[Patch 3.1]], [[ | |||
# AddOns must be free of charge. | # AddOns must be free of charge. | ||
# AddOn code must be completely visible. | # AddOn code must be completely visible. | ||
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It isn't exactly clear how Blizzard plans to enforce this policy, but developers should follow the policy or risk some sort of exclusion of their AddOns from the game. The following sentence ends the introductory paragraph of the policy: "failure to abide by them may result in measures up to and including taking formal legal action."<ref name="policy"/> | It isn't exactly clear how Blizzard plans to enforce this policy, but developers should follow the policy or risk some sort of exclusion of their AddOns from the game. The following sentence ends the introductory paragraph of the policy: "failure to abide by them may result in measures up to and including taking formal legal action."<ref name="policy"/> | ||
== | == Creating an AddOn == | ||
First of all, you need to create a new directory in Interface\AddOns. The name of this directory is kind of important, as it is what other AddOns use to refer to your AddOn (in dependencies). Therefore, using version numbers in your AddOn directory name can be a bad idea; you will run the risk of having other AddOns "break" when you change the version. This will probably lead to people either not depending on your AddOn or, worse, that they'll keep using an old version. | First of all, you need to create a new directory in Interface\AddOns. The name of this directory is kind of important, as it is what other AddOns use to refer to your AddOn (in dependencies). Therefore, using version numbers in your AddOn directory name can be a bad idea; you will run the risk of having other AddOns "break" when you change the version. This will probably lead to people either not depending on your AddOn or, worse, that they'll keep using an old version. | ||
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Look at [[Getting started with writing addons]] to get a better idea of the structure of an addon. | Look at [[Getting started with writing addons]] to get a better idea of the structure of an addon. | ||
== | == Toc files == | ||
'''.toc''' is short for "table of contents". | '''.toc''' is short for "table of contents". | ||
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To get the latest interface number, see [[Getting the current interface number]]. The number in the .toc file must match the current build or the add on will not be loaded/active, unless the user has explicitly told WoW to load out-of-date Addons. If the .toc file declares an interface number prior to 2.0.0 (i.e. pre-[[The Burning Crusade]]), the AddOn can not be loaded, regardless of the load out of date AddOns setting. | To get the latest interface number, see [[Getting the current interface number]]. The number in the .toc file must match the current build or the add on will not be loaded/active, unless the user has explicitly told WoW to load out-of-date Addons. If the .toc file declares an interface number prior to 2.0.0 (i.e. pre-[[The Burning Crusade]]), the AddOn can not be loaded, regardless of the load out of date AddOns setting. | ||
=== | === Bindings.xml === | ||
If you include a [[Bindings.xml]] file, it does not have to be included in your .toc list of files to load - WoW loads this file automatically. This file is used to set key bindings specific to the AddOn. | If you include a [[Bindings.xml]] file, it does not have to be included in your .toc list of files to load - WoW loads this file automatically. This file is used to set key bindings specific to the AddOn. | ||
=== | === Other keywords in the toc file === | ||
Please check out [[The TOC Format]] for a more detailed list. | Please check out [[The TOC Format]] for a more detailed list. | ||
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{{elink|site=Wowace Forums|link=http://forums.wowace.com|desc=Great Addon Developer Forum}} | {{elink|site=Wowace Forums|link=http://forums.wowace.com|desc=Great Addon Developer Forum}} | ||
[http://www.wastefraudandabuse.org/quest_help.htm Quest-Helper AddOn Easy Install] | [http://www.wastefraudandabuse.org/quest_help.htm Quest-Helper AddOn Easy Install] | ||
=== Addon Providers === | === Addon Providers === | ||