WoW:HOWTOs
← HOWTOs
HOWTOs are detailed documents describing "how to" accomplish something specific. Most of them will assume a basic understanding of the WoW scripting language and framework. For more information on the framework please refer to Portal:Interface customization, AddOns, and World of Warcraft API.
See also HOWTOs category.
Getting Started
- Getting started with writing addons - Overview of the tools, code and file types involved in creating addons
- AddOn programming tutorial/Introduction - Creating a Hello World! AddOn.
- Setting up Visual Studio for WoW XML - On a Windows platform you can use Visual Studio to create XML descriptions of interfaces
General Lua tutorials
- Common Lua shortcuts - Commonly occurring uses of Lua logic evaluation short-cuts, method syntax and the global environment.
- Function arguments - Declaring and passing arguments to functions.
- Using the argument '...' efficiently - Tips involving the vararg operator.
- Hooking functions - Functions are first-class values in Lua, which allows you to override or extend the behavior of already declared functions.
- Pattern matching - An overview of the regular expression features of Lua.
- Lua basics - a few basic hints and notes about Lua
General Addon tutorials
- Getting the current interface number - For use in .toc files.
- Handling events - Creating, and managing event handler code.
- Saving variables between game sessions - Description and examples of saving variables to disk.
- Creating defaults - creating default values in your addon's saved variables.
- Localizing an addon - General techniques enabling localization.
- Using OnUpdate correctly - Throttling OnUpdate code execution.
Using FrameXML
- Creating GUI configuration options - A custom configuration frame tutorial.
- Creating tabbed windows - Using UIPanelTemplates to create tabs.
- Creating a slash command - Creating and using slash command handlers.
- Creating your own chat types - Adding new chat types allows users to redirect your addon's chat output to one or more desired chat frames.
- Making a scrollable list using FauxScrollFrameTemplate - FauxScrollFrameTemplate tutorial.
- Creating standard left-sliding frames - using the UIPanelLayout attributes to manage your frame's position.
- Make Frames Closable With the "Esc" Key - using UISpecialFrames to enable this behavior.
- Removing Blizzard default frames - Maps default UI elements to frame names and suggests use of the :Hide() widget function.
- Hooking outgoing chat messages - Describes a mechanism to alter outgoing chat messages.
- Creating simple pop-up dialog boxes - Using StaticPopup to display simple prompts.
- Using the ColorPickerFrame - Invoking the default color picker.
- Using UIDropDownMenu - Drop down boxes and menus using the FrameXML API.
- Using the Interface Options Addons panel - Describes how to create an option panel that works with the default UI's Interface Options frame.
- Using bindings.xml to create key bindings for your addon - Enabling default UI bindings.
Widgets
- HOWTO: Scroll EditBoxes to the left programatically
- Making Draggable Frames - Describes several methods to allow the user to move a frame.
Miscellaneous
- Parsing event messages - Event messages like combat logs, loot messages, online/offline notifications
- Detecting an instant cast spell - Using the UNIT_SPELLCAST_SUCCEEDED event.
- Identifying buffs using textures
- HOWTO: Speed up string match lookups - Describes how to potentially speed up multiple similar pattern string matching.
- HOWTO: Use Tables Without Generating Extra Garbage - An overview of techniques enabling table reuse and avoiding excessive garbage generation.
See also
- Making a macro - An overview of the various macro slash commands.