WoW:HOWTOs

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→ 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.