Lua is a language used by many different games for their customizable UI AddOn code and other code. The following sections help with some of the various aspects of completing these first steps. Use the reference material described above, especially WoW AddOn, as that describes what really makes up an AddOn.Īfter completing your first one you will then have enough skill to start to build the real AddOn you wanted to originally make. Start with making a simple AddOn that has almost no moving parts, where you can see what all of the basic parts are and move forward from there.

Lua editors - A long list of code editors and other tools often used by other AddOn creators.

Most real AddOns, even the simple ones, however can be difficult to read for getting started, with many moving parts.

Curse Forge or WoW Interface - Find a real but simple example of an existing AddOn.

World of Warcraft API - These are the functions and ways to talk to WoW with Lua.

WoW AddOn - These pages explain the basic structure of a WoW AddOn.

Lua - This is the programming language used by WoW for UI AddOns.

Do I know how to talk to WoW in my AddOn to do everything I want to do?.

Will I need to print messages to the chat box?.

Will I need to interact with Blizzard's windows or frames?.

Will I need to make windows (called 'frames' in WoW)?.

What information will I need from WoW for my AddOn to work?.

Writting software in general is often a never ending process because you can always think of something new to add or improve.Įxamples of good questions to ask yourself: After that works the way it should, and you have learned everything necessary to make an AddOn work at all, you can move on to adding one piece at a time toward your goals. It's often a good idea to just make an AddOn that only opens a window or prints a message to get started, especially when everything is new for you. Pick a simple goal or idea for your AddOn. If you are mostly interested in what files and structure comprise a WoW AddOn, you can skip to WoW AddOn, and come back here or move on from there. Creating your own AddOns can be a difficult process at first, but can be very satisfying and is a great way to learn programming in general. The following is a guide for getting started with building WoW AddOns.

Wow battle text addon