Add-on development help

[Neteyes]

I'm wanting to try developing my own add-on, however the tutorials I've looked at don't take up the question of the workflow or dev environment. So what do you guys use? Is there a linter or something available that runs the code in an environment similar to wow so that the development process is faster? Small things like that.

Sorry I'm on my phone and I'm bad at expressing myself through it.

[Deleted]

I have just started a tutorial series on how to Build AddOns, not sure if you just took a look at it or not because it was strange timing as I only just uploaded it recently:


But I use Notepad++ on a WoW Trial AddOn and recommend Bugsack but I hope to cover more in future such as how to structure and program AddOns efficiently while showing you all the tips and tricks I know of.

Don't think this answers your question though. But I do not use any special Dev environment just Notepad++ as that is all that's really needed :/


If you disable all AddOns and go to a less populated area in WoW and just use "/console reloadui" after each change of Code then it should show the changes very quickly.

[Crudor]

I use wowlua for quick code testing ingame, otherwise just plain old Notepad++ like MayronEU.

[Woogs]

Notepad++
NppExec plugin
FindGlobals script (syntax check + global lookup finder)

[Neteyes]

Ah, alright, didn't know reloadui loaded changes. That makes sense then thanks I use sublime over npp though but that's just me. There isn't a function list in Json or something BTW?

[Azelias]

I personally use NPP with wowprogramming for API and widget references (google for general queries that someone may have done before you).

ReloadUI works only if you're modifying an existing file. You can't change the .toc file and have the changes work after reload. Hence, you can't add or remove files and libraries while logged in.

[Deleted]

ReloadUI reloads file contents, but doesn't re-index the file tree. So if you add an entirely new file, you'll need to restart for it to be loaded - but if you add an already-existing file to your TOC, it should load with just a reload.

[ComputerNerd]

Ah, alright, didn't know reloadui loaded changes. That makes sense then thanks I use sublime over npp though but that's just me. There isn't a function list in Json or something BTW?

It will load changes to pre-existing files when the game client was started but not new files introduced since.
/reload I am pretty sure is now included by default, for the same thing.

[Neteyes]

Thanks for the help guys Now the only problem is finding something to create. I feel as weakauras has pretty much ruined add-ons that affect or guide your gamelan. Literally everything I can think of I can do in weakauras faster.

[Azelias]

You just need to make something that fulfills your needs and requirements. The first addon I made, I took the core master looter -> raiders communication idea for loot from EPGP Lootmaster, and applied it to a raid management perspective. Leader / group manager requests info from raid, and changes groups accordingly. We initially had a set of weak auras do this, but the addon made it work far better and with much more sophisticated UI elements (plus the process could be done in 1 minute, rather than 5)

As long as you can code, and the API allows it, the sky is the limit really.