Help with LUA errors.

[Kujako]

I seem to be getting some LUA errors from a little custom add-on of mine. Specifically, I am getting errors such as 'tried to call the protected function "PartyMemberFrame1:SetAttribute()"' and 'tried to call the protected function "PartyMemberFrame1PetFrame:SetAttribute()"'. It seems to be from the following code, which just flashes a frame when rage is more then 60. I can think of no reason it should be looking at the party frame...

local f = CreateFrame("Frame","rageFrame",WorldFrame);
f:SetFrameStrata("BACKGROUND");
f:SetClampedToScreen(true)
f:SetAllPoints(UIParent)
local t = f:CreateTexture(nil,"BACKGROUND");
t:SetTexture("Interface\\AddOns\\TankScripts\\Textures\\rage.tga"); --Interface\\FullScreenTextures\\LowHealth Interface\\FullScreenTextures\\OutofControl
t:SetAlpha(0.5);
t:SetBlendMode("ADD");
t:SetVertexColor(1, 0.1, 0.1);
t:SetAllPoints(frame);
f.texture = t;
f:SetPoint("CENTER",0,0);
f:Hide();

function MyAddon_OnEvent(self, event, unitID, ...)
    if (unitID == "player") then    
        if (event=="UNIT_POWER") then
            if(UnitPowerType("player")==1 and TS_SAVAGE=="on") then
                if(UnitPower("player")>=60) then
                    if (UIFrameIsFlashing(f)) then
                    --    f.fadeInTime = 0.4;
                    --    f.fadeOutTime = 0.6;
                    --    f.flashInHoldTime = 1;
                    else
                        UIFrameFlash(f, 0.5, 0.5, -1);
                    end
                else
                    if (UIFrameIsFlashing(f)) then
                        UIFrameFlashStop(f);
                    end
                end
            else
                if (UIFrameIsFlashing(f)) then
                    UIFrameFlashStop(f);
                end
            end
...

[Deleted]

Using UIFrameFlash is known to cause taints. In other words, don't use it.

[Kujako]

Using UIFrameFlash is known to cause taints. In other words, don't use it.

What's the alternative?

[Crudor]

What's the alternative?

http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=20397

[Kujako]

http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=20397

Yea... I've been through that thread before. It comes close, but doesn't really offer equivalent functionality. But I guess it's a place to start.

- - - Updated - - -

So following that thread, I end up with this....

frame definition with animation

local f = CreateFrame("Frame","rageFrame",WorldFrame);
f:SetFrameStrata("BACKGROUND");
f:SetClampedToScreen(true)
f:SetAllPoints(UIParent)
local t = f:CreateTexture(nil,"BACKGROUND");
t:SetTexture("Interface\\AddOns\\TankScripts\\Textures\\rage.tga"); --Interface\\FullScreenTextures\\LowHealth Interface\\FullScreenTextures\\OutofControl
t:SetAlpha(0.5);
t:SetBlendMode("ADD");
t:SetVertexColor(1, 0.1, 0.1);
t:SetAllPoints(frame);
f.texture = t;
f:SetPoint("CENTER",0,0);
f:Hide();

local flasher = f:CreateAnimationGroup()
local fade1 = flasher:CreateAnimation("Alpha")
fade1:SetDuration(0.5)
fade1:SetChange(1)
fade1:SetOrder(1)

local fade2 = flasher:CreateAnimation("Alpha")
fade2:SetDuration(0.5)
fade2:SetChange(-1)
fade2:SetOrder(2)

new event handler without UIFlashFrame

function MyAddon_OnEvent(self, event, unitID, ...)
    if (unitID == "player") then    
        if (event=="UNIT_POWER") then
            if(UnitPowerType("player")==1 and TS_SAVAGE=="on") then
                if(UnitPower("player")>=60) then
                    if (flasher:IsPlaying()==false) then
                        f:Show();
                        flasher:Play();
                    end
                else
                    flasher:stop();f:Hide();
                end
            else
                flasher:stop();f:Hide();
            end
...

Animation is not as smooth as it was, but I can tweak it as I go. Won't be sure this addresses the errors for awhile however as they only happen in groups with pets I think.

[Kujako]

Turns out the major issue I was having was with the frame name.

[Deleted]

To prevent such a thing you can make use of sth.

local addonName, ns = ...
local UIP = UIParent

local frame = CreateFrame("Frame", addonName.."MainFrame", UIP)
--use $parent to prepend the parent frame name
local subFrame = CreateFrame("Frame", "$parentChild", frame)
--or just keep using addonName and frame specific names
local subFrame2 = CreateFrame("Frame", addonName.."AnotherChildFrame", frame)
--print
print(frame:GetName())
print(subFrame:GetName())
print(subFrame2:GetName())

Using addonName as part of the frame name keeps your frame names unique which is important. $parent makes frame naming easier.

[Kujako]

Using addonName as part of the frame name keeps your frame names unique which is important. $parent makes frame naming easier.

That's more or less what I did, but I added an underscore between the addon and frame names.

[SpaceDuck]

you can just copy the UIFrameFlash function from blizzards code to make a localized version of it so you dont taint the official one. i use this in my own addon and i have never had any taints since:

local frameFlashManager = CreateFrame("FRAME");
 
local FLASHFRAMES = {};
local UIFrameFlashTimers = {};
local UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount = {};

-- Function to see if a frame is already flashing
local function UIFrameIsFlashing(frame)
    for index, value in pairs(FLASHFRAMES) do
        if ( value == frame ) then
            return 1;
        end
    end
    return nil;
end

-- Function to stop flashing
local function UIFrameFlashStop(frame)
    tDeleteItem(FLASHFRAMES, frame);
    frame:SetAlpha(1.0);
    frame.flashTimer = nil;
    if (frame.syncId) then
        UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[frame.syncId] = UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[frame.syncId]-1;
        if (UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[frame.syncId] == 0) then
            UIFrameFlashTimers[frame.syncId] = nil;
            UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[frame.syncId] = nil;
        end
        frame.syncId = nil;
    end
    if ( frame.showWhenDone ) then
        frame:Show();
    else
        frame:Hide();
    end
end

-- Called every frame to update flashing frames
local function UIFrameFlash_OnUpdate(self, elapsed)
    local frame;
    local index = #FLASHFRAMES;
     
    -- Update timers for all synced frames
    for syncId, timer in pairs(UIFrameFlashTimers) do
        UIFrameFlashTimers[syncId] = timer + elapsed;
    end
     
    while FLASHFRAMES[index] do
        frame = FLASHFRAMES[index];
        frame.flashTimer = frame.flashTimer + elapsed;
 
        if ( (frame.flashTimer > frame.flashDuration) and frame.flashDuration ~= -1 ) then
            UIFrameFlashStop(frame);
        else
            local flashTime = frame.flashTimer;
            local alpha;
             
            if (frame.syncId) then
                flashTime = UIFrameFlashTimers[frame.syncId];
            end
             
            flashTime = flashTime%(frame.fadeInTime+frame.fadeOutTime+(frame.flashInHoldTime or 0)+(frame.flashOutHoldTime or 0));
            if (flashTime < frame.fadeInTime) then
                alpha = flashTime/frame.fadeInTime;
            elseif (flashTime < frame.fadeInTime+(frame.flashInHoldTime or 0)) then
                alpha = 1;
            elseif (flashTime < frame.fadeInTime+(frame.flashInHoldTime or 0)+frame.fadeOutTime) then
                alpha = 1 - ((flashTime - frame.fadeInTime - (frame.flashInHoldTime or 0))/frame.fadeOutTime);
            else
                alpha = 0;
            end
             
            frame:SetAlpha(alpha);
            frame:Show();
        end
         
        -- Loop in reverse so that removing frames is safe
        index = index - 1;
    end
     
    if ( #FLASHFRAMES == 0 ) then
        self:SetScript("OnUpdate", nil);
    end
end
 
-- Function to start a frame flashing
local function UIFrameFlash(frame, fadeInTime, fadeOutTime, flashDuration, showWhenDone, flashInHoldTime, flashOutHoldTime, syncId)
    if ( frame ) then
        local index = 1;
        -- If frame is already set to flash then return
        while FLASHFRAMES[index] do
            if ( FLASHFRAMES[index] == frame ) then
                return;
            end
            index = index + 1;
        end
 
        if (syncId) then
            frame.syncId = syncId;
            if (UIFrameFlashTimers[syncId] == nil) then
                UIFrameFlashTimers[syncId] = 0;
                UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[syncId] = 0;
            end
            UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[syncId] = UIFrameFlashTimerRefCount[syncId]+1;
        else
            frame.syncId = nil;
        end
         
        -- Time it takes to fade in a flashing frame
        frame.fadeInTime = fadeInTime;
        -- Time it takes to fade out a flashing frame
        frame.fadeOutTime = fadeOutTime;
        -- How long to keep the frame flashing
        frame.flashDuration = flashDuration;
        -- Show the flashing frame when the fadeOutTime has passed
        frame.showWhenDone = showWhenDone;
        -- Internal timer
        frame.flashTimer = 0;
        -- How long to hold the faded in state
        frame.flashInHoldTime = flashInHoldTime;
        -- How long to hold the faded out state
        frame.flashOutHoldTime = flashOutHoldTime;
         
        tinsert(FLASHFRAMES, frame);
         
        frameFlashManager:SetScript("OnUpdate", UIFrameFlash_OnUpdate);
    end
end

just stick it before all your main code