World of Warcraft Programming
A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons
1st Edition
Published on 3. June 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
1056 pages
978-0-470-22981-1 (ISBN)
Description
WoW is more than an acronym.
. it's what you'll say when you see how many ways you can tweak the interface after you read this book. If you're new to programming, we'll teach you the basics of Lua and XML and walk you through writing your first addon. If you already have some original addons in your arsenal, jump right into Parts III and IV and work with templates, function hooking, custom graphics, state headers, and more. We'll even help you distribute your addons, making WoW better for everybody.
* Discover how to respond to events, create frames, and use the World of Warcraft API to interact with the game
* Learn the Lua programming language through a series of interactive examples, from values and variables to custom functions and control structures
* Learn basic and advanced functions and control structures
* Write well-formed XML and validate using schemas
* Implement saved variables, slash commands, secure templates, dynamic frames, parsing tooltips, and more
* Create custom graphics, scroll frames, and dropdown menus
* Find specific functions easily in the comprehensive references of APIs, API categories, events, and widgets
Companion Web site
Go to http://www.wiley.com/go/wowprogramming regularly to see how the latest World of Warcraft updates affect these tips and techniques.
. it's what you'll say when you see how many ways you can tweak the interface after you read this book. If you're new to programming, we'll teach you the basics of Lua and XML and walk you through writing your first addon. If you already have some original addons in your arsenal, jump right into Parts III and IV and work with templates, function hooking, custom graphics, state headers, and more. We'll even help you distribute your addons, making WoW better for everybody.
* Discover how to respond to events, create frames, and use the World of Warcraft API to interact with the game
* Learn the Lua programming language through a series of interactive examples, from values and variables to custom functions and control structures
* Learn basic and advanced functions and control structures
* Write well-formed XML and validate using schemas
* Implement saved variables, slash commands, secure templates, dynamic frames, parsing tooltips, and more
* Create custom graphics, scroll frames, and dropdown menus
* Find specific functions easily in the comprehensive references of APIs, API categories, events, and widgets
Companion Web site
Go to http://www.wiley.com/go/wowprogramming regularly to see how the latest World of Warcraft updates affect these tips and techniques.
Reviews / Votes
"This has been long awaited by WoW players...it guides readers step-by-step through building Addons with no prior programming experience assumed." (The Bookseller, Friday 14th March 2008)More details
Edition
1., Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Hoboken
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 23.6 cm
Width: 18.5 cm
Weight
1306 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-470-22981-1 (9780470229811)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
James Whitehead | Rick Roe
World of Warcraft Programming
A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons
Book
02/2010
2nd Edition
Wiley
Unfortunately, price unknown
Article exhausted; check different version
Persons
James Whitehead II is the author of a number of popular addons for World of Warcraft such as PerfectRaid, Clique, LightHeaded, TomTom, and many other small addons available at www.wowinterface.com. He has been an active member of both the WoW UI and the Lua communities since the World of Warcraft Beta began and has been writing addons since. When he actually has time to play the game, you can find him playing one of his many characters on the Stormrage (US) server, or feverishly leveling his characters on Ravencrest (EU).
Jim is a graduate of Syracuse University where he completed both his BSc and MSc in computer science. He is currently pursuing his DPhil in computer science at the University of Oxford, where he is also the teaching assistant for the Computing Laboratory. In his spare time, he enjoys rowing competitively for Worcester College and stabbing his friends in the back playing Munchkin.
Bryan McLemore has been a member of the UI community since early 2005. After creating KC_AutoRepair, he went on to co-found the Ace Project and WowAce.com as Kaelten alongside Brent Miller (Turan in the UI community). Following Brent's official departure from WoW, Bryan found himself having to devote more and more time to WowAce and less to his addons; however, he refuses to give up on OneBag and KC_Items. When he actually manages to spend time playing World of Warcraft, he plays one of his many alts on the US server Whisperwind.
In the remainder of his free time, he is leading the development of Ace3 and working on plans for his addons, along with a few websites he would like to see developed. Bryan recently started a full-time career in web development and system administration when he moved to California with his wife and daughter. They currently live in San Francisco.
Matthew Orlando is the author of numerous addons for World of Warcraft, including BuyEmAll, CogsBar, and MacroTalk. He has been programming for 13 years and has been active in the addon community since early 2006. In addition to his extensive experience with Lua and the World of Warcraft API, he maintains "Cogwheel's Complete Macro Guide," the definitive source for information on writing macros for WoW.
Matthew currently resides in Sebastopol, California, with his wife, Juliella; their dog, Ari; and two cats, Ryo-ohki and Zoe. He works for Kistler Vineyards where his duties range from customer service and data entry to database programming and website development, and he plans to begin law school in mid-2008.
Jim is a graduate of Syracuse University where he completed both his BSc and MSc in computer science. He is currently pursuing his DPhil in computer science at the University of Oxford, where he is also the teaching assistant for the Computing Laboratory. In his spare time, he enjoys rowing competitively for Worcester College and stabbing his friends in the back playing Munchkin.
Bryan McLemore has been a member of the UI community since early 2005. After creating KC_AutoRepair, he went on to co-found the Ace Project and WowAce.com as Kaelten alongside Brent Miller (Turan in the UI community). Following Brent's official departure from WoW, Bryan found himself having to devote more and more time to WowAce and less to his addons; however, he refuses to give up on OneBag and KC_Items. When he actually manages to spend time playing World of Warcraft, he plays one of his many alts on the US server Whisperwind.
In the remainder of his free time, he is leading the development of Ace3 and working on plans for his addons, along with a few websites he would like to see developed. Bryan recently started a full-time career in web development and system administration when he moved to California with his wife and daughter. They currently live in San Francisco.
Matthew Orlando is the author of numerous addons for World of Warcraft, including BuyEmAll, CogsBar, and MacroTalk. He has been programming for 13 years and has been active in the addon community since early 2006. In addition to his extensive experience with Lua and the World of Warcraft API, he maintains "Cogwheel's Complete Macro Guide," the definitive source for information on writing macros for WoW.
Matthew currently resides in Sebastopol, California, with his wife, Juliella; their dog, Ari; and two cats, Ryo-ohki and Zoe. He works for Kistler Vineyards where his duties range from customer service and data entry to database programming and website development, and he plans to begin law school in mid-2008.
Content
Introduction.
Part I Learning to Program.
Chapter 1 Programming for World of Warcraft.
Chapter 2 Exploring Lua Basics.
Chapter 3 Basic Functions and Control Structures.
Chapter 4 Working with Tables.
Chapter 5 Advanced Functions and Control Structures.
Chapter 6 Lua Standard Libraries.
Chapter 7 Learning XML.
Part II Programming in World of Warcraft.
Chapter 8 Programming Within World of Warcraft.
Chapter 9 Anatomy of an Addon.
Chapter 10 Creating Frames in XML.
Chapter 11 Adding Behavior to XML Frames.
Chapter 12 Creating Your First Addon: CombatTracker.
Chapter 13 Using the World of Warcraft API.
Chapter 14 Building a Basic Addon with AddOn Studio.
Part III Advanced Addon Techniques.
Chapter 15 Using Templates Programmatically.
Chapter 16 Writing an Addon Without XML.
Chapter 17 Taking Action with Secure Templates.
Chapter 18 Creating Slash Commands.
Chapter 19 Altering Existing Behavior with Function Hooking.
Chapter 20 Creating Custom Graphics.
Chapter 21 Making Frames Move.
Chapter 22 Creating Scroll Frames.
Chapter 23 Creating Dropdown Menus.
Chapter 24 Tooltips.
Chapter 25 Using State Headers.
Chapter 26 Driving State Changes.
Chapter 27 Creating Unit Frames with Group Templates.
Part IV Reference.
Chapter 28 API Reference.
Chapter 29 API Categories.
Chapter 30 Events Reference.
Chapter 31 Widget Reference.
Part V Appendixes.
Appendix A Distributing Your Addon.
Appendix B Tracking History Using Version Control Systems.
Appendix C Best Practices.
Appendix D Avoiding Common Mistakes.
Appendix E Utilizing Addon Libraries.
Appendix F Author and Addon Communities.
Glossary.
Index.
Part I Learning to Program.
Chapter 1 Programming for World of Warcraft.
Chapter 2 Exploring Lua Basics.
Chapter 3 Basic Functions and Control Structures.
Chapter 4 Working with Tables.
Chapter 5 Advanced Functions and Control Structures.
Chapter 6 Lua Standard Libraries.
Chapter 7 Learning XML.
Part II Programming in World of Warcraft.
Chapter 8 Programming Within World of Warcraft.
Chapter 9 Anatomy of an Addon.
Chapter 10 Creating Frames in XML.
Chapter 11 Adding Behavior to XML Frames.
Chapter 12 Creating Your First Addon: CombatTracker.
Chapter 13 Using the World of Warcraft API.
Chapter 14 Building a Basic Addon with AddOn Studio.
Part III Advanced Addon Techniques.
Chapter 15 Using Templates Programmatically.
Chapter 16 Writing an Addon Without XML.
Chapter 17 Taking Action with Secure Templates.
Chapter 18 Creating Slash Commands.
Chapter 19 Altering Existing Behavior with Function Hooking.
Chapter 20 Creating Custom Graphics.
Chapter 21 Making Frames Move.
Chapter 22 Creating Scroll Frames.
Chapter 23 Creating Dropdown Menus.
Chapter 24 Tooltips.
Chapter 25 Using State Headers.
Chapter 26 Driving State Changes.
Chapter 27 Creating Unit Frames with Group Templates.
Part IV Reference.
Chapter 28 API Reference.
Chapter 29 API Categories.
Chapter 30 Events Reference.
Chapter 31 Widget Reference.
Part V Appendixes.
Appendix A Distributing Your Addon.
Appendix B Tracking History Using Version Control Systems.
Appendix C Best Practices.
Appendix D Avoiding Common Mistakes.
Appendix E Utilizing Addon Libraries.
Appendix F Author and Addon Communities.
Glossary.
Index.