Addons 101: The basics
by Mathew McCurley 
Jun 30th 2010 at 5:00PM
For the past couple of months I have been getting emails from readers who read and enjoy my addon columns every week and love reading the addon discussions that follow in the comments, but are still very new to the idea of addons to the WoW default user interface. In addition, I am sure there are readers out there who just haven't yet wrapped their heads around the concept of addons and what to do with these pesky pieces of code. So, as per many suggestions and adding to the ever-growing library of WoW.com 101 guides, I present the first part of Addons 101.
Addons 101 will be a four-part guide spanning four weeks of beginner addon advice on installation, configuration and recommendations. First, we will discuss what addons are, why you need them and how to install them. Second, we will discuss some of the categories of addons and give you a primer on what is configurable in the user interface, what important definitions and words are at play and what certain addons do. Third, we will discuss mission-critical addons that many people believe are essential to the gameplay experience. Finally, we will wrap it all up with a beginners guide to user interface design and function, providing a great synopsis on how to begin to configure your UI to be the most comfortable to you.
This series of articles is intended to be used in two ways, for two distinct types of people. First, this article will provide the basic information on what an addon is, how addons affect that game and how to find and install addons. Also, we will talk about a few types of popular addon categories. New players unfamiliar with addons will receive the basic knowledge necessary to make addons part of their WoW experience. Second, this article is for advanced players to show their inexperienced brethren, providing a one-stop shop resource when that inevitable question comes: "What addons do I need?"
The simplest question actually turns out to be a fairly complicated one. It actually took me a good amount of time to figure out how to explain what an addon is. The simplest explanation is that an addon is like an app for World of Warcraft. These pieces of code run with the game to change the way the interface looks, provide new functionality to the interface or even replace Blizzard's user interface elements or pieces with your own. Blizzard made the World of Warcraft user interface malleable to support addons, so do not think it is cheating or against the rules to use addons. Occasionally, Blizzard does change the rules and addons lose functionality in those rare events, but for the most part, Blizzard is A-OK with addons.
Why do I need addons?
Technically, you don't need addons. The stock user interface is a competent piece of software that again, for the most part, gives you the basic functionality you need -- barely. But really, a WoW user interface without addons is like an iPhone without apps -- you've got the phone and none of the frills that make the whole thing come alive.
For the players out there who like to compete against harder bosses or end-game content, addons play a large role in understanding, timing and navigating boss encounters. For instance, Deadly Boss Mods, a popular encounters addon, will track a raid boss' abilities and let you know when it's time to move out of the way of an attack or help out your raid members with an ability.
Where can I find addons?
Addons are sometimes tricky to find and should only be downloaded or researched on trusted addon sites. Hackers and other bad guys can potentially use fake addons to get at your account information, so being conscious of where you download addons is key. These sites are great for safe addon browsing and downloading:
Curse wow.curse.com
WoWInterface www.wowinterface.com
WoWUI wowui.incgamers.com/
Remember these URLs and make sure that they are present at the front of the link. Otherwise, you might be entering a fake website dedicated to stealing your information. Another valuable resource for safely finding and installing addons is the Curse client, a self-contained program that allows you to search for and install addons automatically. This is an excellent tool for the novice addon junkie.
Installing and managing addons
Installing addons is easy. There are two ways of going about this -- the manual way and the automatic way. The automatic way involves downloading an addon management utility like the Curse client, a great resource that allows you to search for addons on Curse.com from the application and instantly install them to your addons folder. The manual way is a bit more tricky but easy nonetheless.
- Download the .zip containing addon from a reputable addon site.
- Unzip the addon folder.
- Move the addon folder into your World of Warcraft directory > Interface > Addons folder.
Addons are what we do on Addon Spotlight. This special edition of Addon Spotlight is aimed at you newcomers out there, to learn a little bit about addons. We are so happy to have you! If you have any questions or suggestions for Addons 101, email Mat at mat@wow.com. Filed under: Add-Ons
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Cyanea Jun 30th 2010 5:02PM
Don't forget that in Vista, Addons are stored in a different folder. Docs and Settings for your username, I think. (Been a while since I went near...that OS)
saltypoison Jun 30th 2010 5:08PM
I'll never really understand the hate Vista receives. I've been running it for years and have had far less problems than I ever had with XP or *shudders* 95/98/ME.
AltairAntares Jun 30th 2010 5:09PM
Yeah, it's different for me as well- add ons (and the game in general) are in C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft\Interface\AddOns.
A good way to find out where exactly the game is located is to right click the shortcut for wow, click properties, the copy the address infront of "target' is, but leaving out the end where it says launcher.exe.
From there just navigate through the interface folder into the addons folder.
Cyanea Jun 30th 2010 5:12PM
Because Vista was an expensive Service Pack to XP with new shiney features that could be handled better by third party applications.
Pantyraider Jun 30th 2010 5:25PM
You don't have to have WoW and all the addons installed elsewhere. Mine resides in the normal location of C:\program files\world of warcraft
Works perfectly.
You just need to know how to get rid of all those Vista "idiot proof" controls. Vista really isn't that bad.
Ignignokt Jun 30th 2010 5:40PM
For Mac OS X users: /Applications/World of Warcraft/Interface/Addons
Hoggersbud Jun 30th 2010 6:41PM
Vista depends on where you installed WOW, and what security settings you have.
Farrell Jun 30th 2010 7:02PM
that's if you have have WoW live in the Program Files directory.
If you put it elsewhere, it'll live in the Interface directory as in previous windows versions
Kg79 Jun 30th 2010 5:07PM
I found the only way to really learn about add ons was to fiddle around with them for an hour, untill I was nearly angry enough to shamsh my keyboard. This guide would have really helped. Also: I would learn how to manage add ons without Curse first, then move on. It helps you a lot to understand how curse works, and if anything happens you know what to do.
AltairAntares Jun 30th 2010 5:11PM
Are you guys planning on putting in a section on how to fix add ons when something goes wrong? ie healbot gets messed up or just in general after a patch day that affects addons?
curzen Jun 30th 2010 5:26PM
you download the latest version of the addon in question. If there isn't a working update, look for an alternative. If there isn't an alternative, play with the stock UI, which isn't as horrible as this article tries to paint it IMO.
humperdinck Jun 30th 2010 5:39PM
This article did not paint the stock UI as horrible.
Iirdan Jun 30th 2010 5:56PM
No, but to be fair, showing the standard action bars with only four abilities makes it seem far inferior than the standard one if it had as many abilities as his fully customized shot did.
Cyanea Jun 30th 2010 6:10PM
That's the whole reason you download an addon, though. He's just demonstrating that with addons, you can have more buttons in a single space IF THAT'S YOUR THING. If you like the bigger buttons for whatever reason, then that picture's just gonna show that addons = bad.
Zayd Jun 30th 2010 5:15PM
I look forward to a guide on how to use a an addon to change your UI soon then
Meijnrr Jun 30th 2010 5:43PM
Why don't you follow the instructions outlined in this article and see if after turning the AddOn on and logging your UI changes at all (it will). I swear some people are so helpless they just expect WoW.com to hold there hand with everything they do.
Ausrael Jun 30th 2010 5:33PM
"The automatic way involves downloading an addon management utility like the Curse client, a great resource that allows you to search for addons on Curse.com from the application and instantly install them to your addons folder."
It wasn't mentioned in the article, but another feature of addon clients like Curse is that they will also show you if there is an update available for an addon you are using, both in the main window of the program as well as in the notification area on your taskbar (provided you allow the program to idle in the background).
This is a particularly handy feature for everyday usage and especially so right after a patch drops. Otherwise you really have no way of knowing if there is an update unless you go to each page of each addon you use and check the latest version number.
Cataca Jun 30th 2010 5:39PM
Is it even possible to code an addon that could make customizable bag sizes?
I've always wanted this but I can't find an addon that has this feature.
The idea is simple. Say you have four Frostweave Bags(20 slot) equipped. Along with your backpack(16 slot) you have 96 available slots.
Using the addon you could create "virtual bags". You could then set how many slots you would like your virtual bags to be using the 96 available slots.
Cyanea Jun 30th 2010 5:43PM
If what you're saying is what I think you're saying...
ArkInventory will do it for you. It lumps all your bags into one big bag, then you can create rules that divide it into sections. For example, I've got a setup that has crafting crap like cloth and eternals in one section, pots food and flasks in another, and BoP stuff in a third.
Cataca Jun 30th 2010 5:49PM
@Cyanea
Yes, what I need is pretty much ArkInventory without the automation. I want to sort my inventory myself.