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 2 of 2)
Hoggersbud Jun 30th 2010 6:43PM
Is it possible? Yes, there are numerous ones that do it, including Ark Inventory. But if you don't like Ark, you might try Baggins, or BaudBag, or Tbag. The options are out there.
krstcs Jun 30th 2010 6:51PM
@Cataca
If you setup ArkInventory the way you WANT, it will sort things the way you WANT... Simple really. You can always change it by clicking the little gear at the top of the bag window and right-clicking whatever it is you want moved and then changing it's category...
If you just want to move things around and have them stay in that spot, use the WoW UI. Just use the "Shift-b" key bind to open all bags. You won't waste the cpu/ram resources that way.
Namus Jun 30th 2010 6:16PM
Wow we have the same desktop image! :P
Tokkar Jun 30th 2010 6:38PM
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/07/new-issues-with-adobe-flash-google-search-links-could-compromis/
That was the article for informing us about a Google "Sponsored Link" that led people to a malware site to install what was allegedly the Curse Client.
Always ensure that where you are downloading from is the actual site itself, not a link that you've clicked on from somewhere else that alleges to download the add-on/client.
Links can be obfuscated to appear to come directly from the site in question, the names can have similarities or even appear genuine.
0ne way is to get you somewhere eIse by misspeIIing in such a fashion that you don't notice unIess you are using a different font. ln this exampIe, l am misspeIIing severaI words in this one paragraph. Did you notice? There are 12 misspeIIed words, even though they don't appear to be misspeIIed using the defauIt AriaI font.
Another way is to simply use a simple line of javascript coding to change the text of the link in the taskbar.
Be safe, people. Download only from trusted sites. If another site links to it, save yourself the headache and actually type in the URL to the site in the address bar unless you fully and completely trust the site you're on.
ColbyWolf Jul 1st 2010 5:03AM
Well done, sir.
Also, I cannot agree more with what you've said.
Also, oppses happen, no matter how careful you are. An authenticator is great additional security atop of taking great care.
Cataca Jun 30th 2010 7:03PM
See, I do like ArkInventory but I enjoy the process of sorting the inventory myself.
And yes, the stock UI is pretty much what I like best so far (or addons like Bagnon for all-in-one type style with no automation)
The problem with the stock UI is that the bags are either too big or too small. Say you have 19 items that you want to store in 20 slot a bag. You are wasting that one slot. Or you have 21 items, then you'd have one item in a bag that it doesn't belong in.
What I want the addon to do is create a 19 slot bag from a 20 sloter and give that extra slot to the backpack.
Nev Jun 30th 2010 8:10PM
I love add-ons...I have a ton. I've always wondered at what point do they start causing lag, latency, fps type of issues. Thanks!!!
Para Jul 3rd 2010 11:03AM
That really depends on your computer, for examply my old horrible computer didnt like anything over 5-10 Mb (10mb was PUSHING IT TO THE EXTREME!!!) and you will find many addons use memory without telling you (afaik gearscore and things like atlasloot seem to do this) whereas my new comp can run with anything up to 30mb and probably more, just havent tried. Try adding new addons 1 at a time and test it by going to high populated areas, you dont want your awsome new ui to cause you to have 5 fps in raids ^^.
Also i could leave this to the ui pros who know more than i do but you can use "lightweight" addons or search for a lightweight version of addons you like if you find they are too big. Basically lightweight use less memory and do exactly the same job, an example of this would be recount and its lightweight counterpart skada. Both are damage meters (except scada can do absorbs from pws for example) but recount uses a huge amount of memory in say a 25man raid, which was enough to cause my old comps fps to drop whereas i could use skada and my fps was exactly the same.
Hope this helps you out!
relmatos Jun 30th 2010 9:10PM
dont know if this is the right place to ask but is there an addon to manage the new chat system? choose which chat windows to blink when u get a new whisper, make the guild chat blink just like whispers(mine doesnt), ...
Zam Jul 1st 2010 1:04AM
I'd be interested to read when you should do a clean install of an addon and which files you should delete when you do.
GirlyDeathwhisper Jul 1st 2010 4:01AM
You can see through the fog that hangs over this world like a shroud, and grasp where true power lies.
Fix your eyes upon your crude UIs: the clutter, the XPearl, the use of Omen and a DPS meter!
It is a weakness; a crippling flaw.... A joke played by the Creators upon their own creations.
The sooner you come to accept your condition as a defect, the sooner you will find yourselves in a position to transcend it.
Viciouschan Jul 1st 2010 9:49AM
I'd REALLY add that Curse client shouldn't be used as MANY people I know have been hacked through it in the past. Manual is really the safest route.
Chelrue Jul 1st 2010 11:37AM
I am so glad this article series is being written. I've been wanting to venture into add-ons and wasn't sure where to start (none of my guildies use them). Thanks, Mat!