UI Update Message

[Rocom]

Hello everyone,

So I've been working on UI's and with my next release I wanted to include a custom addon that would simply send a message when a new version of the UI is available.

For example while the user is logged in (or when they login for the first time after the update) in the chat frame it would say "RocomUI Has been updated! Please visit *address* to update."

I've seen addons like DBM do this so I was wondering how it's done. I'm sure I would need some sort of hosting to post the message for it to go out which wouldn't be an issue. Anyway let me know how I could make this happen. Thanks so much!!

[Nobgul]

I have seen tons of addons do this. Quite honestly they just put a timer in. If x ammount of time has passed then place the message. For addons like dbm and carbonite. there is bound to be a update atleast once a month. So unless you want to lock yourself into a time constraint on updates your better off. Just placing a reminder.


Remember to check blahblah.xom for the lastest version! Also for support!

[MidgetMage55]

Since DBM has such a large user base it basically is telling people using older versions that someone in their party has a newer one. Other than that I dont think there is a way for an addon to know if there is a new version available.

And since there are people who check regularly and in some cases obsessively you are very likely to run across these messages.

[Rocom]

Originally Posted by Nobgul I have seen tons of addons do this. Quite honestly they just put a timer in. If x ammount of time has passed then place the message. For addons like dbm and carbonite. there is bound to be a update atleast once a month. So unless you want to lock yourself into a time constraint on updates your better off. Just placing a reminder. Remember to check blahblah.xom for the lastest version! Also for support!

Hmm... I see. How would I go about this? Just the basic message. I heard something about PrintMSG or something but I have nooo clue. Sorry I'm realllllllly new at making addons. The only languages I know are HTML and CSS so I'm no WoW Coder.

[Nobgul]

Yea 1 sec ill get you the syntax.


The only other way to do it would be to create a worker program that runs in the background. When someone exits wow or w/e it would check a url for a update using the version in a toc. then prompt the user to download a update.

This would of course require programming.

[Nobgul]

DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("message here");

[Rocom]

Originally Posted by Nobgul DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("message here");

Great thanks alot =)

[Haleth]

Or just

print("message here")

Though there's no really easy way to check if your UI has been updated, only addons with many many users like DBM can do that. The chances you get of someone in your party or raid using your UI, even if it's popular, is going to be very small (unless it's something like Tukui, but even then...).

[Rocom]

Originally Posted by Haleth Or just print("message here") Though there's no really easy way to check if your UI has been updated, only addons with many many users like DBM can do that. The chances you get of someone in your party or raid using your UI, even if it's popular, is going to be very small (unless it's something like Tukui, but even then...).

Well the idea was for when I update the UI I can type that's it's ready somewhere like an external website and that message would then go to all the users that are using my UI (because they would have this addon). Say for example I write "Rocom UI has been updated to version 2.3. Please update now" and right then it would send out to all the people that have this addon. Just that simple chat message I've written.

[Ailae]

The only catch with that is that you can't connect the two, the external website and the in-game addon, without using some external software to update your addons SavedVariables (while the game is closed) and would then only show up on a restart.

DBM, and other addons, do it by utilizing the addons communication channel that exists in WoW. Players running the addon will request version numbers from each other and if someone has a higher version number, indicating a new update, the others will get prompted to update.

Using a timer to arbitrarily remind people after some time has passed really sounds like a horrible idea, as does if it just spams you every time you login to check this or that website. If people care enough to update they will come to where you've released it. If you do it here on wowinterface.com they can utilize the Favorites function and get an email about it.