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07-24-09, 09:54 AM   #1
StephCyanide
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Tutorial about WoW UI Designer?

Hi, I'm a new member here on the forums, but I've been a "guest" for a while.
I recently downloaded the WoW UI Designer, but as I've looked at the screenshots, I still don't know how it works.

Question 1; Do you have to install addons, then direct them to the addon file (or whatever) inside the UI designer map, then upload them when you start the program? - If so, whats the file called? :X

Question 2; Are you able to change everything, such as position of the frames, the borders, the font, the size and colors?

Question 3; I also got some background graphics I downloaded for my UI, that I'd like to check out, do I upload these inside the program as well?

Question 4; Can anyone post a screenshot of his/her Retribution Paladin UI?
I'd like to get an idea of how to put my skills (sure eventually it all relies on the players playing style, but still :P)
Also, I downloaded Seal/Blessing bars as addons, so it puts it in a nice bar. So I don't have to sort them out, is this any good?

I got a bunch of other addons saved, but I'm not sure if it works together. So how do I get the original WoW UI back if I fudge anything up?
And where to put the finished UI? In which folder?

That was all. Sorry for making a whole new thread, I just couldn't find any answers related to my questions. Also, as it comes to forums, it seems to me that this is the nicest one. (As in replies from other people/players).

Thanks in advance!
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07-24-09, 12:23 PM   #2
Seerah
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This program does not allow you to create a custom UI in game (as you would associate with these downloads). Rather, it aids an addon developer in designing and coding the UI (user interface) for their addon.
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07-24-09, 12:37 PM   #3
contramundi
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WoW UI Designer... i think i got really stuck with that one too when i tried it out ^^.

to answer a few of your questions:

Q1: You need to manually load the addons you've downloaded 1 at a time into the program quoted from the info page:

* This release WILL NOT handle your existing UI files within the editor, it can only handle files that it itself created.
basically meaning that it can only handle the files that you created yourself, wich i think would also be the files you load and save while using the program

Q2: This should indeed be possible, what i can tell from the addon, its able to create its own complete addons, wich would also mean that you could load already created addons to modify their settings.

Fonts are integrated in the client, they can be overridden by files in a special "Font" folder in the same directory as your client.exe. Sizes, colors, and everything related to fonts can be changed by simple addons like "fontain" or "clearfont"

Q3: see below ^^
Q4: i can't help you with this, i got a bunch of 80's but a paladin never was my sort of thing ^^

If you wanna create a custom UI, my advise would be:

1) download kgpanels and align
2) download/create the artwork you wanna use (has to be *.tga with a max size of 512x512)

3) in the main folder of wow where your client.exe also is create a folder called art . This way you only need to supply the \\art\dummy.tga as a link inside kgpanels

start the client.

in game open up kgpanels and follow the quite easy to understand config to get your own borders/backgrounds inside its library. Then start creating a few panels and tinker with the options.

It sounds like a lot of work, and it is ^^ but its worthwhile because you instantly see where you place something.

After tinkering with kgpanels and when you have a bit of understanding of how it works, go start installing your favorite addons and place them where you want, then make new panels and place them around/behind/in front of the addons whatever you like

if you want to share your UI on WoWI, then my advise is to download reflux as well, and before starting to create the UI, make a profile and everytime you got something placed save it. This way a user who downloads it, only needs to load the correct reflux profile to get all addons on the correct place (well, atleast allmost all addons)

quick tutorial on kgpanels (don't go flaming because something isn't completely as it should be down below, i'm doing this from my memory, don't have the client at my disposal at the time being coz me @ work):

- make a folder called "art" inside the world of warcraft directory (in the same folder als launcher.exe)
- copy all the art you wanna try out inside the folder called "Art"
- load the client and log in
- load /kgpanels config
- enter a name for the layout (yes kgpanels has an option to create an unlimited amount of layouts wich can be easily switched when you want to)
- go to the library bit and select the option for the backgrounds
- create a new background and use names from wich you can tell wich art is what, or where its supposed to go (for example actionbar, or gryphon, or horde_logo)

If you click on okay/accept after putting in the name, you'll have to supply the folder and filename where kgpanels can find the artwork. This you'll do by using the following:

\\art\\<insert filename>.tga (or maybe it's \\art\... cant remember it too well)

After clicking okay/accept again, you'll have a new piece of art inside the backgrounds library from kgpanels. If you go there, you should even see a miniature version of the artwork.

After importing all your artwork into kgpanels, go to the active panels bit and

- make a name that's fitting for the panels position/anchor frame/etc. (you'll get for example a panel called "actionbar" or "player" or "chatframe")

Voila, you got a panel on screen wich is still blank, and you imported your artwork, now the fun can begin ^^

if you click the + mark next to the panel's name, you see a bunch of different options. The place you have to start however is called "textures" Open this one and from the pulldown list select one of your custom imported textures. After this you can go to the initial panel config page and tinker with the opacity, background color and a lot, lot more, but that's something you'll have to tinker and figure out yourself ^^ because i can't remember which settings they have, nor can i remember what all do. Besides, if i would describe every setting here, this page wouldn't end

Last edited by contramundi : 07-24-09 at 12:41 PM.
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07-26-09, 04:23 AM   #4
StephCyanide
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 2
Wow! Thank you for your explanation! That's really what I was hoping to get.

Also, you didn't use alot of WoW terms, so a newbie like me can fully understand everything, haha.

Thank you for your time and answers.

Lets get freaky with the UI now then. 8D
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08-28-09, 01:07 PM   #5
Grimsin
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Just adding to this, UI designer can load other addons not created by it but its tricky getting it to show in the GUI. Many things it just can not display in the GUI especially more advanced xml code lines and lua.
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12-02-09, 01:37 PM   #6
Thander
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WoW UI Designer is like Dreamweaver but instead of designing webpages, you are designing WoW addons. They call software like this Integrated Development Environment. They integrate all the essential tools needed to make the software. Usually this includes a GUI designer, project management, programming shortcuts, debugging/testing tools, and more.

So first you decide what kind of addon you want to make. Then with the Designer you create the visual elements of your addon. Then you go into the programming files and implement the functionality for the elements. Like if you have a frame with a close box on the top right. You need to have the code there to tell it to hide the frame when the close box is clicked.

This program is not made for Joe Schmoe WoW Player that logs in for an hour a day. It's for more dedicated players that are looking to create an addon without having to do everything from scratch. The Designer handles a lot of the little details, so you can focus on the important stuff.

There is one other thing. The last time I used it, it seemed to be out of date for the new functions. As Blizzard comes out with patches they make updates to what addons can do. Sometimes they add new functions, sometimes they remove functions, sometimes they change function names or signatures. I would still recommend trying it out because you learn a lot of about the different parts that make up an addon.
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