Addin Tip: Use ImprovedErrorFrame

Posted by Stropp on September 16, 2006

When you are using or developing Lua add-ins there is no guarantee that the add-in is bug free. This is especially the case after a patch since the World of Warcraft API (Application Programming Interface) has not been altered by Blizzard. Even moreso, when developing an add-in you are unlikely to get the code right the first time. This isn’t the end of the world though, errors in the API code are caught and handled by the World of Warcraft client.

The problem is that these errors pop up a honking big dialog window right in the middle of the screen. Really distracting if you are in the middle of a fight. Even worse if you are low on health, facing imminent defeat, and a raid is relying on you. And worse still, if the error repeats, it pops up the dialog each time you shut it down. You really don’t want to waste time disabling an errant add-in in the middle of a raid.

Improved Error Frame comes to the rescue. This handy little add-in collects the errors and stores them in a list that you can look at later. A little indicator appears on the mini-map border with the number of errors, and clicking on it lists those errors. Improved Error Frame is packaged with the Cosmos UI Platform and installed when you install Cosmos.

To get Improved Error Frame working once Cosmos has been installed, or if it has been disabled for some reason, all you have to do is go to your list of add-ins, either in the character select screen, or by using Khaos Configure from the Options panel when in the game. Look for !ImprovedErrorFrame in the list of add-ins, and make sure that it is enabled.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

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