Need the baby step instructions.
 

What is the best way to go about learning how to code or write an addon? I have looked through some of the beginner articles on WowWiki, like advised on other threads I've read. Unfortunately I'm not understanding what they mean.

Should I be learning about programming language in general before going into LUA, or is it just as easy to go into LUA from the start?

Where do I get a program that can read/write LUA script? I've opened up a couple of .lua files in NoteBook, but I don't think it's compatible because it looks like language from alienware or something.

I'm just looking for the remedial Kids instructions on how to get started writing addons.

Any help would be great. Thanks.

I couldn't help you on the coding. I don't know it much.

I could only suggest knowing what an addon does, and then looking at its code to see what each code part does.

As for the LUA reader/writer. I use Scintilla-WoWI. Cladhaire packaged it up and it can read and write mostly anything. PHP, XML, LUA, you name it.

Link: http://www.wowinterface.com/download...Interface.html

Hope this helps.

this is what I am talking about. I've tried to go in and look at the default blizzard files and this is what I see when I take a look.



Does it look like this because I have an addon that alters the tradeskill window, or does it always look like this? Do I need a fresh unaltered copy of the original Interface Folder to look at?

How do I get this file to look like something that is understandable?

Or am I going about this all wrong?

It will always look like that as that is not a *.lua file. It is a *.pub file. What you are seeing is your text editor's attempt at translating the data in the file into characters. The data in the file though isn't designed to represent characters (it will be binary), so it just looks gibberish. So nothing you have done..it is the way that it is.

Look at one of the addons you have downloaded from here that you know how it works. I am on a learning curve too with LUA and I found this site for a tutorial.

http://lua-users.org/wiki/TutorialDirectory

Hope that's useful.

It looks like that because you are trying to view a compressed file, which your editor doesn't know how to handle the correct way.

If you go to wow version tracker you can review the code for the default interface either directly in the browser or by saving a local copy of the file you want to view and open it with your editor of choice.

As far as learning lua goes, you don't really need any previous programming experience. The tutorial directory Arabeth has supplied a link to is a great help when figuring out what is going on in the code.

Happy learning! :)