[Maul]

As I reply here, I am just going down the list to try and make sure every thing is addressed. Some info might be repeated

The new addon will indeed setup itself up with initial bars (2 or 3) and will have stance states flagged as appropriate.

The new design will be very flexible with spec changes, allowing for mere button data swaps to whole layouts. You will be able to flag a bar if it is active in one spec or both.

I always had the idea to allow for the copying of macros between specs, basically a one click and the macro from spec one is copied to spec two. Or something similar. I actually started on the code for Macaroon but never finished it.

Data stability really had to do with some design knots I made in Macaroon that I thought I had eliminated when Trinity did the same. The new code, however, is looking very stable in this regard. Other than your WTF getting nuked somehow, I do not foresee any of those "OMG Maul, where are my macros" moments.

Unlimited bars and buttons will never go away.

Buff and aura tracking timers will still be a feature.

The next generation code will be even more flexible, but it will be layered. A first time user will be able to install the addon and be ready for combat within 5 minutes of setup. The power user will continue to make extremely complex setups if they so desire.

The next gen addon will still be a macro action bar primarily, but allow for action ID for those certain situations where you might need one or two.

The next gen addon will have much easier to deal with states for the novice, but allow for the complexity Macaroon currently allows. Like I said, a novice user will be up and running in under 5 minutes with an action bar addon equivalent to the others out there at a minimum.

The next gen addon will always allow for the max size macro Blizzard allows.

The macro vault was a nice idea, I agree, but it needs better implementation. This is primarily a GUI design issue.

Flyouts will not go away. But the code is getting a complete overhaul and will be removing a lot of extra stuff that will be added to a new "Extensions" supplemental addon. Flyouts, however, will be a part of the base code, though flyouts that use items may be a part of extensions unless I can figure out a memory-friendly way to scan items each time items are added to inventory and thus check to see if the item flyout needs to be updated.

The next gen addon will allow for granularity in settings, but the first layer will be per-bar. If a power then wants to, then can then override the bar settings per button.

I try my best to keep the localization updated, but I made a mess of it in Macaroon (I thought I was being clever). The next gen addon will be using Ace3 localization libraries (gasp!). Mainly because on Curse.com they have a very nice feature that supports localization efforts that easily exports to the Ace3 localization lib. This will be the first time I am using an Ace library in my addons. But to be clear, I have never had an issue with Ace before, in fact I support the Ace library effort, I just like to code everything myself. But the Ace3 localization library along with Curse provides a solution that I really need to take advantage of.

Go Trinity! A note on vehicle/possess. This has always been a pain for Macaroon to deal with. I think I have found a solution that works and seems to work well, though. /crosses fingers.

Also, the primary reason I use Macaroon myself are my mouse-over healing macros that are much easier to deal with than the Blizzard macro interface (I think)

Registered just to post in this thread...

Woot!

Complex setups will even allow for more depth with the new code (I predict) but allow for simple setups too. Right now Macaroon supports one set of states to show/hide buttons. The new code is going to support two sets of states, one layered on top of the other. Details to follow as the new code matures

State remapping will not go away.

I agree that flyouts have a lot of potential and the current syntax evolved really from just being an experiment. Then Blizzard introduced their own flyouts and I had to integrate the code. I plan for the core functionality to be in the base code of the new addon, but then perhaps through a supplemental addon allow for much more.

Interesting idea on proto-typing macros for testing them. That is something I have not thought of.

I agree that my penchant for unique GUI widgets is sometimes limiting. However, Macaroon does have /slash commands as will the new addon. If you want to set a specific scale, you simply type /mac scale <scale desired>

I started to get into the level of detail in customizing objects like text, but I just never got around to it. Also, I hoping the author of Masque is able to add such customization.

I am really aiming to get the GUI in the best shape possible. Programming GUI's is the most time intensive (and boring) part of addon making. Hence, the Ace3 libraries that help with that. But then those GUI's tend to be very mundane and bleh...

I think the current Macaroon GUI has the right idea, just perhaps the wrong "feel". But having a larger macro edit window is noted.

A not on pet ID buttons. As of right now, I am wanting to take those out of the core addon and put the pet bar and its buttons into a different supplemental addon. This would mean that the core buttons would only be able to switch between macro and action, while the pet ID's are contained in their own little world. At one point I though Blizzard was going to expand the Pet ID range and that is why Macaroon has its current setup. But I do not think Blizzard will ever go over 10 pet action ID's, so into its own addon it will go.

Been a fan since Trinity and looking forward to MMB (Mauls Mysterious Bars)!

Hehe, a name to consider!

As I said above, the way bars will be done will allow much more flexibility to have them more easily used between characters. More info on that will come later, or you can join the alpha testing group to learn about it now ^_^

Interesting idea on picking up and dropping the action ID's rather then just the spells. That is something to consider!

There is already a "radiate" option in Macaroon that allows you to set the first pet ID then "radiate" the id's out the rest of the bar. But as I said above, the pet bar will most likely be its own addon. It will still be flexible, but the pet buttons will always be pet buttons most likely set with their ID's (or perhaps drag-able!)

The new addon will indeed reference icons by icon file path. Blizzard has forced this to be the way to do it

I will see what I can do to classify icons and adding filters (such as show all shadow spell icons only). That is an interesting idea.

The new addon will make applying changes much easier and less cumbersome to manually adjust (hopefully)

Items and the flyout code have been having a feud. If I recall, Autobar struggled at times with this as well. I will be working very hard to get items back into flyout bars, primarily because I like to use the flyouts for my rogues poisons.

You can set a flyout to set by class if you know how to use the commands. It is not exactly intuitive, but adding defaults that one only has to click on and it adds the appropriate flyout code is certainly doable.

The code to do have flyouts with macros on each flyout button is somewhat already in Macaroon through anchor buttons (I honestly forget if the current version has them enabled or not) Macaroon does allow the creation of a button that has a child bar associated with it that shows/hides when you click or mouse over it, the only thing it does not do is set the anchor button to the flyout button you click. This task is a bit more complicated, but it may be doable.

I think I have finally established state code that works very well. It took some time trying to figure out where states got confused and then showed a state you were not expecting.

I have never had an issue with Button Facade or Masque, but I know others have. With the introduction of Masque, though, I have redesigned how buttons are registered to be skinned and I think it works very well in the new code.

- The UI could use some work. I could perhaps help you with this if you want, I've done interface design professionally before.

I will take help from anywhere I can get it

The new design will appear to auto-save, so hopefully this will not be an issue. The current issue you are seeing is just the very poor support Macaroon has in its profile system and how it works.

Again, if anyone wants to try out the new code as it is being developed, send an email to [email protected]