Dynamic UI Help

[Elenesski]

I am using WOW UI Designer (WOWUID) to create a interface for a mod that I am developing called eXtreme Unit Buttons (XUB). XUB is open-ended framework for creating unit buttons that isn't specific to a particular class.

For now, XUB is configured by parsing a set of comma-delimited lines in a multi-line text box (which in turn comes from a Spreadsheet; I copy-and-paste the text into WOW to configure how the buttons are displayed). This approach allows me to continue to build XUB without being constrained by my lack of understanding of the building the UI. When I figure out how to build the UI, I think the UI will transform the same text lines that are currently being parsed to handle the configuration. (so I can implement CANCEL vs. SAVE only logic).

XUB will require a UI that can handle several hundred configurable items which fall into 10 basic types. I can use WOWUID to build the static elements of my user interface, but I need a UI that can handle an unknown number of elements, which means I need to dynamically generate UI elements to handle the variety of combinations.

At this point, I'm not sure what question to ask. Can I use the elements that WOWUID generates to construct a dynamic interface; if so, how do I do it? Or do I build a static interface and then use a scroll bar component to dynamically refresh a window based on the positioning of the bar on the page, or should I be using a different set of libraries (like AceGUI) to build the UI? Perhaps I'm "barking up the wrong tree" and there is some other approach I should be considering.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
- E