Is there any possible way to temporarily group frames up?

[Layback_]

So, my plan was to create a cast bar frame which has icon and bar.

Icon has it's base frame and texture (which becomes actual icon displayer), while bar has base frame, status bar frame and texture (which becomes background of status bar), and I would like to (temporarily) group up two base frames.

e.g:

-- Castbar (Bar)
local Castbar = CreateFrame("StatusBar", nil, UIParent);
 
local backdrop = CreateFrame("Frame"), nil, Castbar);
 
local bg = Castbar:CreateTexture(nil, "BACKGROUND");
 
Castbar.backdrop = backdrop;
Castbar.bg = bg;
 
 
-- Castbar (Icon)
local Icon = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, UIParent);
 
backdrop = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, Icon);
 
local texture = Icon:CreateTexture(nil, "OVERLAY");
 
Icon.backdrop = backdrop;
Icon.texture = texture;

The reason that I'm trying to group them is to SetPoint() as single frame.

I'm not sure if my explanation was clear enough, but any helps that I could get?

(Of course, I could create another base frame which would contain Castbar and Icon, but I would like to ask if there is any alternatives.)

[Fizzlemizz]

You can use SetPoint to make one frame an anchor for another frame. If you move the anchor, the anchored frame moves with it.

local f1 = CreateFrame("Frame")
f1:SetPoint(CENTER)

local f2 = CreateFrame("Frame")
f2:SetPoint(CENTER, f1)

f1:ClearAllPoints()
f1:SetPoint(LEFT)

f1 and f2 are now both set left. Of course they will stay anchored until you SetPoint f2 to something else (another frame or UIParent).

[Layback_]

Originally Posted by Fizzlemizz You can use SetPoint to make one frame an anchor for another frame. If you move the anchor, the anchored frame moves with it. local f1 = CreateFrame("Frame") f1:SetPoint(CENTER) local f2 = CreateFrame("Frame") f2:SetPoint(CENTER, f1) f1:ClearAllPoints() f1:SetPoint(LEFT) f1 and f2 are now both set left. Of course they will stay anchored until you SetPoint f2 to something else (another frame or UIParent).

Hi Fizzlemizz!

Hm.... I think I need provide more clarifications regarding my question.

Your method is pretty close to what I'm expecting to achieve.

Have a look at this image here.



So, like I mentioned on initial thread, it has Icon and Castbar like any other Castbar addons.

If I would like to "CENTER" them on screen with your method, it would become something like this:

Castbar:SetSize(250, 32);
Castbar:SetPoint("CENTER");
 
Icon:SetSize(32, 32);
Icon:SetPoint("RIGHT", Castbar, "LEFT", -2, 0);
 
Castbar:ClearAllPoints();
Castbar:SetPoint("CENTER", UIParent, "CENTER", ((Icon:GetWidth() + 2) / 2), 0);

I know that those two frames will move together since Icon is anchored to Castbar.

However, in order to set their position to center of the screen, I'll have to do a calculation like ((Icon:GetWidth() + 2) / 2) to get xOffset instead of just putting 0.

This would still work, and I'm happy enough to use this if there is no possible alternatives, but I would like to ask any simpler approaches(?) for this.

[Seerah]

This is the only way apart from having a main anchor frame that your castbar and icon are both anchored/attached to.

------------------------------------------------------- <--anchor frame
|------- ---------------------------------------------|
||Icon | |     Castbar                               ||
|------- ---------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------

[Fizzlemizz]

First, are you actually planning to centre the overall display directly over, above or below you character? If not it may not be a big deal.

That said, even adding a third "background" bar to anchor the icon and statusbar too to then centre, you would sill need to calculate the width of the icon and bar to centre the anchor properly.

One way saves you a frame but you might have to save the offset if you are going to "align" it to various objects. The other saves you having to save the offset but creates a frame.

All things being equal frames are relatively cheap, even in the standard UI there are thousands so in this case, it probably comes down to what is easiest for you to manage/maintain.

[Seerah]

Originally Posted by Fizzlemizz That said, even adding a third "background" bar to anchor the icon and statusbar too to then centre, you would sill need to calculate the width of the icon and bar to centre the anchor properly.

Not necessarily.

local anchor = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, UIParent)
anchor:SetWidth(300)
anchor:SetHeight(40)
anchor:SetPoint("CENTER")
 
local icon = anchor:CreateTexture()
icon:SetWidth(38)
icon:SetHeight(38)
icon:SetPoint("TOPLEFT", anchor, "TOPLEFT", 1, -1)
 
local sbar = CreateFrame("StatusBar", nil, anchor)
sbar:SetHeight(38)
sbar:SetPoint("TOPRIGHT", anchor, "TOPRIGHT", -1, -1)
sbar:SetPoint("TOPLEFT", icon, "TOPRIGHT", 1, 0)

[Layback_]

Originally Posted by Fizzlemizz First, are you actually planning to centre the overall display directly over, above or below you character? If not it may not be a big deal. That said, even adding a third "background" bar to anchor the icon and statusbar too to then centre, you would sill need to calculate the width of the icon and bar to centre the anchor properly. One way saves you a frame but you might have to save the offset if you are going to "align" it to various objects. The other saves you having to save the offset but creates a frame. All things being equal frames are relatively cheap, even in the standard UI there are thousands so in this case, it probably comes down to what is easiest for you to manage/maintain.

For the player's cast bar, I'm planning to position it about 200 pixels above UIParent's "BOTTOM" point.

So, if I'd enhance(?) my previous code, it would be something like this.

Castbar:SetSize(250, 32);
Castbar:SetPoint("CENTER");
 
Icon:SetSize(32, 32);
Icon:SetPoint("RIGHT", Castbar, "LEFT", -2, 0);
 
Castbar:ClearAllPoints();
Castbar:SetPoint("BOTTOM", UIParent, "BOTTOM", ((Icon:GetWidth() + 2) / 2), 200);

And in fact, my previous version of castbar already has third "background" frame which I actually made as a Parent frame of Bar and Icon.

Here's the entire code for it:

A.CreateCastBar = function(f, unit)
    local point, relativeTo, relativePoint, xOfs, yOfs = unpack(G[unit]["castbar"]["point"]); 
 
    local CastBar = CreateFrame("Frame", f:GetName() .. "Castbar", f);
    CastBar:SetFrameStrata("LOW");
    CastBar:SetSize(G[unit]["castbar"]["width"], G[unit]["castbar"]["height"]);
    CastBar:SetPoint("BOTTOM", UIParent, "BOTTOM", 0, 200);
 
    local Bar = CreateFrame("StatusBar", nil, CastBar);
    Bar:SetSize(CastBar:GetWidth() - 36, CastBar:GetHeight() - 2);
    Bar:SetPoint("RIGHT", CastBar, "RIGHT", -1, 0);
    Bar:SetStatusBarTexture(CAST_BAR);
    Bar:SetStatusBarColor(playerColor.r, playerColor.g, playerColor.b, 1);
 
    CastBar.Bar = Bar;
 
    local backdrop = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, Bar);
    backdrop:SetSize(Bar:GetWidth() + 2, Bar:GetHeight() + 2);
    backdrop:SetPoint("CENTER", Bar, "CENTER");
    backdrop:SetBackdrop({
        bgFile = nil,
        edgeFile = BACKDROP,
        edgeSize = 1,
        insets = {
            left = 1,
            right = 1,
            top = 1,
            bottom = 1,
        },
    });
    backdrop:SetBackdropBorderColor(0, 0, 0, 1);
 
    Bar.backdrop = backdrop;
 
    local bg = Bar:CreateTexture(nil, "BACKGROUND");
    bg:SetAllPoints(true);
    bg:SetTexture(BACKDROP);
    bg:SetVertexColor(playerColor.r * 0.2, playerColor.g * 0.2, playerColor.b * 0.2, 1);
 
    Bar.bg = bg;
 
    local Icon = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, CastBar);
    Icon:SetSize(CastBar:GetWidth() - 254, CastBar:GetHeight() - 2);
    Icon:SetPoint("LEFT", CastBar, "LEFT", 1, 0);
 
    CastBar.Icon = Icon;
 
    backdrop = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, Icon);
    backdrop:SetSize(Icon:GetWidth() + 2, Icon:GetHeight() + 2);
    backdrop:SetPoint("CENTER", Icon, "CENTER");
    backdrop:SetBackdrop({
        bgFile = nil,
        edgeFile = BACKDROP,
        edgeSize = 1,
        insets = {
            left = 1,
            right = 1,
            top = 1,
            bottom = 1,
        },
    });
    backdrop:SetBackdropBorderColor(0, 0, 0, 1);
 
    Icon.backdrop = backdrop;
 
    local texture = Icon:CreateTexture(nil, "OVERLAY");
    texture:SetAllPoints(true);
    texture:SetTexture(BACKDROP);
    texture:SetVertexColor(playerColor.r * 0.2, playerColor.g * 0.2, playerColor.b * 0.2, 1);
 
    Icon.texture = texture;
end

I'm personally thinking that this would be the easiest approach to create castbar, but ain't sure of how others would think.

Like you mentioned it eases me on setting the offsets of frames, but concluded me creating another frame called "CastBar".

Should I maintain this approach if I think it would be easier for me to manage with?

[Fizzlemizz]

Originally Posted by Seerah Not necessarily.

My use of the words bar and frame might not be technically correct but you've still created three distinct widgets, a frame, a texture and a statusbar.

Edit: My bad, the frame is required for the texture . Too much swapping between languages.

[Fizzlemizz]

Originally Posted by Layback_ Should I maintain this approach if I think it would be easier for me to manage with?

Yes you should.

[Seerah]

Originally Posted by Fizzlemizz My use of the words bar and frame might not be technically correct but you've still created three distinct widgets, a frame, a texture and a statusbar. Edit: My bad, the frame is required for the texture . Too much swapping between languages.

I said "not necessarily" in response to your comment of

you would sill need to calculate the width of the icon and bar to centre the anchor properly.

[Fizzlemizz]

Originally Posted by Seerah I said "not necessarily" in response to your comment of

It's 10:30am, is that too early to go to bed and just start again tomorrow?

[Seerah]

Nah...