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TOC format

  • ️Tue Feb 25 2025

.toc files contain information about the addon (e.g. addon name, addon description, addon saved variables). They also specify the loading order for the addon's .lua and .xml files. A .toc file is mandatory for an addon. The filename of the .toc file must match the folder it's inside, otherwise the .toc file won't load.

Rules

The .toc file and folder name must match. For example ..\Interface\AddOns\MyAddon\MyAddon.toc

The .toc file can optionally have the following elements:

  • Metadata as ## Directive: Value
  • Comments as # this is a comment
  • A list of files as myFile.xml or subfolder\myFile.lua

Whitespace before # will be interpreted as the start of a filename. However, the client trims whitespace around metadata values (after the colon).

Backslashes \ are recommended instead of forward slashes for paths to prevent issues with <Include> tags.

Example .toc file: 

## Interface: 110100
## Title: MyAddonName
## Notes: Brief description about what MyAddonName does to help people find it
## Version: 1.0.0
# This line is a comment
MyFrame.xml
MyCode.lua
lib\MyCode.lua
anotherfolder\MoreCode.xml

File loading order

The .toc file includes a list of files to be loaded. The files are loaded in order, from top to bottom.

Not every file in your addon must appear in the .toc file. This is because .xml files can load files using <Script file="AnotherFile.lua" /> or <Include file="alsoLoadThis.xml" />. Also, functions such as Texture:SetTexture() and PlaySoundFile() can specify image files and sound files contained within the addon folder and subfolders.

Multiple game versions (Retail, Cata Classic, WoW Classic)

Classic game versions can be supported by including multiple .toc files in the same addon.[1] The WoW client first searches for the special file names as shown below, and if none are found, uses AddonName.toc

Flavor Suffix
TheWarWithin-Petopia-Logo.png Mainline (retail) AddonName_Mainline.toc
All classic flavors AddonName_Classic.toc
Cata-Logo-Small.png Cataclysm Classic AddonName_Cata.toc
Wrath-Logo-Small.png Wrath of the Lich King Classic AddonName_Wrath.toc
Bc icon.gif Burning Crusade Classic AddonName_TBC.toc
WoW Icon update.png Classic Era AddonName_Vanilla.toc
  • Clients also recognize legacy suffixes -WOTLKC and -BCC.
  • Cata-Logo-Small.png The _Classic suffix has changed and is now used for addons that can be loaded on all Classic client flavors.
    • Files with this TOC suffix have a lower priority than other suffixes that target specific clients. For example, having both a _Cata.toc and _Classic.toc file will result in the former being used on Cataclysm Classic clients, and the latter in all other Classic client flavors.

Interface version

"Interface" is the WoW version the addon was made for. WoW uses this number to tell if an addon is out of date.

If an addon has an older interface version than the user's current WoW client version, the addon is classified as out of date. If you don't specify an Interface version, WoW will always treat the addon as out of date.

If the game version is 10.2.7, then the interface version is 100207:

You can also specify multiple versions with commas (this example targets 11.0.2, 4.4.0 and 1.15.3): 

## Interface: 110002, 40400, 11503

Determining the interface version

GetBuildInfo

Type /dump (select(4, GetBuildInfo())) in the chat box. This example shows the interface version during 9.2.7.

Enter the text "/dump select(4, GetBuildInfo())" into the chat window to display the Interface version

Warcraft Wiki

This wiki maintains a list template of the latest interfaces for each flavor of the game. The template is also shown below (these values are updated by contributors, so they may be out of date).

Expansion Patch TOC version
Test-inline.png Mainline PTR 11.1.5 110105
TheWarWithin-Petopia-Logo.png Mainline 11.1.0 110100
Test-inline.png Cataclysm Classic PTR 4.4.2 40402
Cata-Logo-Small.png Cataclysm Classic 4.4.2 40402
Test-inline.png Classic Era PTR 1.15.7 11507
WoW Icon update.png Classic Era 1.15.6 11506

AddOns list formatting

The following directives change how an AddOn appears in the AddOns list. Both may be coloured using UI escape sequences (e.g. |c########|r), or localized by appending a hyphen and the locale code (e.g.Title-enGB). Later entries overwrite earlier ones, so the non-localized fallback should go first.

Title

Name displayed in the AddOns list. 

## Title: Waiting for Godot
## Title-frFR: En attendant Godot

Notes

Tooltip displayed in the AddOns list. 

## Notes: This word is |cFFFF0000red|r

Category

Category name displayed in the AddOns list, displayed as a collapsible header entry.

It is strongly recommended that you stick to the translated category names found on the Addon Categories page. This will ensure that your addon is consistently located with other addons in the same category across all locales. 

## Category: This is a test
## Category-deDE: Dies ist ein Test

Group

Addon used for grouping entries together in the AddOns list.

  • The Group value must be the name of the main addon.
  • Grouped addons are displayed in the addon list as indented sub-lists. These lists cannot be collapsed, unlike Categories.
    • Nested groups are not supported by the addon list.
  • If no Group has been manually specified, the client will attempt to automatically deduce membership of a group.
    • Installed addons will be scanned to locate pairs of addons where the base name of one addon is a complete prefix of another, and where any form of dependency relation exists between the two in either direction.

IconTexture

Path to a texture file to be shown as the icon for this addon in the addon list. Optional. 

## IconTexture: Interface\Icons\TEMP

IconAtlas

Name of a texture atlas to be shown as the icon for this addon in the addon list. Optional, and has a lower priority than IconTexture if both are set. 

## IconAtlas: TaskPOI-Icon

Addon compartment integration

Dragonflight-Icon-Inline.png The following directives will control the registration of the addon into the Addon compartment dropdown accessible from the minimap.

AddonCompartmentFunc

Name of a global function to be executed when the dropdown list button for this addon has been clicked. This field is required to have the addon be shown in the Addon Compartment list. 

## AddonCompartmentFunc: MyAddon_OnAddonCompartmentClick

AddonCompartmentFuncOnEnter

Name of a global function to be executed when this dropdown list button for this addon has been highlighted. Optional. 

## AddonCompartmentFuncOnEnter: MyAddon_OnAddonCompartmentEnter

AddonCompartmentFuncOnLeave

Name of a global function to be executed when this dropdown list button for this addon is no longer highlighted. Optional. 

## AddonCompartmentFuncOnLeave: MyAddon_OnAddonCompartmentLeave

Loading conditions

The following directives control when an AddOn loads, and any dependencies that must or may load first.

LoadOnDemand

Dependencies

AddOns that must load first. Aliases include RequiredDeps and any word beginning with Dep. 

## Dependencies: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

OptionalDeps

AddOns that should load first if available. 

## OptionalDeps: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

LoadWith

AddOns that, once loaded, trigger this one to load. Implies LoadOnDemand. 

## LoadWith: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

LoadManagers

AddOns that, if present, trigger this one to behave as LoadOnDemand. See AddonLoader for an example. 

## LoadManagers: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

OnlyBetaAndPTR

1 if an addon should only be loadable in Beta or PTR clients.

DefaultState

disabled to require the user to explicitly enable the AddOn in the AddOns list. 

## DefaultState: disabled

Saved variables

Main article: Saving variables between game sessions

SavedVariables

Variables saved in WTF/[account]/SavedVariables. 

## SavedVariables: MyAddOnNameFoo, MyAddOnNameBar

SavedVariablesPerCharacter

Variables saved in WTF/[account]/[server]/[character]/SavedVariables. 

## SavedVariablesPerCharacter: MyAddOnNameAnotherVariable

Informational

The following metadata may be accessed using GetAddOnMetadata().

Author
The AddOn author's name, displayed
Version
The AddOn version. Some automatic updating tools may prefer that this string begins with a numeric version number.
X-_____
Any custom metadata prefixed by "X-", such as "X-Date", "X-Website" or "X-Feedback"

Restricted

The following tags are inaccessible to third-party AddOns.

AllowLoad

Restricts loading this addon to either the GlueXML or FrameXML environments.

Value Environment
Both Allow this addon to load without restriction in all environments.
Game Only load this addon in the FrameXML environment.
Glue Only load this addon in the GlueXML environment.

AllowLoadGameType

EscalateErrorDuringLoad

Boolean directive that appears to have no effect in public clients.

LoadFirst

1 if a secure addon is not permitted to be disabled and should be loaded before any other addons without this flag.

SavedVariablesMachine

List of global variable names to be persisted across all accounts on the same machine.

UseSecureEnvironment

1 if all files present in an addon should be loaded into a private function environment.

Details

  • WoW reads up to the first 1024 characters of each line only. Additional characters are ignored and do not cause an error.
  • Starting from Patch 9.0, 1.14.0 and 2.5.3, newly created/added files and even complete addons, are also detected when doing a /reload after the game started.

Patch changes

Retail

Classic

Classic Era

  • WoW Icon update.png Patch 1.15.4 (2024-09-24): Includes all changes present in patch 11.0.0.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b MeoInv g fishingbobber 05.pngrawr. Multiple Interface Version Support. WoWUIBugs.