CreateFrame

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Creates a new Frame object.

frame = CreateFrame(frameType [, name, parent, template, id])

Arguments

frameType

string - Type of the frame e.g. "Frame" or "Button".

name

string? - Globally accessible name to assign to the frame, or nil for an anonymous frame.

parent

Frame? - Parent object to assign to the frame, or nil to be parentless; cannot be a string. Can also be set with Region:SetParent()

template

string? - Comma-delimited list of virtual frames to inherit from. See also the Complete List of FrameXML templates.

id

number? - ID to assign to the frame. Can also be set with Frame:SetID()

Returns

frame

Frame - The created Frame object or one of the other frame type objects.

Frame types

Possible frame types are available from the UI.xsd file.

Frame ArchaeologyDigSiteFrame Browser Button CheckButton Checkout CinematicModel ColorSelect Cooldown DressUpModel EditBox FogOfWarFrame GameTooltip ItemButton MessageFrame

Model ModelScene MovieFrame OffScreenFrame PlayerModel QuestPOIFrame ScenarioPOIFrame ScrollFrame ScrollingMessageFrame SimpleHTML Slider StatusBar TabardModel UnitPositionFrame

Details

• Frames cannot be deleted or garbage collected, but they can be reused/recycled.

There technically is a way to destroy frames by parenting them to a user waypoint frame.

• Fires the frame's OnLoad script, if it has one from an inherited template.

Examples

• Shows a texture which is also parented to UIParent so it will be hidden when toggled with Alt-Z

inv_mushroom_11

local f = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, UIParent)
f:SetPoint("CENTER")
f:SetSize(64, 64)

f.tex = f:CreateTexture()
f.tex:SetAllPoints(f)
f.tex:SetTexture("interface/icons/inv_mushroom_11")

• Creates a button which inherits textures and widget scripts from UIPanelButtonTemplate

Click me

local btn = CreateFrame("Button", nil, UIParent, "UIPanelButtonTemplate")
btn:SetPoint("CENTER")
btn:SetSize(100, 40)
btn:SetText("Click me")
btn:SetScript("OnClick", function(self, button)
	print("You clicked me with "..button)
end)

• Displays an animated model for a DisplayID.

local m = CreateFrame("PlayerModel")
m:SetPoint("CENTER")
m:SetSize(200, 200)
m:SetDisplayInfo(21723) -- murloccostume.m2

• Registers for events being fired, like chat messages and when you start/stop moving.

local function OnEvent(self, event, ...)
	print(event, ...)
end

local f = CreateFrame("Frame")
f:RegisterEvent("CHAT_MSG_CHANNEL")
f:RegisterEvent("PLAYER_STARTED_MOVING")
f:RegisterEvent("PLAYER_STOPPED_MOVING")
f:SetScript("OnEvent", OnEvent)

Patch changes

• Patch 2.0.1 (2006-12-05): The fourth argument, inheritFrame, now accepts comma-separated values.
  
• Patch 1.11.0 (2006-06-19): Added fourth argument, inheritFrame.
  
• Patch 1.10.0 (2006-03-28): Added.
  

See also

• CreateFramePool()