TOC format

Main Menu
WoW API Lua API FrameXML util Widget API Widget scripts XML schema Events CVars Macro commands Combat Log Escape sequences Hyperlinks API changes HOWTOs wowuidev

→ UI Tech. Details

.toc (Table of Contents) files contain information about a particular addon (such as its name, description, saved variables, etc), as well as instructions on how the addon should be loaded by the client (for example, the order in which lua and xml files should be loaded). The file must be present, and have the same name (plus extension) as its parent folder for the addon to be recognized by the client.

Basic rules

The game client searches each subfolder of ...\Interface\AddOns\ (only one level deep) for .toc files having the same name as the subfolder. This .toc file has instructions of the following format:

• Metadata printed as ## TagName : tagValue, where whitespace is trimmed (except at the start of a line)
• Comments printed as # this is a comment ignored by the client
• A list of files to be loaded as myFile.xml or subfolder/anotherFile.lua

## Interface: 100206
## Title: Waiting for Godot
## Notes: Nothing to be done.
## Version: 4.2
Vladimir.xml
Estragon.lua
libs/SomeEmbeddedLibrary.lua

# This is a comment

File load order

The .toc file provides an ordered list of files to be loaded by the client. In the earlier example:

• Vladimir.xml loads first, and is in the same folder as the .toc file
• Estragon.lua loads second, and is in the same folder as the .toc file
• SomeEmbeddedLibrary.lua loads third, and is in a subfolder called libs

Not every file must appear in a .toc list:

• xml files may contain <Script file="nameOfAnotherFile.lua" /> or <Include file="alsoLoadThis.xml"/>
• Texture SetTexture and PlaySoundFile can use images and sounds contained within the addon folder and its subfolders

Interface version

## Interface: 100206

The interface metadata specifies which version of the game client the addon has been made for. This field prevents users from experiencing errors by loading out-of-date addons or mixing Retail and Classic; unless they explicity ignore warnings and choose "Load out of date addons". Omitting this field causes the game to treat the addon as always out of date.

There are a number of ways to get the current interface version:

It probably is 100206 (retail) or 11501 (classic)

But these numbers are maintained locally, so they might be out of date.

Use GetBuildInfo

In particular, /dump select(4, GetBuildInfo()) should output the correct version to your chat frame.

Extract FrameXML and check FrameXML.toc

Launch wow with the -console flag, then at the login screen, activate the console using the `/~ key, and type ExportInterfaceFiles code to extract FrameXML files into World of Warcraft\BlizzardInterfaceCode.

Steal it from another AddOn

Recently updated AddOns, which are not listed as "out of date" by the client contain the latest Interface version in their toc tag.

Prior to patch 8.2.0:

View FrameXML.toc online

For instance at wowcompares.

Display in the addon list

The following metadata change how an addon appears in the addon list.

These tags support localization, which may written by appending a hyphen and the locale code to the tag name, such as Title-enGB. See Localization for a full list of current locale codes.

Coloring is possible via UI escape sequences |c########.

Title

String - The name to display on the AddOns list (default: name of the addon's folder).

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

Notes

String - The description displayed when the user hovers over the addon entry in the AddOns list.

## Notes: This word is |cFFFF0000red!

Loading conditions

The following metadata changes when and how an addon loads:

RequiredDeps, Dependencies, or any word beginning with "Dep"

String - A comma-separated list of addon (directory) names that must be loaded before this addon can be loaded.

 ## Dependencies: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

OptionalDeps

String - A comma-separated list of addon (directory) names that should be loaded before this addon if they can be loaded.

## OptionalDeps: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

LoadOnDemand

Number - If this value of this tag is "1", the addon is not loaded when the user first logs in, but can be loaded by another addon at a later point. This can be used to avoid loading situational addons.

## LoadOnDemand: 1

LoadWith

String - A comma-separated list of addon (directory) names that, when loaded, will cause the client to load this LoadOnDemand addon as well.

## LoadWith: someAddOn, someOtherAddOn

LoadManagers

String - A comma-separated list of addon (directory) names; if no addons on this list are loaded, the client will load your addon when the user logs in; if at least one addon on this list is loaded, your addon is treated as LoadOnDemand. An example of a LoadManager is AddonLoader.

SavedVariables

String - A comma-separated list of variable names in the global environment that will be saved to disk when the client exits, and placed back into the global environment when your addon is loaded; the variables are not available before the ADDON_LOADED event fires for your addon. See Saving variables between game sessions.

## SavedVariables: foo, bar

SavedVariablesPerCharacter

String - A comma-separated list of variable names in the global environment that will be saved to disk when the client exits, and placed back into the global environment when your addon is loaded for a particular character. Note that PerCharacter saved variables are only loaded for the character for which they were saved.

## SavedVariablesPerCharacter: somePercharVariable

DefaultState

String - Determines whether the addon is enabled by default when first installed. If the value of this tag is "disabled", the user must explicitly enable the addon in the addons list before it is loaded.

## DefaultState: enabled

Informational

The following metadata do not change how an addon behaves, but may be accessed using GetAddOnMetadata:

Author

String - The AddOn author's name, displayed

Version

String - The AddOn version. Some automatic updating tools may prefer that this string begins with a numeric version number.

X-_____

String - Any custom metadata prefixed by "X-", such as "X-Date", "X-Website" or "X-Feedback"

Restricted

Secure

Number - If the value of this tag is 1 and the addon is digitally signed by Blizzard, its code is considered secure.

Notes

• WoW reads up to the first 1024 characters of each line only. Additional characters are ignored and do not cause an error.
• The list of files may be edited while the game is open (taking effect after /reload), but changing metadata has no effect and any files must have already been inside the AddOns folder

Patch changes

• Patch 9.0.1 (2020-10-13): /reload recognizes changes to TOC metadata and entirely new files.
  
• Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): /reload recognizes changes to the file order.
  
• Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): Added LoadManagers metadata
  
• Patch 1.11.0 (2006-06-19): Added Secure metadata
  
• Patch 1.9.0 (2006-01-03): Added LoadWidth metadata
  

See also

• GetAddOnInfo returns basic information about an addon.
• GetAddOnMetadata returns information listed in a specified .toc tag.
• GetBuildInfo returns the client's interface version