Using the AddOn namespace

Main Menu
WoW API Widget API Widget scripts Lua API Events CVars XML schema Macro commands Combat Log Escape sequences API changes HOWTOs Snippets UI tech. Category nav.

→ HOWTOs

The addon namespace is a private table shared between Lua files in the same addon.
It allows for addons to access data between files without exposing/polluting variables to the global environment.

addonName, addonTable = ...

Vararg

addonName 

string - The name of your addon as set in the TOC and folder name.

addonTable 

table - The shared addon table between the Lua files of an addon.

Example

This addon defines the "foo" key on the addon table in FileA.lua and accesses it in FileB.lua

• Test.toc

## Interface: 90005
## Version: 1.0
## Title: Test

FileA.lua
FileB.lua

• FileA.lua

local _, addonTbl = ...

addonTbl.foo = "Hello"

• FileB.lua

local addonName, addonTbl = ...

print(addonName, addonTbl.foo) -- prints "Test" and "Hello"

Notes

You can also use a unique global variable across your files.

MyCoolAddon = {}
MyCoolAddon.value = 0

function MyCoolAddon:DoSomething()
	self.value = self.value + 1
end

References

• Phanx 2014-06-01. WoWInterface - trying to understand modules through namespace. Retrieved on 2019-04-22.
• Gello 2016-02-07. UI and Macro - XML: Loading, Namespaces, Globals and Tips. Retrieved on 2019-04-22.
• Bryce Fischer 2011-11-26. Stackoverflow - Lua, WOW and “…”. Retrieved on 2019-04-22.
• Lua Reference Manual: loadfile, vararg