Heads-Up about important API change in WoW 8.2
Added 2019-05-11 17:14:40 +0000 UTCThere's a important API change coming in the next major patch that changes most of them to no longer accept file paths and requires IDs instead.
If you are:
- Creating custom auras that use file paths
- An addon author
- a raider, testing bosses on the PTR
then you should read on.
The change in 8.2, is that every file in WoW outside the Interface and Fonts folders can no longer be referred to by its filename but must be referred to by its file id. Custom files that don't ship with WoW can still be referred to by their path.
GetFileIDFromPath can be used to convert between file names and file IDs but that API only works on 8.1 and will stop working in 8.2. Thus, if you are using file paths in your auras or addons now, you need to convert them to file ids for 8.2 before 8.2 actually is released.
Most APIs that take file paths can already handle file ids, so you can convert them now and be ready for 8.2. Of course there are also ones that can't yet handle file IDs. For those you can use a select(4, GetBuildInfo()) <= 80100 check to decide which patch is active and if to use the file id or file path.
Also for some reason GetFileIDFromPath can't handle .m2 files. Those can be converted by setting the path on a model and querying for the ID via model:GetModelFileID().
For those who want to use WeakAuras on the PTR, do the following:
- Make a backup of your settings.
- Install 2.12.4-beta1 or later on your live WoW and PTR.
- Start live WoW and log in to a Character, then quit it, this will convert your settings to the new format.
- Copy your settings SavedVariable to the PTR.
If your settings aren't correctly converted then please open a bug report and attach your backup from step 1.
